Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 208 + 1781 Explained

Papyrus 5 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by siglum, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John dating palaeographically to the early 3rd century.^[1] The papyrus is housed in the British Library. It has survived in a very fragmentary condition.

The text of the manuscript was reconstructed several times. Textually it is very close to Codex Sinaiticus, but with some exceptions.

Description

The manuscript is a fragment of three leaves, written in one column per page, 27 lines per page.^[1] The surviving text of John are verses 1:23-31,33-40; 16:14-30; 20:11-17,19-20,22-25.^[1]

It was written in a documentary hand, in a round, upright uncial of medium size. It uses the nomina sacra with abbreviations, though not for ανθρωπος.^[2]

There is a tendency to brevity, especially in omitting unnecessary pronouns and conjunctions.^[3]

Text

According to reconstruction of Philip W. Comfort^[4]

valign=top

[leaf 1 verso (John 1:23-32)]

^[1:23] Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εγ]ω̣ φ̣ων[η] β̣ο̣[ωντος εν τη ερημω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ευ]θ̣υνατ[ε την οδον {{overline|κυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: π]ε̣ν ησα[ιας ο προφητης [24] και απεσ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τ]α̣λμενοι [ησαν εκ των φαρισαι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ω]ν [25] και ηρ̣ω̣[τησαν αυτον τι ουν βα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: π̣τ̣ιζεις ει [συ ουκ ει ο {{overline|χς

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουδε ο προ[φητης [26] απεκριθη αυτοις ο

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ιωανν[ης λεγων εγω βαπτιζω εν υ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δατι μ[εσος υμων εστηκεν ον υμεις

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουκ οιδα[τε [27] ο οπισω μου ερχομε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ν]ος [ο]υ ο[υκ ειμι αξιος ινα λυσω αυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: του τον [ιμαντα του υποδηματος

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [28] ταυτα εν β[ηθανια εγενετο πε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ραν του ιο[ρδανου οπου ην ο ιωαν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ν]ης βαπτι[ζων [29] τη επαυριον βλε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πει τον {{overline|ιην

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: και λεγει [ιδε ο αμνος του {{overline|θυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: την αμαρ[τιαν του κοσμου [30] ουτος

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εστιν υπερ [ου εγω ειπον οπισω μου

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ερχεται α[νηρ ος εμπροσθεν μου

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γεγον[εν οτι πρωτος μου ην [31] καγω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ο̣υ̣κ η̣δ̣[ειν αυτον αλλ ινα φανερω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: θ̣η̣ [τω ισραηλ δια τουτο ηλθον ε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γ̣[ω εν υδατι βαπτιζων [32] και εμαρτυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [ρησεν ιωαννης λεγων οτι τεθεαμαι]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [το {{overline|πνα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [εξ ουρανου και εμεινεν επ αυτον]

align=top

[leaf 1 recto (John 1:33-41)]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [33] καγω ουκ ηδειν αυτον] αλλ ο π̣[εμ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ψας με βαπτιζειν εν υ]δατ[ι] ε̣[κει

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: νος μοι ειπεν εφ ον αν ι]δης το̣ [{{overline|πνα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: καταβαινον και μεν]ον επ αυ[τον

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουτος εστιν ο βαπτιζ]ων εν {{overline|πνι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [34] καγω εωρακα και μεμ]αρτυρηκα ο̣

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τι ουτος εστιν ο εκλεκτο]ς του {{overline|θυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: παυριον ιστηκει ο ιωανν]η̣ς και εκ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: των μαθητων αυτου δ]υ̣ο̣ [36] και εμ̣

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: βλεψας τω {{overline|ιηυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ιδε ο αμνος του {{overline|θυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μαθηται λαλουντος και η]κολουθη

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: σαν τω {{overline|ιηυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ασαμενος αυτους ακ]ολοθουντας

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: λεγει αυτοις τι ζητει]τε <οι δε> ειπα̣ν̣ <αυ>

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: <τω> ραββει ο λεγεται ερ]μηνευονε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: νον διδασκαλε που μεν]εις [39] λεγει

