Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 30 (1993) 155-164
Book Reviews
Treu, Kurt, and Johannes Diethart. Griechische literarische Papyri christlichen Inhaltes II. (Mitteilungen aus der Papyrussammlung der
Osterreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer), N. S.,
Folge 17 [MPER XVII].) Vienna: Hollinek, 1993. 2 parts: Textband: pp.
141; Tafelband: 55 plates. ISBN 3-85119-250-8.
It is hinted already in the epigraph' and explained in the introduction
that the goal of the editors was to make these important but often difficult
papyri accessible and usable for further research. More precisely, they
wanted to offer a "papyrologisch-philologisch-theologisch-iiberlieferungsgeschichtlich brauchbare Basis" (p. 13). And the care they took to provide a
sure basis was painstaking. Kurt Treu worked from photographs in Berlin,
while Johannes Diethart studied the originals in Vienna. They corresponded
about each piece, sometimes employed microscopic examinations, checked
their findings against the theological background, and reconsidered; and in
the summer of 1991 Treu visited Vienna in an attempt to resolve the most
difficult problems. Their efforts paid off. MPER XVII provides almost
flawless transcriptions of some of the most informative liturgical texts from
the early Byzantine period.
The project was first undertaken by Treu. His original plan was to reedit the Viennese papyri published in Peter Sanz' 1936 dissertation2 but not
already re-edited by Sanz for MPER N.S. IV.3 To these were added many
yet unpublished Christian papyri found by Diethart and Hermann Harrauer
in the Austrian National Library. Yet after the papyri were read and transcribed, Kurt Treu passed away. We will greatly miss this outstanding
scholar of Christian papyri and Hellenistic comedy.4 Diethart, assisted by
Kurt's widow Ursula and Harrauer, brought the project to completion.5
1"Ob diese Theologie interessant ist oder nicht, ist zum Teil eine Frage der Voraussetzungen, mit denen man an sie herangeht." H.-G. Beck, Kirche und theologische Literatur
im Byzantinischen Reich (Munich 1959) 1.
2P. Sanz, Christliche Papyri aus der Papyrussammlung der Nationalbibliothek zu
Wien (Diss. Vienna 1936). These papyri were included by J. van Haelst in Catalogue des
papyrus litterairesjuifs et chretiens (Paris 1976).
3P. Sanz, Griechische literarische Papyri christlichen Inhaltes I (Biblica,
Vaterschriften und Verwandtes) (Baden bei Wien 1946). The edition was completed by
Hans Gerstinger, after Sanz' death on the Russian front on 10 June 1942.
4Treu's contributions to the study of Christian papyri are many and well known. Less
known, perhaps, is his work on New Comedy and Mimiambus. See, for example,
Menander-Herondas. Werke in einem Band, trans. by Kurt and Ursula Treu (Berlin and
Weimar 1980).
5For the sake of economy I will refer to Diethart as the editor.
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