Papyrus 62

Papyrus 62, also known as ‘‘Papyrus Osloensis’’, is a copy of the New Testament and Septuagint in Greek and Coptic known as a diglot. It is designated by the siglum 𝔓⁶² in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew and Book of Daniel in a fragmentary condition. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been assigned to the 4th century CE.

The original manuscript would have been a codex (precursor to the modern book) made of papyrus. Unfortunately it has only survived in a fragmentary condition, containing evidence of Matthew 11:25-30, Daniel 3:51-53, and some verses from the Book of Odes.^[1] The Daniel and Odes portions are labelled as Papyrus 994 in the Alfred Rahlf's numbering of Greek Septuagint manuscripts.^[1] The surviving fragments evidence around 13 leaves of the original codex. The text is written in one column per page, 7 lines per column, 7-12 letters in line.^[1] It has diaeresis over the letter upsilon.^[1]

Contents

Greek

Matthew 11:25; 11:25; 11:25-26; 11:27; 11:27; 11:27-28; 11:28-29; 11:29-30; 11:30.

Coptic

Matthew 11:25-29.^[1]

The manuscript contains evidence of the nomina sacra (sacred names, these being words/titles considered sacred in Christainity). The following are seen within the manuscript: θς (θεος / God), ις (Ιησους / Jesus), κε (κυριε / Lord/Master), πρ (πατηρ / Father), πηρ (πατηρ / Father), and υς (υιος / son).^[1]

Transcription of Greek text of Matthew

²⁵εν εκεινω τω καιρω̣ αποκριθεις̣ ειπεν ο [ις] ε̣[ξομολογο]υ[μαι] [σοι] [πρ] κ[ε] [του] [ουρα]

νου και της γ̣η̣ς οτι εγρ̣υ̣ψας ταυ[τ]α̣ απο σο[φων] [και] [συ]ν̣[ετων] [και] απ[εκαλυψας]

αυτα νηπιοις ²⁶ ναι ο πηρ οτι ουτως ευδοκι̣[α] –

²⁷ παντα μοι παρεδοθη υπο̣ του π̣α̣τ̣[ρ]ο̣ς̣ μ̣ο̣υ̣ – [υι]

ον ει μη ο πατηρ ουδε το[ν] πατερα τ[ις] [ε]π̣ιγινω[σκει] –

αποκαλυψαι ²⁸ δ̣ε̣υτε προς μ̣ε παντε[ς] [οι] κοπιον̣[τες] – [αναπα]

υσω υμας ²⁹ α̣ρατε τον ζ̣υ̣[γο]ν μου εφ̣ [υμ]α̣ς̣ και μ̣α[θετε] – [τα]

πεινος τ̣η κ[αρ]δ̣ια και ευ[ρ]η̣σ̣ε̣τε αν̣[απα]υ̣σιν ταις –

³⁰ και τ̣ο φορτιον μου ελα̣[φρο]ν εστιν

The Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew is considered a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. Biblical scholar Kurt Aland placed it in Category II of his New Testament manuscript classification system.^[2] In Matthew 11:25 it reads εκρυψας along with Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Bezae, minuscule 33, and lectionary 2211. Other manuscripts read απεκρυψας (C, L, W, Θ ƒ¹, ƒ¹³, Byz).^[3] The text of Daniel represents Theodotion's recension.^[1]

Leiv Amundsen dated the manuscript to the 4th century. INTF dated it to the 4th century.^[2] The manuscript was found in Egypt. The text was published by Amundsen in 1945. It was examined by Maldfeld, Kurt Treu,^[1] and Karl Jaroš.^[4]

It is cited in critical editions of the New Testament (NA26, NA27). It is currently housed at the University of Oslo Library (Inv. 1661) in Oslo.^[2][5]

• 
  Mat 11.25-30 recto 1 3 5 7
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 verso 18 20 22 24
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 recto 25
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 recto 17 19 21 23
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 verso 10 12 14 16
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 verso 26
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 recto 9 11 13 15
• 
  Mat 11.25-30 verso 2 4 6 8

• Daniel 3
• List of New Testament papyri
• Matthew 11

• Leiv Amundsen, Christian Papyri from the Oslo Collection, Symbolae Osloenses 24 (Oslo: 1945), pp. 121–147.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papyrus 62.

• Digital Images of Papyrus 62 online at the CSNTM
• Trismegistos Papyrus Description