Papyrus Magdalen Greek 17 (Gregory-Aland P64): A Reappraisal

Abstract

More than forty years after C.H. Roberts' first edition of p64, this new edition provides the first complete reconstruction of all six sides of the three fragments kept at Magdalen College, Oxford. It corrects a number of errors, adds an improved reading of several verses, in particular of Matthew 26:22, which contribute to a better understanding of early Christian scribal habits; it furthermore discusses the question of nomina sacra for which p64 provides the three earliest known examples, and it reopens the question of the dating. With the first-century date suggested as a result of a comparative analysis using newly available manuscripts, p64 and, along with it, p67 are the earliest known codex fragments of the New Testament.