IN THE John Ryland's Library of Manchester there has been found a papyrus which is believed to be the oldest fragment of any extant Bible manuscript. The discoverer of this important fragment is Mr. C. H. Roberts, a specialist in the field of papyrology. In his very interesting account Mr. Roberts states that his attention was drawn to a large, unexamined collection of papyri which had been purchased for the Library in 1917 by the great Syriac scholar, Dr. Rendel Harris. Here he found a considerable number of theological and literary texts, and among them an envelope containing two pieces of cartonnage (the wrapping of papyrus which was used for the mummies of human beings or, in some cases, of the sacred crocodiles).
It was the custom to make cartonnage of papyrus only during the three centuries preceding Christ. After the papyrus was cut into sheets or strips of varying sizes, three or four thicknesses were glued together. The exterior was then coated with plaster and placed on various parts of the mummy outside the cloth wrappings. In the case of the sacred crocodiles, found at Tebtunis in Egypt, the cartonnage was used as stuffing in the throat.
The larger piece of cartonnage found in the envelope consisted of six layers, small scraps with one or two larger pieces, torn and placed haphazardly one on top of the other. The fragments were in such a mutilated condition that part of Deuteronomy was found with a strip of a roll containing a section of the first book of the Iliad. Difficult, indeed, was the separation of these various fragments. By means of acetic acid the plaster on top of the cartonnage was removed. Such, however, was the resistance of the gum binding the leaves together that the usual methods of moistening with warm water or applying a hot iron failed to separate them. This was accomplished only by their immersion in boiling water for one full minute. This process, which fortunately did not damage either the papyrus or ink, was successful in separating the various layers in each cartonnage.
The result obtained was truly interesting. Aside from various small Demotic (a simplified form of character used in Egypt) and Greek fragments, there appeared the following: 1) Fragments of at least four separate columns of a roll containing the book of Deuteronomy; 2) several Greek fragments, among which was a section of the Iliad; 3) an account; 4) several Demotic fragments, six of which offer a legible text.
The account list mentioned above is written in a large, sprawling hand on the verso, i.e., the back, of the Deuteronomy roll. This fact should be noted, for the general presumption is that the accompanying Greek and Demotic fragments are contemporary with this account.
Although no precise information either of date or provenance is forthcoming, yet the following facts do determine the date approximately. Of the Demotic texts six are legible, probably being parts of lists of names, and not literary texts. According (p. 17) to Sir Herbert Thompson, an expert authority, the Demotic fragments are undoubtedly late Ptolmaic, i.e., between the accession of Philometor in 181 B. C. and the death of Soter II in 80 B. C. The only indication of their provenance is the double occurrence of a proper name beginning with the letters St— (the remainder being lost). During this period the place referred to, so we are told, would undoubtedly be Setwoti, a name common in the Fayum district. The Greek fragments, likewise, are regarded as contemporary with the account on the verso of the Deuteronomy roll. The account itself mentions a “second year" which may possibly be that of Ptolemy Soter II (116-115 B. C.).
But what about the fragments of Deuteronomy themselves? These are carefully written in a book hand, somewhat formal and elegant. Most closely resembling this hand is a second century B. C. manuscript of the Odyssey from Tebtunis. In color our Deuteronomy papyrus is light, and of fine texture and even surface. The text contains chapters 23:24 to 28:33 and includes the verse 25:3 regarding punishment by forty stripes, upon the basis of which the Apostle Paul was beaten (cf. II Cor. 11:24). There is no attempt at punctuation, although at the end of a sentence and at the end of a group of words a space is left. This interspacing does not seem to follow the sense of the passage, and may possibly be due to Aramaic influence, since in Aramaic papyri of the fifth century B. C. word division does appear. Probably our papyrus belonged to the Jews, as they were in Egypt during the Ptolmaic period.
But wherein lies the importance of these fragments? The answer to that question is plain. Their importance lies in the fact that they are probably the oldest fragments of any extant Bible manuscript. We have seen how the accompanying documents have brought us to the second century before Christ. Such is the date, indeed, of the writing on the verso of the Deuteronomy roll. But it is extremely unlikely that a newly written copy of the Law would be so degraded by writing on its verso at any time immediately following its first appearance. It is quite probable, then, that the text of Deuteronomy is somewhat earlier. Indeed, our author feels safe in assigning the fragments to the early half of the second century B. C. They thus apparently antedate by three hundred years the extant manuscript of any part of the Bible, having possibly been written about one hundred years after the Septuagint translation at Alexandria.
Interesting is the fact that our fragments seem to favor Codex A (Alexandrinus) in their readings rather than Codex B (Vaticanus), They have been carefully edited by our author, who well deserves the thanks of the Christian world for thus making them accessible.