Papyrus 6
Encyclopedia
Papyrus 6 designated by 
6 or by ε 021 (in von Soden's numbering), is a fragmentary early copy of the New Testament in Greek
and Coptic
(Akhmimic). It is a papyrus
manuscript
of the Gospel of John
that has been dated paleographically
to the 4th century. The manuscript also contains text of the First Epistle of Clement
, which is a canonical book of the New Testament for the Coptic Church. The major part of the codex is lost.
The Greek text of the codex has several unusual textual variants.
in Coptic (Akhmimic dialect) on the first 26 pages of the manuscript, Coptic Epistle of James
on the pages 91-99, and Greek and Coptic Gospel of John on the page 100. Pages 27-90 have not survived. About 25 pages contained the rest of the text of the First Epistle of Clement and one page of text of James 1:1-12, but there were about 28 pages with unknown content. According to Friedrich Rösch there is not space for the Second Epistle of Clement
.
The original size of pages probably measured 28 cm by 15 cm. According to the reconstruction the text of the codex was written in one column per page, 30 lines per page. It is written in uncial letters. The nomina sacra
are written in an abbreviated way (ις̅, θυ̅).
About 200 fragments of the codex have survived. 15 fragments from the four original leaves contain the Greek text of the Gospel of John.
Contents
The Greek text of the codex contains:
Gospel of John 10:1-2.4-7. 9-10; 11:1-8. 45-52.
The Coptic (Akhmimic) text of the codex contains:
First Epistle of Clement 1:1-26:2; John 10:1-12.20; 13:1-2.11-12; James 1:13-5:20.
. Kurt Aland
placed it in Category II of New Testament manuscripts, because it has some alien readings.
In John 10:4-5 it has singular word order τ[ην φωνην των αλλο]τριων. Other manuscripts have reading την φωνην αυτου αλλοτριω or αυτου την φωνην αλλοτριω.
In John 10:5 it reads ακολουθησωσιν, the reading of the codex is supported by the manuscripts: Sinaiticus
, Regius
, Washingtonianus, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 0250. The alternative reading ακολουθησουσιν occur in the manuscripts A
, B
, D
, Δ, 700
, and other.
In John 10:6 it has singular reading τι ην α for τι; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.
In John 10:10 it has unique addition: δ]ε (between ο and κλεπτης) – ο δε κλεπτης instead of ο κλεπτης.
In John 11:1 it reads ην δε τις εκει for ην δε τις; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.
In John 11:2 name Mariam has an unusual spelling with using Coptic letters (Mariham).
In John 11:5 it has singular reading της μαρθαν και την αδελφεν αυτης.
In John 11:45 it has reading οι ελθοντες προς την Μαριαμ along with the manuscripts Papyrus 59, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Regius, minuscule 33
; other manuscripts read οι ελθοντες μετα Μαριαμ.
did not try to estimate its date. Friedrich Rösch suggested the 5th or 6th century, according to him the earlier date of the codex is excluded by presence 1 Epistle of Clement. Some scholars date it even so late as 7th-8th century. Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 4th century. It is difficult to date the manuscript on the palaeographical ground because of its fragmentary nature.
The manuscript was discovered in Egypt. It was the second manuscript with translation 1 Epistle of Clement into Coptic and the first in Akhmimic dialect. The Greek text of the codex was published by Gregory in 1908. Friedrich Rösch published the text of the whole manuscript Coptic and Greek in 1910.
It is currently housed at the Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire
(Pap. copt. 379. 381. 382. 384) in Strasbourg
.
6 or by ε 021 (in von Soden's numbering), is a fragmentary early copy of the New Testament in GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
(Akhmimic). It is a papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
of the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
that has been dated paleographically
Palaeography
Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...
to the 4th century. The manuscript also contains text of the First Epistle of Clement
First Epistle of Clement
The First Epistle of Clement, is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. The letter dates from the late 1st or early 2nd century, and ranks with Didache as one of the earliest — if not the earliest — of extant Christian documents outside the canonical New Testament...
, which is a canonical book of the New Testament for the Coptic Church. The major part of the codex is lost.
The Greek text of the codex has several unusual textual variants.
Description
The codex contains text of the First Epistle of ClementFirst Epistle of Clement
The First Epistle of Clement, is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. The letter dates from the late 1st or early 2nd century, and ranks with Didache as one of the earliest — if not the earliest — of extant Christian documents outside the canonical New Testament...
in Coptic (Akhmimic dialect) on the first 26 pages of the manuscript, Coptic Epistle of James
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James, usually referred to simply as James, is a book in the New Testament. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ", with "the earliest extant manuscripts of James usually dated to mid-to-late third century."There are four views...
on the pages 91-99, and Greek and Coptic Gospel of John on the page 100. Pages 27-90 have not survived. About 25 pages contained the rest of the text of the First Epistle of Clement and one page of text of James 1:1-12, but there were about 28 pages with unknown content. According to Friedrich Rösch there is not space for the Second Epistle of Clement
Second Epistle of Clement
The Second Epistle of Clement, often referred to as 2 Clement, is an early Christian writing....
.
The original size of pages probably measured 28 cm by 15 cm. According to the reconstruction the text of the codex was written in one column per page, 30 lines per page. It is written in uncial letters. The nomina sacra
Nomina sacra
Nomina sacra means "sacred names" in Latin, and can be used to refer to traditions of abbreviated writing of several frequently occurring divine names or titles in early Greek language Holy Scripture...
are written in an abbreviated way (ις̅, θυ̅).
