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ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID475
TM IDTM 61792
Findspot (DEChriM ID)64   (Aswān)
ClassTextual
MaterialParchment
Writing mediumCodex
Text contentLiterary
LanguageGreek, Coptic
Description

Emerita 27 (1959): 59-73; Uncial 0242

The  parchment fragments (largest piece measuring 21 x 13.5 cm) containing the Gospel of Matthew 8:25-9:2, as well as 13:32-38 and 40-46. 

The text is arranged in 2 columns per page with approx. 21 lines. The original size is estimated to have been 23 x 20 cm with 25 lines per column; see ed. pr.  Above the verses of Matt. 13.33-34, there are references to the canons of Eusebius. Overall, the text is in Greek, but there is a note in Sahidic Coptic in the upper margin of the verso, which appears to be much later than the Greek text.

The hand is a Biblical majuscule, and there is no visible punctuation or abbreviations, such as nomina sacra. The text does contain diaereses.

Selection criteriaLiterary genre (Biblical)
Date from300
Date to399
Dating criteria

Palaeography. Roca-Puig 1959, van Haelst 1976, Aland, Aland 1995 and the INTF agree on a 4th century date, while Trismegistos narrows it down to the second half of the century. This datation makes these fragments the earliest attestation of the "Eusebian canons", also known as "Ammonian sections". The two other early uses of the Eusebian sections are in Uncial 02 and Uncial 04, both dated to the 5th century.

Absolute/relative dateRelative date
Archaeological context

The provenance is uncertain, but the findspot was Aswān. The sites of ancient Syēnē and Elephantinē are both good candidates. However, the fact that it is Ugo Monneret de Villard's name that appears in the records of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in relation to this fragment suggests that it could have been found at the Monastery of St Simeon in Aswān, where Monneret de Villard excavated between 1924 and 1926.

Accession number

Alexandria, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, inv. 513 (BAAM 0513; Houghton, Monier 2020: 121).

The fragment was previously stored in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, inv. JdE 71942.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps:

∙ Roca-Puig, Ramón. 1959. "Un pergamino griego del Evangelio de San Mateo". Emerita 27. 59-73. 

Additional bibliography:

∙ Aland, Kurt and Barbara Aland. 1995. The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 126 (no. 0242).

∙ Houghton, H.A.G. and Mina Monier. 2020. "Greek Manuscripts in Alexandria". The Journal of Theological Studies 71/1. 121.

∙ van Haelst, Joseph. 1976. Catalogue des papyrus littéraires juifs et chrétiens. Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne. 356 (no. 353).

Authors
Sofia Heim, Victor Ghica, 2021, 2023
Suggested citation
Sofia Heim, Victor Ghica, 2021, 2023, "Artefact ID 475", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/475
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