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: αυτοις ερχεσθε και οψε]σθε ηλθαν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουν και ειδαν που μενει κ]αι παρ αυτω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εμειναν την ημεραν] ε̣κ̣ε̣ι̣ν̣η̣ν̣ ω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ρα ην ως δεκατη [40] ην ανδ]ρεας ο α

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δελφος σιμωνος πετρου εις εκ δ]υο των

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ακουσαντων παρα ιωαννο]υ̣ και α

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [κολουθησαντων αυτω [41] ευρισκει]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [ουτος πρωτον τον αδελφον τον ιδιον]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [σιμωνα και λεγει αυτω ευρηκαμεν]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [τον μεσσιαν ο εστιν ερμηνευομενον]

valign=top

[leaf 2 recto (John 16:14-22)]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [16:14] οτι εκ του εμου λημψετ]α̣ι και ανα[γ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γελει υμειν [15] παντα οσ]α̣ εχει ο {{overline|πρ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εμα εστιν δια τουτο ειπο]ν οτι εκ τ[ου

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: εμου λαμβανει κα]ι αν[αγ]γ̣ε̣λ̣ε̣ι̣ υμει{{overline|  

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [16] μεικρον και ουκετι θεωρειτε με κ]αι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: παλιν μεικρον κ]αι οψεσθε [με [17] ειπαν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουν τινες εκ των μ]αθητων αυτου

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: προς αλληλους τι] εστιν τουτο ο λε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γει ημειν μεικρον και ου] θεωρει̣τε με

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: και παλιν μεικρον κ]αι οψ]ε̣σ̣θ̣ε̣ μ̣ε̣ κ̣α̣ι̣ [οτ]ι̣

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: υπαγω προς τον] {{overline|πρα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τι εστιν τουτο] μ̣εικρον ο̣υ̣κ οιδα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μεν τι λαλει [19] εγ]νω <ο> {{overline|ιης

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: αυτον ερωταν] κ̣αι ειπενπ αυτ[ο]ις

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: περι τουτου ζητ]ε̣ιτε με μετ αλληλω[ν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: οτι ειπον μεικρ]ον και ου θεωρει[τε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: με και παλιν μεικρο]ν και οψεσθε με

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [20] αμην αμην λεγ]ω υμειν οτ[ι κ]λα[υ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: σετε και θρηνησ]ετε υμεις ο δε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κοσμος χαρησετ]αι υμεις λυπηθη

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: σεσθε αλλ η λυπ]η υμων εις χαραν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γενησεται [21] η γυν]η οταν τικτη λυ

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πην εχει οτι ηλθεν] η ωρα αυτης

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: οταν δε γεννηση το] παιδ[ι]ον ουκε̣

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τι μνημονευει της θλ]ειψ[ε]ως δι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: α την χαραν οτι εγενν]ηθ̣η ανθρω

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πος εις τον κοσμον ] [22] και υμεις ουν

align=top

[leaf 2 verso (John 16:22-30)]

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: νυν μεν [λυπεν εχετε παλιν δε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: οψομαι υ[μας και χαρησεται υμων

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: η καρδια [και την χαραν υμων ου

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δεις αρει [αφ] υμων [23] και εν εκεινη

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τη ημερ̣[α] ε[μ]ε̣ [ουκ ερωτησετε

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ουδεν [α]μην α̣[μην λεγω υμειν

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: αν τι αιτη[σ]η̣τε [τον {{overline|πρα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [24] εν τω ον[ο]ματ̣[ι μου αιτειτε και

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: και λημψεσθε ι[να η χαρα υμων η

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: π̣επληρω[μ]ε[ν]η [[25] ταυτα εν παροι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μ̣ιαις λελ[α]ληκα [υ]μειν ερχεται

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ω̣ρ̣α̣ οτε ο̣υκετ[ι εν παροιμιαις λα

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: λησω υμειν αλλα παρρησια περι

Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: του {{overline|πρς

Notes and References

Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett. The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Incorporated, 2001, p. 73.
Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), 404.
[Bernard Pyne Grenfell|B. P. Grenfell]
Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett. The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Incorporated, 2001, pp. 74-78.