Philip W. Comfort tells us that the P6 manuscript displays some independence but is generally Alexandrian. (THE TEXT OF THE EARLIEST NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS Vol. I, p. 54.
Papyrus 6 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by P6 or by ε 021 (in von Soden’s numbering), is a fragmentary early copy of the New Testament in Greek and Coptic (Akhmimic). It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John that has been dated paleographically to the early 4th century [300 – 350 C.E.]. The manuscript also contains the text of the First Epistle of Clement, which is treated as a canonical book of the New Testament by the Coptic Church. The major part of the codex is lost. The Greek text of the codex has several unusual textual variants.
Textual Character
The codex contains text of the First Epistle of Clement in Coptic (Akhmimic dialect) on the first 26 pages of the manuscript, Coptic Epistle of James on the pages 91–99, and Greek and Coptic Gospel of John on the page 100. Pages 27–90 have not survived. About 25 pages contained the rest of the text of the First Epistle of Clement and one page of text of James 1:1-12, but there were about 28 pages with unknown content. According to Friedrich Rösch there is not space for the Second Epistle of Clement.[1]
The original size of pages probably measured 28 cm by 15 cm. According to the reconstruction the text of the codex was written in one column per page, 30 lines per page.[2] It is written in uncial letters. The nomina sacra are written in an abbreviated way (ις̅, θυ̅).
About 200 fragments of the codex have survived.[3] 15 fragments from the four original leaves contain the Greek text of the Gospel of John.
Contents of Text
The Greek text of the codex contains the Gospel of John 10:1-2,4-7. 9-10; 11:1-8,45-52.
The Coptic (Akhmimic) text of the codex contains: First Epistle of Clement 1:1-26:2; John 10:1-12,20; 13:1-2,11-12; James 1:13-5:20.
[τευσαν εις αυτον τιν]ες δε εξ αυ[των απηλθον προς τ]ο̣υ̣ς φαρισαιους[και ειπαν αυτοις α] επ̣ο̣ιησεν ις̅[συνηγαγον ουν οι αρ]χι̣ερεις[και οι φαρισαιοι συνεδριο]ν̣ και ελε[γον τι ποιουμεν οτι ουτο]ς̣ ο̣ α̣ν̣θρ̣ω̣[πος πολλα ποιει σημεια] εαν[αφωμεν αυτον ουτως] παντες̣[πιστευσουσιν εις αυτον] κ̣αι ελευ[σονται οι ρωμαιοι και αρο]υ̣σιν ημων[και τον τοπον και το εθνο]ς̣·[εις δε τις εξ αυτων καια]φας[αρχιερευς ων του ενιαυτο]υ̣ εκειν[ουειπεν αυτοις υ]με[ις ουκ] ο̣ιδατ̣[εουδεν ουδε λο]γ̣ι̣ζε̣[σθε ο]τ̣ι συμ[φερει υμιν ι]ν̣[α εις αν]θ̣ρω[πος αποθαν]η̣ υ[περ του λαο]υ̣[και μη ολον το] ε[θνος αποληται τουτο δε αφ εαυτου] ουκ ε̣[ιπεν] α̣λλα̣[αρχιερευς ων] του ε[νια]υ̣του̣ εκ̣[εινου επροφητευσεν οτι ε]μ̣ελ̣λ̣ε̣[νις̅ αποθνησκειν υπερ το]υ̣ εθ̣[νους][και ουχ υπερ του εθνους μονοναλλ ινα και τα τεκ]ν̣α του [θ]υ̣̅ [ταδιεσκορπισμενα] συναγαγη ε̣ι̣ς ε̣ν̣
Papyrus 6 (John 11:46-52)
In John 10:4-5 it has singular word order τ[ην φωνην των αλλο]τριων.[5] Other manuscripts have reading την φωνην αυτου αλλοτριω or αυτου την φωνην αλλοτριω.[6]
In John 10:5 it reads ακολουθησωσιν [they should follow], the reading of the codex is supported by the manuscripts: P66 Sinaiticus, Regius, Washingtonianus, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 0250. The alternative reading ακολουθησουσιν [they will follow] occur in the manuscripts A, B, D, Δ, 700, and other.[7]
In John 10:6 it has singular reading τι ην α for τι; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.[8]
In John 10:10 it has unique addition: δ]ε (between ο and κλεπτης) – ο δε κλεπτης instead of ο κλεπτης.[9]
In John 11:1 it reads ην δε τις εκει for ην δε τις; the reading of the codex is not supported by any other manuscript.[10]
In John 11:2 name Mariam has an unusual spelling with using Coptic letters (Mariham).[11]
In John 11:5 it has singular reading της μαρθαν και την αδελφεν αυτης.[12]
In John 11:45 it has reading οι ελθοντες προς την Μαριαμ along with the manuscripts Papyrus 59, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Regius, minuscule 33; other manuscripts read οι ελθοντες μετα Μαριαμ.[13]
History of Text
Caspar René Gregory did not try to estimate its date.[14] Friedrich Rösch suggested the 5th or 6th century, according to him the earlier date of the codex is excluded by presence 1 Epistle of Clement.[15] Some scholars date it even so late as 7th-8th century.[16] Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 4th century.[17] It is difficult to date the manuscript on the palaeographical ground because of its fragmentary nature.
The manuscript was discovered in Egypt. It was the second manuscript with translation 1 Epistle of Clement into Coptic and the first in Akhmimic dialect. The Greek text of the codex was published by Gregory in 1908. Friedrich Rösch published the text of the whole manuscript Coptic and Greek in 1910.
It is currently housed at the Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (Pap. copt. 379. 381. 382. 384) in Strasbourg.[18]
Papyrus 6 (John 10:1-10)
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[2] Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 96.
[5] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), pp. 406–407
[6] Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece, 26th edition, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1991), p. 282. [NA26]
[7] Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece, 26th edition, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1991), p. 282. [NA26]
[8] Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece, 26th edition, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1991), p. 282. [NA26]
Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 407
[9] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 407
[10] Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece, 26th edition, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1991), p. 285
[11] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 407
[12] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 407
[13] Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece, 26th edition, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1991), p. 288.
[14]Gregory, Caspar René (1908). Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung. p. 46.
Frederic G. Kenyon, Handbook to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament, London2, 1912, p. 120.
[16] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 406
[17] Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 96.
[18] Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 96.
Handschriftenliste”. Münster: Institute for New Testament Textual Research. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
