Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1
Encyclopedia
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1 is a papyrus
fragment of the logia
of Jesus written in Greek. It was the first of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri
discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in the Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus
. The fragment is dated to the early half of the 3rd century. It was later discovered to be the oldest manuscript of the Gospel of Thomas
.
The manuscript was written on papyrus in codex form. The measurements of the original leaf were 140 by. The text is written in uncial letters, with one column per page and 21 lines per page, in a reformed documentary hand. The last line is fragmented. There is a pagination at the upper right corner (number ΙΑ = 11 on the verso). The nomina sacra
are written in an abbreviated way (ΙΣ, ΘΥ, ΘΥ, ΠΡΑ, ΑΝΩΝ).
According to Grenfell and Hunt, who identified this fragment only as Logia Iesu ("Sayings of Jesus"), the original manuscript contained a collection of Jesus's sayings, which were independent of the four Gospel
s in their present form. They classified it as non-heretical and placed it earlier than 140 A.D. They observed some parallels with the works of Clement of Alexandria
.
Grenfell and Hunt did not realize they had discovered part of the Gospel of Thomas
, as at the time there was no reference text. The only complete copy of the Gospel of Thomas was found in 1945 when a Coptic version was discovered at Nag Hammadi
with a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts
, and it was only after that discovery that the text of Oxyrhynchus Papyri I was able to be attributed.
The fragment contains logia (sayings) 26–28 of the Gospel of Thomas on the recto, and logia 29–33 on the verso of the leaf. with what appears as the last two sentences of logion 77 in the Nag Hammadi Coptic version included at the end of logion 30.
Grenfell and Hunt also discovered another two fragments of this apocryphal Gospel: P. Oxy. 654
and P. Oxy. 655
.
In November 1900, P. Oxy. 1 was given to the Bodleian Library
by the Egypt Exploration Fund. The fragment is housed at the Bodleian Library (Ms. Gr. th. e 7 (P)).
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....
fragment of the logia
Logia
In New Testament scholarship, the term logia is a term applied to collections of sayings credited to Jesus. Such a collection of sayings of Jesus are believed to be referred to by Papias of Hierapolis...
of Jesus written in Greek. It was the first of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri
Oxyrhynchus Papyri
The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a very numerous group of manuscripts discovered by archaeologists including Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus in Egypt . The manuscripts date from the 1st to the 6th century AD. They include thousands of Greek and...
discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in the Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...
. The fragment is dated to the early half of the 3rd century. It was later discovered to be the oldest manuscript of the Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
.
The manuscript was written on papyrus in codex form. The measurements of the original leaf were 140 by. The text is written in uncial letters, with one column per page and 21 lines per page, in a reformed documentary hand. The last line is fragmented. There is a pagination at the upper right corner (number ΙΑ = 11 on the verso). 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 (ΙΣ, ΘΥ, ΘΥ, ΠΡΑ, ΑΝΩΝ).
According to Grenfell and Hunt, who identified this fragment only as Logia Iesu ("Sayings of Jesus"), the original manuscript contained a collection of Jesus's sayings, which were independent of the four Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s in their present form. They classified it as non-heretical and placed it earlier than 140 A.D. They observed some parallels with the works of Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
.
Grenfell and Hunt did not realize they had discovered part of the Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
, as at the time there was no reference text. The only complete copy of the Gospel of Thomas was found in 1945 when a Coptic version was discovered at Nag Hammadi
Nag Hammâdi
Nag Hammadi , is a city in Upper Egypt. Nag Hammadi was known as Chenoboskion in classical antiquity, meaning "geese grazing grounds". It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about 80 kilometres north-west of Luxor....
with a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
, and it was only after that discovery that the text of Oxyrhynchus Papyri I was able to be attributed.
The fragment contains logia (sayings) 26–28 of the Gospel of Thomas on the recto, and logia 29–33 on the verso of the leaf. with what appears as the last two sentences of logion 77 in the Nag Hammadi Coptic version included at the end of logion 30.
Grenfell and Hunt also discovered another two fragments of this apocryphal Gospel: P. Oxy. 654
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654 is a papyrus fragment of the logia of Jesus written in Greek. It is one of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri discovered by Grenfell and Hunt between 1897 and 1904 in the Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus. The fragment is dated to the middle or late of the 3rd century...
and P. Oxy. 655
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655 is a papyrus fragment of the logia of Jesus written in Greek. It is one of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri discovered by Grenfell and Hunt between 1897 and 1904 in the Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus. The fragment is dated to the early 3rd century...
.
In November 1900, P. Oxy. 1 was given to the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
by the Egypt Exploration Fund. The fragment is housed at the Bodleian Library (Ms. Gr. th. e 7 (P)).
Further reading
- B. P. Grenfell, A. S. Hunt, Sayings of Our Lord from an early Greek Papyrus (Egypt Exploration Fund; 1897).
- Nicholas PerrinNicholas PerrinNicholas Perrin is a scholar of New Testament and early Christianity. He is currently Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, Illinois...
, HC II,2 and the Oxyrhynchus Fragments (P. Oxy 1, 654, 655): Overlooked Evidence for a Syriac "Gospel of Thomas", Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 58, No. 2 (May, 2004), pp. 138-151
External links
- P. Oxy. 1 at the Oxyrhynchus Online
- Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1 agraphos.com
- Greek text with English translation
- P. Oxy. 1 LDAB