P.Mich.inv. 917 / Recto

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Record Details

Inventory Number

P.Mich.inv. 917

Processing Number

3155

Section/Side

Verso (page 1) + Recto (page 2)

Image Side

Recto

Background and Physical Properties

Publ./Side

Verso (page 1) + Recto (page 2)

Material

Pap

Size

9.7 x 23.6 cm

Items

1

Lines

p. 1: 30 lines; p. 2: 31 lines

Mounted

Yes

Negative

Yes

Conservation Status

Under this number 26 separate mounts are comprised. Of these, Nos 1 to 6 inclusive contain single leaves. No 7-8 contains in one mount a small part of each of two sepatate leaves. Nos 9 to 14 are sheets or double leaves containg four pages each; in all these cases the two leaves forming the sheet are still attached at the middle. Nos 15 to 25 are single leaves again, and no 26 contains four very small unplaced fragments, and two others which may not have belonged to the Hermas manuscript. The unplaced fragments show only two or three letters each.

The sheets or double leaves belonged to the middle of the book. But one side of every sheet, in most cases the left as it would lie with the book open at the middle, has suffered considerably, so that even in this part of the book some pages are adly frayed and lacerated. Of the single leaves a few are well preserved, but most of them have considerable portions broken away; and some are reduced to mere fragments.

The papyrus used was of fine quality, thin and well polished, and it still retains something of its original toughness and pliability.

Palaeographic Description

The extreme measurements of the double leaves are at present 24.3 cm in height and 22.1 in breadth. Since all the margins have been broken away to a greater or less extent, the original size is somewhat uncertain; 25 by 22.5 or 23 cm is a reasonable estimate. Thus the book, when closed, was a tall volume, a little more than twice as high as it was wide.

The columns of writing vary from 19 to 20 cm in height and are usually 8-9 cm wide, though some are no more than 7 cm. The space between the two columns on a sheet, which varies from 2 to 3 cm is rather narrow in view of the circumstances that the book appears. It have consisted of one very large quire, each successive sheet lying inside the preceding ones. The scribe's practice was not very regular either in the number of lines allowed for a page or in the number of letters making a line. The commonest page-length is 30 lines; but the number runs as low as 28 and as high as 34, and there are several pages of 31 oe 32 lines. The variation in the length of the lines is even greater. Not taking into account several lines which have not been filled out completely, we find that there are lines with as few as 14 letters and as many as 24. The breadth of the columns and the distance between them are not much affected by the lessening of the number of letters in the line; the hand is simply more spreading. The variation in the length of the line considerably increases the difficulty of reconstructing the text when the right margin is broken away.

The pages were numbered in the middle of the upper margin by a hand different from that which wrote the text, and certainly later.

When the book was closed, the side of the papyrus leaf where the fibers run vertically was out and the other side where the fibers run in a horizontal direction was in.

At the time of the numbering of the pages, the book probably consisted of a single gathering of 43 sheets, or 172 pages. It had originally contained 6 more sheets, and it is probable that still another was added, outside of them all. This served as a cover to protect the written leaves.

The whole text of the manuscript is written in one hand, a fairly large, well-formed, moderately sloping uncial of the type which paleographers have somewhat vaguely called oval, because the curves of such letters as epsilon, theta, an sigma are elliptical or oval rather than circular. The writer was evidently an accomplished scribe, but it may be that his skill was acquired in professional letter writing rather than in the copying books.Certainly his work is even and regular, and lapses into a cursive style only in a few cases when alpha is made without lifting the pen, and is connected with the following iota. He uses a relatively small omicron and a flat omega, which has only a slight wave in the base and occasionally none at all. Both omicron and omega are st slightly above the base line. Attention may be called to the deeply notched mu and to the beta in which the lower loop is closed by a straight line that is often carried on to the right beyond the descending curve. The scribe often uses a slight hook or starting stroke in making both horizontal and vertical strokes.

Status

published

Library

Ann Arbor

Contents

Date

(second half of the) IIIrd century A.D.

Origin

unknown

Provenance

probably Theadelphia (Batn-el-Hatit), Themistou meris, Arsinoite nome, province of Egypt or Lycopolis (Assiut), Upper Egypt

Acquisition

November 1922; Acquired by Dr. Askren - British Museum from Fayoum; Purchased from Humanistic Research Fund

Language

Greek

Genre

Literary; christian

Author

Hermas (?)

Type of Text/Title of Work

Christian literature: The Shepherd of Hermas, Similitudines (GCS 48, 51, 8-82, 1)

Content

The Shepherd of Hermas, Similitudines, preserving the end of II, the whole III and beginning of IV

Subject Headings

Hermas,|d 2nd cent.-- Shepherd.

Christian literature, Early.

Translation

The translation is Roberts-Donaldson's as in the http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html

(page 1) (Sim. II:) and the] rich, again, aiding the poor in their necessities, satisfy their souls. Both, therefore, are partners in the righteous work. He who does these things shall not be deserted by God, but shall be enrolled in the books of the living. Blessed are they who have riches, and who understand that they are from the Lord. For they who are of that mind will be able to do some good.

(Sim. III): He showed me many trees having no leaves, but withered, as it seemed to me; for all were alike. And he said to me, "Do you see those trees?" "I see, sir," I replied, "that all are alike, and withered." He answered me, and said, "These trees which you see are those who dwell in this world." "Why, then, sir," I said, "are they withered, as it were, and alike?" "Because," he said, "neither are the righteous manifest in this life, nor sinners, but they are alike; for this life is a winter to the righteous, (page 2) and they do not manifest themselves, because they dwell with sinners: for as in winter trees that have cast their leaves are alike, and it is not seen which are dead and which are living, so in this world neither do the righteous show themselves, nor sinners, but all are alike one to another."

(Sim. IV:) He showed me again many trees, some budding, and others withered. And he said to me, "Do you see these trees?" "I see, sir," I replied, "some putting forth buds, and others withered." "Those," he said, "which are budding are the righteous who are to live in the world to come; for the coming world is the summer of the righteous, but the winter of sinners. When, therefore, the mercy of the Lord shines forth, then shall they be made manifest who are the servants of God, and all men shall be made manifest. For as in summer the fruits of each individual tree appear, and ...

Papyri.info Link

https://papyri.info/apis/michigan.apis.3926

Information on Publications

Publications

Series and Volume	Editor	Year	Pg/Nr	Photo	SB	Preferred Citation	Corrections
HThR 18	Bonner C	1925	115-27		Bonner C, HThR 18, 115-27, 1925
Shepherd of Hermas, P.Mich. 129	Bonner C	1934	39-126	Pl I-V	Bonner C, Shepherd of Hermas, P.Mich. 129, 39-126, 1934, Pl I-V

Information on Publications--Bibliography

Bibliography

About the authorship, date of composition, bibliography see the site: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html

Van Haelst 0660; K.Aland, Repertorium II, KV38; LDAB 1097

edition based on: M. Whittaker, Die apostolischen Väter I. Der Hirt des Hermas [Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller 48, 2nd edn. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1967

Cataloging

Cataloger

NL

Year Begin

250

Year End

300

Technical Details

Collection

Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS UM)

Image Size

3524 x 5929

File Size

3 MB

Record

3155

Link to this Item

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-3155/917_1r.tif content_copy

Related Links

IIIF

Manifest

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/apis:3155:917_1R.TIF content_copy