Papyrus Rylands 458
Encyclopedia
Papyrus Rylands 458 is a copy of the Pentateuch in a Greek
version of the Hebrew Bible
known as the Septuagint. It is a papyrus
manuscript
in roll form. The manuscript has been assigned palaeographically
to the 2nd century BC and it is the oldest known manuscript of the Greek Bible. The manuscript has survived in very fragmentary condition.
in uncial letters. It is designated by the number 957 on the list of Septuagint manuscripts according to the numbering system devised by Alfred Rahlfs
. The surviving texts of the Book of Deuteronomy are verses Deut 23:24(26)–24:3; 25:1–3; 26:12; 26:17–19; 28:31–33; 27:15; 28:2.
The manuscript consists of only 8 small fragments, designated by the letters "a"–"h". Fragment "h" is the smallest and contains only two letters. The words are not divided by spaces, but written continuously. The writer uses the colometrical system, regularly leaving a space at the end of sentence or clause.
The text of the manuscript agrees more with the Codex Cottonianus than with the Codex Vaticanus
.
The manuscript has been used in discussions about the Tetragrammaton
, although there are actually blank spaces in the places where some scholars such as C. H. Roberts believe that it contained letters. According to Paul E. Kahle
, the Tetragrammaton must have been written in the manuscript where these breaks or blank spaces appear.
the manuscript has been assigned to the mid-2nd century BC. It is the oldest known manuscript of the Septuagint. It is believed it came from Fayyum, where there were two Jewish synagogues.
The manuscript was discovered in 1917 by J. Rendel Harris
. It was examined by A. Vacari (1936) and A. Pietersma (1985). The text was edited by C. H. Roberts in 1936.
The manuscript is currently housed at the John Rylands Library
(Gr. P. 458) in Manchester
, giving the manuscript its name.
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;...
version of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
known as the Septuagint. 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...
in roll form. The manuscript has been assigned palaeographically
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 2nd century BC and it is the oldest known manuscript of the Greek Bible. The manuscript has survived in very fragmentary condition.
Description
The text was written on papyrusPapyrus
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....
in uncial letters. It is designated by the number 957 on the list of Septuagint manuscripts according to the numbering system devised by Alfred Rahlfs
Alfred Rahlfs
Alfred Rahlfs was born in Linden, Hannover, Germany. He studied Protestant Theology, Philosophy, and Oriental Languages in Halle and Göttingen, from where he received a Dr. Phil. in 1881...
. The surviving texts of the Book of Deuteronomy are verses Deut 23:24(26)–24:3; 25:1–3; 26:12; 26:17–19; 28:31–33; 27:15; 28:2.
The manuscript consists of only 8 small fragments, designated by the letters "a"–"h". Fragment "h" is the smallest and contains only two letters. The words are not divided by spaces, but written continuously. The writer uses the colometrical system, regularly leaving a space at the end of sentence or clause.
The text of the manuscript agrees more with the Codex Cottonianus than with the Codex Vaticanus
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...
.
The manuscript has been used in discussions about the Tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
, although there are actually blank spaces in the places where some scholars such as C. H. Roberts believe that it contained letters. According to Paul E. Kahle
Paul E. Kahle
Paul Ernst Kahle was a German orientalist and scholar.He was born in East Prussia and studied orientalism and theology in Marburg. He attained his doctorate in 1898. He was a Lutheran pastor. He studied semitic philology in Cairo between 1908 and 1918...
, the Tetragrammaton must have been written in the manuscript where these breaks or blank spaces appear.
History of the codex
PalaeographicallyPalaeography
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...
the manuscript has been assigned to the mid-2nd century BC. It is the oldest known manuscript of the Septuagint. It is believed it came from Fayyum, where there were two Jewish synagogues.
The manuscript was discovered in 1917 by J. Rendel Harris
J. Rendel Harris
James Rendel Harris was an English biblical scholar and curator of manuscripts, who was instrumental in bringing back to light many Syriac Scriptures and other early documents...
. It was examined by A. Vacari (1936) and A. Pietersma (1985). The text was edited by C. H. Roberts in 1936.
The manuscript is currently housed at the John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
(Gr. P. 458) in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, giving the manuscript its name.
Further reading
- Hans-Georg Opitz, and H. H. Schaeder, Zum Septuaginta-Papyrus Rylands Greek 458, ZNW (1936)
- Frederic G. KenyonFrederic G. KenyonSir Frederic George Kenyon GBE KCB TD FBA FSA was a British paleographer and biblical and classical scholar. He occupied from 1889 to 1931 a series of posts at the British Museum...
, Our Bible & the Ancient Manuscripts (4th Ed. 1939) Pg 63 & Plate VI. - Ernst Würthwein, The text of the Old Testament: an introduction to the Biblia Hebraica, p. 188.