| Artefact ID | 403 |
| TM ID | TM 61970 |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | - () | Class | Textual |
| Material | Papyrus |
| Writing medium | Codex |
| Text content | Literary |
| Language | Greek |
| Description | P.Palau Rib. Lit. 4; Palau-Ribes inv. 163 Fragment (3.8 x 4.8 cm) from a folio containing the Book of Esther 4:4-11. This is the oldest extant Greek witness to verses 4:8-11 from the Book of Esther. Another early papyrus witness to the Book of Esther, P.Chester Beatty IX (fol. 104 recto, 2/3 c., Afroditopolis), lacks these exact verses. The script resembles a documentary hand, and abbreviates final nu supralinearly in l. 5 of the recto. One nomen sacrum appears in l. 1 of the verso (for κυριός "Lord"). The folio preserves 7/8 lines on either side of the papyrus fragment. The text describes the scene in which Esther finds out from Mordecai, through her eunuch Harnak, about the destruction of the Jews orchestrated by Haman. |
| Selection criteria | Literary genre (Biblical), Nomina sacra |
| Date from | 250 |
| Date to | 350 |
| Dating criteria | Palaeography. The ref. ed. places the text between late 3/early 4th c. |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Findspot and provenance are unknown. The text was purchased by José O’Callaghan in the 1960s. Since the purchase, the fragment was stored in the Seminary for Papyrology of the Theological Faculty of Sant Cugat del Vallès, before being transferred to Arxiu Històric de la Companyia de Jesús a Catalunya in Barcelona. |
| Accession number | Barcelona, Palau-Ribes 163 |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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