Name P. Oxy. 4447 Sign P108 Text Gospel of John 17:23-24; 18:1-5 Date 2nd / 3rd century Script Greek Found Oxyrhynchus, Egypt Now at Sackler Library Cite W. E. H. Cockle, OP LXV (1998), pp. 16-18 Size 10.5 x 6.2 cm Type Alexandrian text-type Note concurs with א

Papyrus 108 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by P¹⁰⁸, is a copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John, containing verses 17:23-24 & 18:1-5 in a fragmentary condition. The manuscript has  been paleographically assigned to “late second/early third century (ca. 200).”^[1] Comfort says, “the handwriting bears remarkable resemblance to P. Chester Beatty IX–X (Ezekiel), which was dated by Kenyon to the first half of the third century. However, other paleolographers, such as Wilcken (U. Wilcken, Archiv für Papyrusforschung 11 (1935): 113) and C. H. Roberts, see it as belonging to the second century. P108 is probably slightly later because it was written with metalic ink.?”^[2]

The manuscript is currently housed at the Papyrology Rooms (P. Oxy. 4447) of the Sackler Library at Oxford University.[3]

Physical Features

The original manuscript would’ve been around 14.5 cm x 18.5 cm, with 23 lines per page. The handwriting script is representative of the reformed Documentary style.[4] The text is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. Although small, the manuscript concurs with Codex Sinaiticus.[5] It has itacistic error in John 17:23 (γεινωσκη instead of γινωσκη).[6]

Itacism: scribal errors based on confusion of certain vowel sounds in Greek. The term is based on the letter iota, which tended to be the sound (a long “ee” in English) of three vowels and additional two-vowel combinations. Long and short “o” sounds were also confused, however. The substitution of mistaken vowels when copying was done at dictation could result in a confusion of Greek pronouns and verb constructions among other things. Doubtless the same mistakes might also be made as a result of homophony (q.v.) even when copying was done without dictation. The textual critic must be alert to the possibility, which can provide a simple explanation to variant readings whose vowels could be confused.

Textual Variants

John 17:24 (1)

δεδωκας: P¹⁰⁸, P⁶⁰, P⁶⁶, א, B, C, D
εδωκας: A

John 17:24 (2)

κακεινοι: P¹⁰⁸, P^60vid, P⁶⁶, א, B, C, D, M
και εκεινοι: A

John 17:24 (3)

εδωκας: P¹⁰⁸, B, K, N, Γ, Θ, 209, al; Cl
δεδωκας: א, A, C, D

John 18:2 (1)

ιης (ιησους): P¹⁰⁸, P⁵⁹, P⁶⁰, P⁶⁶, א, B, L, pc
ο ιης (ιησους): A, C, D, W, Θ, Ψ, 0250, f¹³, 33, M
και ο ιης (ιησους): Γ, Δ, 892^s, al

John 18:2 (2)

εκει μετα των μαθητων αυτου: P¹⁰⁸, P^66c, א, A, C, D, W, M
μετα των μαθητων αυτου εκει: B
εκει μετα των μαθητων: P^66*

John 18:3

και φαρισαιων: P^108vid, א¹, A, C, W, Θ, Ψ, 0250, f¹³, 33, M
και εκ των φαρισαιων: א^*,2, D, L, 579, pc, a, aur
και των φαρισαιων: B, 0141

John 18:4 (1)

δε: P¹⁰⁸, א, D, L, W, f¹, 33, 565, pc, it, sy^p, co
ουν: P^60vid, A, B, C, Θ, Ψ, 0250, M, aurc, e, vg, sy^h

John 18:4 (2)

ειδως: P¹⁰⁸, א, L, W, f¹, M
ιδως: A, C
ειδων: D

John 18:4 (3)

εξελθων ειπεν: P^108vid, א, A, C³, L, W, Θ, Ψ, 0250, f¹³, 33, M
εξηλθεν και λεγει: B, C^*, D, f¹, 565, pc, lat
εξηλθεν εξω και λεγει: P⁶⁰

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^[1] Philip Wesley Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Vol. II (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academics, 2019), 154-155.
^[2] IBID.
[3] “Liste Handschriften”. Münster: Institute for New Testament Textual Research. Retrieved Sunday, April 12, 2020.
[4] Philip Wesley Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Vol. II (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academics, 2019), 154-155.
[5] IBID.
[6] Peter M. Head, The Habits of New Testament Copyists Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John, Biblica 85 (2004), p. 403.