Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Artifacts: The Greek Scriptures

 

Chester Beatty Biblical Papyrus BP II (P46) folios 13 & 92

Papyrus P46 is a partial codex (ca. 200 BCE) containing most of Romans, Hebrews, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians. Note that folio 13 (Romans 10.12-11.12) and folio 92 (Colossians 1.16-2.7) were part of a single sheet, which indicates that these folios form part of a codex. The folios containing the text of everything between Romans 11.12 and Colossians 2.7 was similarly matched and folded into nested leaves with folios 13 and 92 making up the outer pages of the surviving codex. The seven outermost leaves are missing and would had contained the first 5 chapters of Romans and presumably 2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Corinthians, Titus, and possibly Philemon. 

Note too the lack of spaces or punctuation between words, sentences, or paragraphs. This was the standard format for all writing in antiquity, which is why texts were always read aloud to hear what they said. The habit of silent reading only became commonplace in the early Middle Ages when Irish monks added spaces and punctuation to the manuscripts that they produced. This innovation allowed people to understand the text by sight without having to hear it sounded out by reading aloud. The advent of the printing press (which made books affordable) and public education (which created a broad demand for books) would have led to a cacophony of voices had not the invention of silent reading preceded them.

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