DOI article:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology, [2]: graeco-roman Egypt
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12422#0059
Graeco-Eoman Egypt.
45
description of it, though some of his palaeographical statements are
questionable. He has also analysed tlie textual results, and shows thafc
the Biblical quotations have snffered révision (in a direction away from
tlie Codex Vaticanus) between the date of the papyrus and that of the
vellum MSS. ; while the gênerai text is substantially the same in both,
even the papyrus already showing the mistakes of scribes and the altéra-
tions of a reviser. M. Serruys has elsewhere3 published a study of the
palaeographical aspects of the MS.
In a little volume published in honour of the 350th anniversary of the
University of Geneva,4 Prof. Nicole has published (with facsimiles) six
texts, of which four are literary. They are as follows : (1) four imperfect
columns of the oration of Aeschines against Timarchus, §§ 171-181,
apparently of the early part of the third century ; (2) part of two conjoint
triple-columned leaves of a papyrus codex of the second bock of ïhucydides,
containing a few words of ce. 2, 5, 13, 15, in a hand of the third century ;
(3) part of a vellum leaf of the Eirst Philippic of Demosthenes, §§ 26, 29,
apparently of the fifth century ; (4) three incomplète documents, written in
or about A.D. 155-6, relating to the formalities of circumeision ; (5) an
inventory of marine stores, assigned to the reign of Antoninus, but more
probably of the third century (Caracalla or Gordian) ; (6) Psalm xci,
vv. 1-7, 10-13, written (continuously) on a wax tablet, which also contains
accounts in a hand of the sixth or seventh century.
The Hamburg Bbrary has lately acquired from Egypt a single vellum
leaf of a Greek text of the Pastor of Hermas, containing parts of the fifth
and sixth Similitudines. It is published with a brief description by
Schmidt and Schubart.5 The MS. is said to be of the fourth or fifth
century (a thousand years earlier than the only other extant Greek MS.),
and contains several improvements in the text.
Another theological text, on a much smaUer scale, is a fragment of the
Greek Old Testament in the version of Aquila, published by Dr. Wessely
in the volume recently presented to M. Châtelain by his friends and
pupils.6 It cousists of two scraps of vellum, written on one side only,
which have been in the Eainer collection at Vienna since 1883.
Dr. Wessely describes the writing as a half-uncial of the third or fourth
century, but gives no facsimile. As the verso is blank, the MS. raust
either have been in the form of a roll, which is improbable, or must be an
example of an early codex of the nature of a note-book, before the use of
tins form had become common. The text consists of a few imperfect
Unes of the 68th and 80th Psalms (in the Greek numbering). As in other
MSS. of Aquila, the Divine ISTame is written in the old Hebrew characters.
45
description of it, though some of his palaeographical statements are
questionable. He has also analysed tlie textual results, and shows thafc
the Biblical quotations have snffered révision (in a direction away from
tlie Codex Vaticanus) between the date of the papyrus and that of the
vellum MSS. ; while the gênerai text is substantially the same in both,
even the papyrus already showing the mistakes of scribes and the altéra-
tions of a reviser. M. Serruys has elsewhere3 published a study of the
palaeographical aspects of the MS.
In a little volume published in honour of the 350th anniversary of the
University of Geneva,4 Prof. Nicole has published (with facsimiles) six
texts, of which four are literary. They are as follows : (1) four imperfect
columns of the oration of Aeschines against Timarchus, §§ 171-181,
apparently of the early part of the third century ; (2) part of two conjoint
triple-columned leaves of a papyrus codex of the second bock of ïhucydides,
containing a few words of ce. 2, 5, 13, 15, in a hand of the third century ;
(3) part of a vellum leaf of the Eirst Philippic of Demosthenes, §§ 26, 29,
apparently of the fifth century ; (4) three incomplète documents, written in
or about A.D. 155-6, relating to the formalities of circumeision ; (5) an
inventory of marine stores, assigned to the reign of Antoninus, but more
probably of the third century (Caracalla or Gordian) ; (6) Psalm xci,
vv. 1-7, 10-13, written (continuously) on a wax tablet, which also contains
accounts in a hand of the sixth or seventh century.
The Hamburg Bbrary has lately acquired from Egypt a single vellum
leaf of a Greek text of the Pastor of Hermas, containing parts of the fifth
and sixth Similitudines. It is published with a brief description by
Schmidt and Schubart.5 The MS. is said to be of the fourth or fifth
century (a thousand years earlier than the only other extant Greek MS.),
and contains several improvements in the text.
Another theological text, on a much smaUer scale, is a fragment of the
Greek Old Testament in the version of Aquila, published by Dr. Wessely
in the volume recently presented to M. Châtelain by his friends and
pupils.6 It cousists of two scraps of vellum, written on one side only,
which have been in the Eainer collection at Vienna since 1883.
Dr. Wessely describes the writing as a half-uncial of the third or fourth
century, but gives no facsimile. As the verso is blank, the MS. raust
either have been in the form of a roll, which is improbable, or must be an
example of an early codex of the nature of a note-book, before the use of
tins form had become common. The text consists of a few imperfect
Unes of the 68th and 80th Psalms (in the Greek numbering). As in other
MSS. of Aquila, the Divine ISTame is written in the old Hebrew characters.