Papyrus 64 (= Papyrus 67 & Papyrus 4), P⁶⁴ (= P⁶⁷ & P⁴)

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First Composed: 5 April 2000

Last Updated: 22nd September 2003

Name

Papyrus 64 (Mag Gr. 18), P⁶⁴, Papyrus 67 (P.Barc. 1), P⁶⁷, and Papyrus 4 (#Gr. 1120), P⁴, believed to be coming from the same codex.

Date

c. 200 CE.

Provenance

P⁴ : Coptos (modern name Qift), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile, by Vincent Scheil during his expedition to Upper Egypt in 1880.

P⁶⁴ : Puchased by Charles B. Huleatt in Luxor in 1901 and given to Magdalen College Library, Oxford University.

P⁶⁷ : First published by Ramón Roca-Puig.

Size

P⁴ : 13.5 cm. x 17 cm. There are two columns and 36 lines per page.

P⁶⁴ : Three fragments of sizes (a) 4.1 cm x 1.2 cm., (b) 1.6 cm. x 1.6 cm., and (c) 4.1 cm. x 1.3 cm. There are two columns and 35-36 lines per page. Image can be seen here.

P⁶⁷ : 10 [+3] cm. x 15 cm. There are two columns and 36-38 lines per page.

Contents

P⁴ : Luke 1:58-59; 1:62-2:1, 6-7; 3:8-4:2, 29-32, 34-35; 5:3-8; 5:30-6:16.

P⁶⁴ : Matthew 26:7-8, 10, 14-15, 22-23, 31-33.

P⁶⁷ : Matthew 3:9, 15; 5:20-22, 25-28.

Textual Character

P⁴ : It concurs with B against more often than the reverse. The Alands call this text as "normal" and Metzger, "proto-Alexandrian." Accompanying P⁴ is one fragment that reads "Gospel according to Matthew" perhaps written by a later scribe at a later date.

P⁶⁴ : The Alands call this text as "strict." Colin Roberts notes the "Alexandrian" character of the text.

P⁶⁷ : The Alands call this text as "strict." Ramón Roca-Puig demonstrated this manuscript's close affinity with .

Writing

The hand is strong and firm perhaps written by a professional scribe.

Location

P⁴ : Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France.

P⁶⁴ : Magdalen College Library, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom.

P⁶⁷ : Fundación San Lucas Evangelista, Barcelona, Spain.

References

P⁴

[1] Jean Merell, "Nouveaux Fragments Du Papyrus IV", Revue Biblique, 1938, Volume 47, pp. 5-22.

[2] T. C. Skeats, "The Oldest Manuscript Of The Four Gospels?", New Testament Studies, 1997, Volume 43, pp. 1-34.

P⁶⁴

[1] Colin Roberts, "An Early Papyrus Of The First Gospel", Harvard Theological Review, 1953, Volume 46, pp. 233-237.

[2] Ramón Roca-Puig, "Nueva Publicación Del Papiro Número Uno De Barcelona", Helmantica, 1961, Volume 37, pp. 103-124. See also the note by Colin Roberts explaining how he discovered that P⁶⁴ and P⁶⁷ were part of the same manuscript.

[3] Carsten P. Thiede, "Papyrus Magdalen Greek 17 (Gregory-Aland P⁶⁴): A Reappraisal", Tyndale Bulletin, 1995, Volume 46, pp. 29-42. This is a controversial article for shifting the date of P⁶⁴ to first century CE. Thiede's work has been refuted by other scholars in various journals. See for example

1. J. K. Elliott, "Review Of The Jesus Papyrus & Eyewitness To Jesus", Novum Testamentum, 1996, Volume 38, pp. 393-399.

2. Peter M. Head, "The Date Of The Magdalen Papyrus Of Matthew (P. Magd. Gr. 17 = P64): A Response To C. P. Thiede", Tyndale Bulletin, 1995, Volume 46, pp. 251-285 (Reprinted here with minor alterations).

3. D. C. Parker, "Was Matthew Written Before 50 CE? The Magdalen Papyrus Of Matthew", Expository Times, 1996, Volume 107, pp. 40-43.

P⁶⁷

[1] Ramón Roca-Puig, "Nueva Publicación Del Papiro Número Uno De Barcelona", Helmantica, 1961, Volume 37, pp. 103-124. See also the note by Colin Roberts explaining how he discovered that P⁶⁴ and P⁶⁷ were part of the same manuscript.

A general review of the above manuscripts can be seen in:

[1] P. W. Comfort & David P. Barrett, The Complete Text Of The Earliest New Testament Manuscripts, 1999, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (Michigan), United States of America, p. 33-44

The New Testament Manuscripts