Papyrus 91 Explained

Papyrus 91 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering, designated as ⁹¹), is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of Apostles. The surviving texts of Acts are verses 2:30-37; 2:46-3:2. The manuscript paleographically has been assigned to the middle of the 3rd century.^[1]

Text

The Greek text of this manuscript is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type, Comfort ascribed it as proto-Alexandrian, though the extant portion is too fragmentary for certainty.^[1] It has not been placed yet in Aland's Categories of New Testament manuscripts.

Location

The larger portion of ⁹¹ is housed at the Instituto di Papyrologia (P. Mil. Vofl. Inv. 1224) at the Universita Degli Studi di Milano. The smaller portion is housed at the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre^[2] at Macquarie University (Inv. 360) in Sydney.^{[3] [4]}

Textual Variants

• 2:31: omits Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: του {{overline|χρυ (of the Christ/Messiah (being a Nomina Sacra)).
• 2:32: According to the reconstruction of Philip Comfort and David Barrett,^[5] omits Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εσμεν (are).
• 2:33: The scribe misspells Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ακουετε (you hear) as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ακουεται (he heard) due to Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ε and Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: αι being pronounced similarly when spoken.
• 2:36: The scribe misspells Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ισραηλ (Israel) as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ισστραηλ.
• 2:36: Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: και (and) is omitted from after Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: οτι (because/that).
• 2:36: Swaps Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: {{overline|κν (Master him and Christ/Messiah (Nomina Sacra)) to Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: {{overline|χρν Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [αυτον και {{overline|κν] (Christ/Messiah him and Master (Nomina Sacra))
• 2:46: The scribe misspells Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μετελαμβανον (they were sharing) as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μεταλαμβανον (they are sharing).
• 2:46: The scribe misspells Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: αφελοτητι (simplicity) through dittography as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [αφελ]οτλοτητι.

See also

• List of New Testament papyri

Further reading

• Claudio Galazzi, P. Mil. Vogl. Inv. 1224 NT, Act. 2,30-37 e 2,46-3,2, Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 19 (New Haven: 1982), pp. 39–45.
• S. R. Pickering, ‘P. Macquarie Inv. 360 (+ P.Mil.Vogl. Inv. 1224): Acta Apostolorum 2.30-37, 2.46-3.2’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 65 (Bonn: 1986), pp. 76–79.

Notes and References

1. Philip W. Comfort, Encountering the Manuscripts. An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism, Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005, p. 74.
2. The Ancient History Documentary Research Centre was established within the School of History, Philosophy and Politics in 1981.
3. Book: Aland . Kurt . Kurt Aland . Aland . Barbara . Barbara Aland . Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.) . The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism . . 1995 . Grand Rapids . 102 . 978-0-8028-4098-1.
4. Web site: Liste Handschriften. Institute for New Testament Textual Research. 27 August 2011. Münster.
5. Book: Comfort , Philip W. . Philip Comfort . David P. Barrett . The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts . Tyndale House Publishers . 2001 . Wheaton, Illinois . 623 . 978-0-8423-5265-9.