Uncial 0169
Encyclopedia
Uncial 0169 known also as the Princeton fragment, is a Greek
uncial
manuscript
of the New Testament
, dated palaeographically
to the 4th century.
3:19-4:3, on an almost complete parchment leaf (9.3 cm by 7.7 cm). It is written in one column per page, 14 lines per page, in small uncial letters. The hand of the codex is a fair-sized upright uncial, fairly regular.
The letter sigma
was formed with two strokes of the pen, and epsilon
with three strokes; the letters kappa
and upsilon
have serifs.
The two pages are numbered in the outside upper corner 33 and 34. The nomina sacra
are written in abbreviated forms, but some of the usual contractions are written in length forms (e.g. ουρανω).
is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
. Aland
placed it in Category III. According to R. H. Charles the text is "much more closely with Codex Sinaiticus
than with any other uncial". The text seems to be inaccurately copied.
Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 4th century.
The text was edited in 1911 by Grenfell and Hunt.
The codex currently is housed at the Princeton Theological Seminary
(Speer Library, Pap. 5) in Princeton
.
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;...
uncial
Uncial
Uncial is a majuscule script commonly used from the 3rd to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters are written in either Greek, Latin, or Gothic.-Development:...
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 New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, dated 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 4th century.
Description
The codex contains a small parts of the Book of RevelationBook of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
3:19-4:3, on an almost complete parchment leaf (9.3 cm by 7.7 cm). It is written in one column per page, 14 lines per page, in small uncial letters. The hand of the codex is a fair-sized upright uncial, fairly regular.
The letter sigma
Sigma
Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and carries the 'S' sound. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used, e.g...
was formed with two strokes of the pen, and epsilon
Epsilon
Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a close-mid front unrounded vowel . In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 5. It was derived from the Phoenician letter He...
with three strokes; the letters kappa
Kappa
Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, used to represent the voiceless velar stop, or "k", sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 20. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Kaph...
and upsilon
Upsilon
Upsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 400. It is derived from the Phoenician waw. The name of the letter is pronounced in Modern Greek, and in English , , or...
have serifs.
The two pages are numbered in the outside upper corner 33 and 34. 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 abbreviated forms, but some of the usual contractions are written in length forms (e.g. ουρανω).
Text
The Greek text of this codexCodex
A codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings typically bound together and given a cover.Developed by the Romans from wooden writing tablets, its gradual replacement...
is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian 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...
. 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 III. According to R. H. Charles the text is "much more closely with Codex 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...
than with any other uncial". The text seems to be inaccurately copied.
Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 4th century.
The text was edited in 1911 by Grenfell and Hunt.
The codex currently is housed at the Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
(Speer Library, Pap. 5) in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
.
Further reading
- B. P. GrenfellBernard Pyne GrenfellBernard Pyne Grenfell was an English scientist and Egyptologist and a member of The Queen's College, Oxford.With his friend and colleague, Arthur Surridge Hunt, he took part in the archaeological dig of Oxyrhynchus and discovered many ancient manuscripts known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, including...
& A. S. Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri VIII (London 1911), pp. 14-16. - Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible. An Introduction to Greek Paleography, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, New York - Oxford 1991, p. 72-73.