Papyrus 31 (in the
Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓
31, is an early copy of the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
. It is a
papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
of the
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...
, it contains only Romans 12:3-8. The manuscript
paleographically has been assigned to the 7th century. The reverse side is blank. It is possible that it was used as a
talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
.
Hunt
Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
suggested it was a lectionary.
[
]
Description
Written in medium-sized sloping uncial letters. It seems to have been copied for reading in church.[A. S. Hunt, ''Catalogue of the Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library'' I, Literatury Texts (Manchester 1911), p. 9.]
The Greek text of this codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
In textual criticism of the New Testament, the Alexandrian text-type is one of the main text types. It is the text type favored by the majority of modern textual critics and it is the basis for most modern (after 1900) Bible translations.
Over 5,8 ...
. Aland placed it in Category II.Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland (28 March 1915 – 13 April 1994) was a German theologian and Biblical studies, biblical scholar who specialized in New Testament textual criticism. He founded the ''Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Institut für neutest ...
, and Barbara Aland, ''Der Text des Neuen Testaments'', DBS 1982, p. 168Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...
against the other chief MSS is observable in l. 9 of the fragment (v. 8).[
Papyrus 31 presents unique readings in l. 3 (v. 4) and l. 4 (v. 5) against the other chief MSS.][Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany. ]
It is currently housed with the Rylands Papyri at the John Rylands University Library (Gr. P. 4) in Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
.
See also
* List of New Testament papyri
A New Testament papyrus is a copy of a portion of the New Testament made on papyrus. To date, over 140 such papyri are known. In general, they are considered the earliest witnesses to the original text of the New Testament.
This elite status amo ...
References
Further reading
* A. S. Hunt
''Catalogue of the Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library''
I, Literatury Texts (Manchester 1911), p. 9.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papyrus 0031
New Testament papyri
7th-century biblical manuscripts
Epistle to the Romans papyri