P.Mich.inv. 607 / Verso

About this Item

Related Views

front | summary (1 items)

back | summary (1 items)

unspecified | detail (2 items)

Record Details

Inventory Number

P.Mich.inv. 607

Processing Number

2636

Section/Side

folio 1 (labeled b)

Image Side

Verso

Background and Physical Properties

Publ./Side

Recto +Verso

Connections

-

Material

Pap

Size

15.5 x 20.1 cm.

Items

1

Lines

1-46

Mounted

No

Negative

Yes

Conservation Status

A llittle bit of the string attaching the leaves of the original codex remains attached in the inner margins of folio 1. Masses of salt crystals deeply embeded between the fibers all over the sheet.

Palaeographic Description

A llittle bit of the string attaching the leaves of the original codex remains attached in the inner margins of folio 1. (TC) Two fragmentary leaves of what was originally a large and beautiful papyrus codex. The text was written in two columns, only the inner columns of each folio being preserved. Both sheets of this codex are broken off at the top, but we may establish the original number of lines with some degree of certainty. A tentative reconstruction of the Coptic, based upon Maspero's text, suggests that four lines have been lost at the beginning of Folio I Verso Col. ii, which would therefore have originally contained 24 lines. Only a small amount of text is missing between the end of Folio I Verso Col. ii and the beginning of Folio 2 Recto Col. 1; as a likely reconstruction of the Coptic indicates, no more than five lines have vanished from the beginning of this column, and thus, like the preceding, when complete it would have held 24 lines of writing.

Writing may be assigned to the ninth century of our era, perhaps to the second half: the hand is somewhat similar to that of a Vienna papyrus of Kingdoms IV, recently edited by T. Orlandi, Koptische Papyri theologischen Inhalts, MPER, N.S. 9 (Vienna, 1974), I (K 7549a-h, containing portions of 4 Kgs. 1.6-17.15). Despite the affinity of subject matter, it is clear that the Michigan and Vienna papyri do not come from the same codex: the writing styles. though similar, are obviously the work of different scribes, and the line lengths of the Vienna text are characteristically shorter than those of the Michigan piece.

Status

published

Library

Ann Arbor

Contents

Date

second half of IXth century A.D.

Origin

White Monastery, Upper Egypt, Egypt

Provenance

White Monastery, Upper Egypt, Egypt

Acquisition

1921

Language

Coptic

Genre

literary; Old Testament

Author

unknown

Type of Text/Title of Work

literature; Old Testament

Content

This papyrus contains parts of the Sahidic version of Kingdoms IV not hitherto known in Coptic. The text preserved may be tabulated as follows:

folio I recto col. i:1.18-2.2 (19 lines)

col. ii: 2.3-2.4 (2 lines)

verso col. i: 2.6 (5 lines)

col. ii: 2.8-2.10 (20 lines)

folio 2 recto col. 1: 2.11-2.14 (19 lines)

col. ii: lost

verso col. i: lost

col. ii: 2.19-2.21 (18 lines)

Subject Headings

Bible--O.T.-- Kings, 2nd--Coptic.

Persons

-

Geographica

-

Translation

Folio 1 R i: (1.18d) "And the Lord was enraged in anger at the house of Nachaab (sic). (2.1) And it happened, when the Lord was about to take up Helias the prophet in an earthquake up to heaven, Helias proceeded with Elisaios out of Galgalon. (2.2) Helias said Elissaios (sic), "Sit here, because it is to Baithel that the Lord has ordered me to go." Elisaios said to him, "The Lord lives, and your soul lives . . . "

R ii: (2.3) ". . . I also know. Be silent." (2.4) Helias . . .

V i: (2.6) . . . "Sit here, because it is to the Iordanes that the Lord has told me to go." And Elisaios said to him . . .

V ii: . . . [He] struck the water with it; the water separated on this side and that, and they crossed the dry sea together. (2.9) And when they had crossed, Helias said to Elisaios, "Ask me for a thing, and I shall do it for you before I am taken up from your sight." Elisaios said to him, "Let your spirit become doubled upon me." (2.10) Helias said to him, "You have exceeded the measure for requesting. If you see me being taken up from your sight, this shall happen to you. But if I am not taken up, this thing shall not happen to you."

Folio 2 R i: (2.11) . . . They separated them from one another. Immediately Helias was taken up in an earthquake up to heaven. (2.12) And Elisaios saw, and he cried out, saying, "My father, charioteer of Israel and its horseman!" And he no longer saw him. Immediately he laid his hands upon his clothes; he tore them; he made them two broken pieces. (2.13) And he raised up the sheepskin of Helias, the one which had fallen upon Elisaios. And he turned; he stood by the bank of the Iordanes. (2.14) He took the sheepskin . . .

V ii: (2.19) ". . . [The situation of] the city is good, just as the Lord sees it. But the waters are bad, and the land does not produce." (2.20) Elisaios said to them, "Bring me a new little pitcher, and throw salt into it." They got it; they brought it to him. (2.21) And Elisaios arose; he came forth to the channels of the waters; he threw the salt there, saying, "This it is that the Lord says: 'these waters I have cured, and I . . . ' "

Papyri.info Link

https://papyri.info/apis/michigan.apis.3880

Information on Publications

Publications

Series and Volume	Editor	Year	Pg/Nr	Photo	SB	Preferred Citation	Corrections
Illinois Class Stud 3	Browne GM	1978	196-206	Photo	Browne GM, Illinois Class Stud 3, 196-206, 1978, Photo

Cataloging

Cataloger

TC

Year Begin

850

Year End

900

Technical Details

Collection

Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS UM)

Image Size

4819 x 5339

File Size

3 MB

Record

2636

Link to this Item

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2636/607_1v.tif content_copy

Related Links

Portfolios

In public portfolios

Early Christianity (142)

IIIF

Manifest

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/apis:2636:607_1V.TIF content_copy