An Oxyrhynchus Manuscript of Romans

Oxyrhynchus RomansIn light of the recent report on unpublished early Christian manuscripts from the Oxyrhynchus collection, it may be worth revisiting an old video. In 2006, the PBS television program Nova: ScienceNow presented a segment on the use of multispectral imaging (MSI) on ancient manuscripts, including some in the Oxyrhynchus collection.

Toward the end of the video, the host discusses what looks like a poorly preserved fragment of a parchment leaf that is basically illegible. The video then shows “before and after” images, demonstrating what the MSI process can reveal:

Oxyrhynchus MSI Romans Before and After

The nomina sacra ⲕⲩ and ⲭⲣⲥ are quite clearly visible in the MSI image. The fragment is said to contain (at least) Romans 14:7-9 and is described as being datable to the late second or early third century.

The video is available on youtube, and a transcript of the segment is available at the program website.

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2 Responses to An Oxyrhynchus Manuscript of Romans

  1. Matthew Hamilton says:

    Might possibly be fragment 123/102(a) mentioned on p.276 of “Multispectral Imaging of Greek Papyrus Fragments from Oxyrhynchus”, by M. Theophilos, Reading New Testament Papyri in Context – Lire les papyrus du Nouveau Testament dans leur contexte. Actes du colloque des 22-24 octobre 2009 à l’Université de Lausanne, ed. C. Clivaz and J. Zumstein (Louvain: Peeters, 2011), p.269-280, BETL CCXLII

    If it is the same fragment then from the video it was as least in part identified by 2006 yet still unpublished some 13 years later

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