Some Recently Published NEW TESTAMENT Papyri from Oxyrhynchus: Overview and Assessment

Tyndale Bulletin 51 ^ | April 15, 2005? | Peter M. Head

[rface]

I find this quite interesting. Many (some) of the critics of Christianity want to claim that the New Testement was written far removed from the life and times of Christ, and therefore cannot be trusted as authentic accounts.

The earliest Gospel manuscripts that we can uncover with a fairly certain date, are from the 2nd century (between 100 AD and 200 AD). It looks like there are more and more early manuscripts coming to light. I am sure that these early manuscripts will not quiet the tongues of the critics of Christ, but I am glad that there are people who dig up this early history of the Christian Church.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

ping

[RayChuang88]

Actually, the even bigger find with the successful ability to read the Oxyrhynchus Papyri using modern computer imaging technology is the discovery of a very large number of writings by ancient Greek and Roman authors that were considered "lost" in the past. We may suddenly see a large number of plays by Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes becoming available again, not to mention other works, including never-before discovered material from Hesiod, the author of the epic poems Theogeny and Works and Days.

[razorback-bert]

It is all Greek to me.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump
To read later

[The Grammarian]

Har har.

[rface]

well it's too bad I can't read Grecian either

[Army Air Corps]

This might help...

[japaneseghost]

The total number of NT manuscripts on papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus is therefore forty-seven. This is a significant proportion of the total of perhaps 111 separate manuscripts, most of which are completely without provenance.

Can anyone explain the significance of 47 or 111 in Christianity?

[PAR35]

The consensus is firmly in favour of viewing this number as an example of gematria, in which the number stands for the name of a person (‘the number of his name’, Rev. 13:17; 15:2), and the person in mind would be Nero. It is likely that 666 arose from a Hebrew transliteration of Neron Caesar from Greek into Hebrew (rsq Nwrn).[38] It is notable that an equivalent transliteration from Latin into Hebrew results in 616 (rsq wrn).

Bookmarking for rereading later.

[ModelBreaker]

Can anyone explain the significance of 47 or 111 in Christianity?

They have no mystical significance. The just happen to be the number of different types of manuscripts referred to in the article.

[GarySpFc]

Ping

[Colorado Doug]

bump for later

[LS]

The early documents about Jesus date further back, and in greater number, than any other REMOTELY close documents about any other events or figures in history. The care that was taken to ensure faithful and accurate transmission further confirms that we get the Gospels "straight from the horse's mouth."

[cloud8]

> plays by Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes becoming available again, not to mention other works, including never-before discovered material from Hesiod, the author of the epic poems Theogeny and Works and Days.

I'd go for some complete archaic lyric poetry and a good account of the pentakontaeteia.

Who knows what treasures the sand will yield?

[Quix]

My understanding is that we have significant reliably dated fragments of most if not all the Gospels from within 30-60 years of Christ's Ascension.

I think Josh McDowell's site has lots of that data.

[rface]

I am no expert - but I do know that there is much debate about the reliability of the dates given to some, or many, of these fragments. I also know that critics of Christianity and the Bible will never be silenced by archeological evidence. There could be manuscripts written by the hand of Christ himself - and the critics would hate it all the more.

[Quix]

I agree.

And some of the most hostile to moves of God are some of the loudest on the Religion forum! Sadly.

[SunkenCiv]

Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[hvantwist]

Is there any information about whether any of these most ancient manuscripts have changed hands recently? I was informed that a Matthew fragment passed from British to American hands within the past few years. It may or may not be P64/67 at Magdalen College. The purchaser would be Dr. Gene Scott or an organization in the Los Angeles area.