About 200 fragments of the codex have survived. 15 fragments from the four original leaves contain the Greek text of the Gospel of John.
Contents
The Greek text of the codex contains:
Gospel of John 10:1-2.4-7. 9-10; 11:1-8. 45-52.
The Coptic (Akhmimic) text of the codex contains:
First Epistle of Clement 1:1-26:2; John 10:1-12.20; 13:1-2.11-12; James 1:13-5:20.
Text
The Greek text of this codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-typeAlexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
. Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
placed it in Category II of New Testament manuscripts, because it has some alien readings.
- [τευσαν εις αυτον τιν]ες δε εξ αυ
- [των απηλθον προς τ]ο̣υ̣ς φαρισαιους
- [και ειπαν αυτοις α] επ̣ο̣ιησεν ις̅
- [συνηγαγον ουν οι αρ]χι̣ερεις
- [και οι φαρισαιοι συνεδριο]ν̣ και ελε
- [γον τι ποιουμεν οτι ουτο]ς̣ ο̣ α̣ν̣θρ̣ω̣
- [πος πολλα ποιει σημεια] εαν
- [αφωμεν αυτον ουτως] παντες̣
- [πιστευσουσιν εις αυτον] κ̣αι ελευ
- [σονται οι ρωμαιοι και αρο]υ̣σιν ημων
- [και τον τοπον και το εθνο]ς̣·
- [εις δε τις εξ αυτων καια]φας
- [αρχιερευς ων του ενιαυτο]υ̣ εκειν[ου
- ειπεν αυτοις υ]με[ις ουκ] ο̣ιδατ̣[ε
- ουδεν ουδε λο]γ̣ι̣ζε̣[σθε ο]τ̣ι συμ
- [φερει υμιν ι]ν̣[α εις αν]θ̣ρω
- [πος αποθαν]η̣ υ[περ του λαο]υ̣
- [και μη ολον το] ε[θνος αποληται του
- το δε αφ εαυτου] ουκ ε̣[ιπεν] α̣λλα̣
- [αρχιερευς ων] του ε[νια]υ̣του̣ εκ̣[ει
- νου επροφητευσεν οτι ε]μ̣ελ̣λ̣ε̣[ν
- ις̅ αποθνησκειν υπερ το]υ̣ εθ̣[νους]
- [και ουχ υπερ του εθνους μονον
- αλλ ινα και τα τεκ]ν̣α του [θ]υ̣̅ [τα
- διεσκορπισμενα] συναγαγη ε̣ι̣ς ε̣ν̣
In John 10:4-5 it has singular word order τ[ην φωνην των αλλο]τριων. Other manuscripts have reading την φωνην αυτου αλλοτριω or αυτου την φωνην αλλοτριω.
In John 10:5 it reads ακολουθησωσιν, the reading of the codex is supported by the manuscripts: Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, Regius
Codex Regius (New Testament)
Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
, Washingtonianus, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 0250. The alternative reading ακολουθησουσιν occur in the manuscripts A
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, B
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...
, D
Codex Bezae
The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
, Δ, 700
Minuscule 700
Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the Gospels. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogues , Gregory gave it the number 700....
, and other.
In John 10:6 it has singular reading τι ην α for τι; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.
In John 10:10 it has unique addition: δ]ε (between ο and κλεπτης) – ο δε κλεπτης instead of ο κλεπτης.
In John 11:1 it reads ην δε τις εκει for ην δε τις; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.
In John 11:2 name Mariam has an unusual spelling with using Coptic letters (Mariham).
In John 11:5 it has singular reading της μαρθαν και την αδελφεν αυτης.
In John 11:45 it has reading οι ελθοντες προς την Μαριαμ along with the manuscripts Papyrus 59, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Regius, minuscule 33
Minuscule 33
Minuscule 33 , δ 48 , formerly it was called Codex Colbertinus 2844, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia...
; other manuscripts read οι ελθοντες μετα Μαριαμ.
History
Caspar René GregoryCaspar René Gregory
Caspar René Gregory was a American-born German theologian theologian.-Life:Gregory was born in Philadelphia. He studied theology at two Presbyterian seminaries: in 1865-67 at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton Theological Seminary...
did not try to estimate its date. Friedrich Rösch suggested the 5th or 6th century, according to him the earlier date of the codex is excluded by presence 1 Epistle of Clement. Some scholars date it even so late as 7th-8th century. Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 4th century. It is difficult to date the manuscript on the palaeographical ground because of its fragmentary nature.
The manuscript was discovered in Egypt. It was the second manuscript with translation 1 Epistle of Clement into Coptic and the first in Akhmimic dialect. The Greek text of the codex was published by Gregory in 1908. Friedrich Rösch published the text of the whole manuscript Coptic and Greek in 1910.
It is currently housed at the Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire
Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire
The Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire , is a public library in Strasbourg, France. It is located on Place de la République, the former Kaiserplatz, and faces the Palais du Rhin.- History :...
(Pap. copt. 379. 381. 382. 384) in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
Further reading
- Friedrich Rösch, Bruchstücke des ersten Clemensbriefes nach dem achmimischen Papyrus der Strassburger Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek (Strasbourg, 1910), pp. 1–160.
- Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 406–407.