Papyrus 121
Encyclopedia
Papyrus 121 designated by 
121, is an early copy of the New Testament
in Greek
. It is a papyrus
manuscript
of the Gospel of John
. The surviving texts of John are only fragments of verses 19:17-18,25-26. They are in very fragmentary condition. The manuscript paleographically
has been assigned to the 3rd century by the INTF
.
The manuscript currently is housed at the Papyrology Rooms of the Sackler Library
at Oxford
with the shelf number P. Oxy. 4805.
: ΙΣ and ΜΗΙ (dative case
from ΜΗΡ). Above letter iota
two dots (diaeresis). On page recto, in lower line, from the left a scribe did not used letter iota
in word και (and), though inserted diaeresis above letter alpha
. Possibly it is a scribal error.
. It contains only 20 letters on recto, and 18 letters on verso.
In red colour missing letters.
121, is an early copy of the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in Greek
Greek 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;...
. 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...
. The surviving texts of John are only fragments of verses 19:17-18,25-26. They are in very fragmentary condition. The manuscript 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...
has been assigned to the 3rd century by the INTF
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is an institute for the investigation of the text of the New Testament. The INTF was founded in Münster in 1959 by Professor Kurt Aland , the first director of the Institute...
.
The manuscript currently is housed at the Papyrology Rooms of the Sackler Library
Sackler Library
The Sackler Library holds a large portion of the classical, art historical, and archaeological works belonging to the University of Oxford, England.- History :...
at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
with the shelf number P. Oxy. 4805.
Description
The manuscript is written irregular, spaces between letters are not equal. Though the text is very small, it contains two of the nomina sacraNomina 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...
: ΙΣ and ΜΗΙ (dative case
Dative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
from ΜΗΡ). Above letter iota
Iota
Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
two dots (diaeresis). On page recto, in lower line, from the left a scribe did not used letter iota
Iota
Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
in word και (and), though inserted diaeresis above letter alpha
Alpha
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Alpha or ALPHA may also refer to:-Science:*Alpha , the highest ranking individuals in a community of social animals...
. Possibly it is a scribal error.
Text
The Greek text of the codex is too brief to determine its textual character. It can not be placed to any of Categories of New Testament manuscriptsCategories of New Testament manuscripts
New Testament manuscripts in Greek are categorized into five groups, according to a scheme introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in Der Text des Neuen Testaments. The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the various text-types. Generally speaking, earlier Alexandrian...
. It contains only 20 letters on recto, and 18 letters on verso.
 121 |
 121 |
| νιου Τοπον ο λεγεται Εβραιστι Γολγοθα οπου αυτον εσταρωσαν και μετ' αυτου αλλους δυο εντευθεν κα εντευθεν μεσον |
η ΙΣ ουν ιδων την μητερα και τον μαθητην παρεστωτα ον ηγαπα λεγει τη ΜΗΙ Γυναι ιδε ο υιος |
| ...place, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between |
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" |
In red colour missing letters.
Further reading
- R. Hatzilambrou, P. J. Parsons, J. Chapa The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, LXXI (London: 2007), pp. 9–11.
Images
- P.Oxy.LXIV 4805 from Papyrology at Oxford's "POxy: Oxyrhynchus Online"
Official registration
- "Continuation of the Manuscript List" Institute for New Testament Textual Research, University of MünsterUniversity of MünsterThe University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
. Retrieved April 9, 2008