Papyrus 39

Papyrus 39 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), signed by ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$³⁹, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John, it contains only John 8:14-22. The manuscript paleographically had been assigned to the 3rd century. Written by professional scribe, in 25 lines per page, in large, beautiful letters. It has numbered pages.[1]

Papyrus ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$³⁹

New Testament manuscript papyri uncials minuscules lectionaries
Name	P. Oxy. XV 1780
Text	John 8 †
Date	3rd century
Script	Greek
Found	Egypt
Now at	The Green Collection
Cite	Grenfell & A. S. Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri XV, 1922, pp. 7-8.
Size	26 by 16 cm
Type	Alexandrian text-type
Category	I

Don Barker proposes a wider and earlier range of dates for Papyrus 39, along with Uncial 0232, Papyrus 88 and Uncial 0206; and states that all four could be dated as early as the late second century or as late as the end of the fourth century.[2]

The Greek text of this codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type (proto-Alexandrian). Aland placed it in Category I.[3] ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$³⁹ shows agreement with Vaticanus and ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$⁷⁵.[1] There are no singular readings.[4]

Guglielmo Cavallo published its facsimile in 1967.[5]

The manuscript now resides in the Green Collection and is featured at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

See also

• Biblical manuscript
• John 8
• List of New Testament papyri
• Papyrus Oxyrhynchus

References

1. Comfort, Philip W.; David P. Barrett (2001). The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-8423-5265-9.
2. Barker, Don (2009). "How long and old is the codex of which P.Oxy 1353 is a leaf?" in "Jewish and Christian Scripture as artifact and canon" eds Craig. A. Evans and H. Daniel Zacharias. London: T&T Clark. pp. 192 to 202. ISBN 0-567-58485-2.
3. Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1.
4. Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), 399-408.
5. G. Cavallo, Ricerche sulla maiuscola biblica (1967), pl. 27.

Further reading

• Grenfell & A. S. Hunt (1922). Oxyrhynchus Papyri XV. Exploration Egypt Fund. pp. 7–8.

External links

• Robert B. Waltz. 'NT Manuscripts: Papyri, Papyri ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$³⁹.'
• Text of the ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$³⁹ with reconstructed lacunae
• Sotheby's

Grenfell and Hunt

Bernard Grenfell		Arthur Hunt