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  • From: John Lupia <jlupia2 AT excite.com>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The Dutch Radical Approach to the Pauline Epistles
  • Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 12:44:24 -0700 (PDT)


Fabrizio,

Dating and redating papyri is an on going process. Frederick Kenyon (1934),
for example, first proposed that P46 was 3rd century and then in the
following year changed his mind to c. AD 200. The 3rd century date
persisted until the 1950's and was perpetuated by such notable papyrologists
and palaeographers as: E. von Dobschütz, ZNW 32 (1933) 188; K. W. Clark, A
Descriptive Catalogue of Greek New Testament Manuscripts in America
(Chicago, 1937) 336; G. Maldfeld, Die griechischen Handschriftenbruchstücke
des Neuen Testaments auf Papyrus ZNW 42 (1949) 250; Sanders, A Third Century
Papyrus Codex of the Epistles of Paul (U. of Michigan, 1935) 15; they all
date P46 to the 3rd century and Sanders placed it late. So, Helmut Koester,
Einfuhrung in das Neue Testament. (1982) 2 volumes. (English trans. History
and literature of early Christianity, is volume 2) was not making any
groundbreaking papyrological research or dating of P46 to c. AD 200 in 1982.
That early date was first proposed by Ulrich Wilcken (1935) and Frederick G.
Kenyon (1935) and later on reiterated by Kurt Aland (cf. Kurt Aland,
Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments, ANTF
1 (1963) 3; Repertorium der griechischen Christlichen Papyri I, 273-276; and
with Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament, (1989) 49). Since
Aland's publication was not revised in the 1989 English translation (first
in 1987) it did not include a review of Kim's research published in 1988.
Young Kyu Kim is ranked among the world's leading palaeographers for both
epigraphical and papyrological inscriptions. Besides Kim, Herbert Hunger,
and Carsten Peter Theide working from rigorous scientific means have all
proposed very early dates for some of the papyri specimens based on new
evidence. However, there still remains a pervasive conservatism within the
field of New Testament papyri researchers that finds difficulty with any
date prior to AD 100 for various reasons too complex and perhaps
controversial to get into here. Non specialists since they are not
papyrologists nor palaeographers have given rather harsh and unfair
criticism of Kim, Hunger and Thiede that is typical resulting from a kind of
shock treatment or being thrown for a loop. Among the specialists,
however, Comfort & Barrett, at least, reflect the willingness of an earlier
date to be incorporated into current mainstreams of New Testament papyri
research. When you suggest the application of a gaussian distribution of
probabilities into the discussion it is rather difficult to make one.
However, when dealing with connoisseurship units of about ten years are
considered by some where twenty-five years are considered by others. These
variants are based on many considerations in the on going research for
refinement on palaeographic studies and dating of hands. If you want to
know what Comfort and Barrett think you really should ask them. I have only
reviewed their book. David P. Barrett can be reached by email :
DPB AT tyndale.com if you wish to ask him directly.

Whereas the authenticity of the Epistles of Polycarp to the Philippians, of
1Clement and Ignatian Letters being strongly questioned by D. Doughty; R.
Price; H. Detering; comes as no surprise. What do you do when an obstacle
is thrown in your path? You remove it! This type of scholarship, once
again, reflects assumptions (biases) on the part of the researchers that I
would rather avoid discussing altogether since I prefer to stick to
objective scientific and historical arguments.

The fact that the Pastoral are missing from P46 is widely known due to the
obvious fact that the folios are missing from the codex. As for the many
variants I recommend your reading James R. Royse, "Scribal Tendencies in the
Transmission of the Text of the New Testament," in Bart D. Ehrman & Michael
W. Holmes, eds., The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research.
Essays on the Status Quaestionis. (SD 46, William B. Eerdmanns, 1995)
239-252, especially pages 246-47. Royse cites studies by G. Zuntz, The
Text of the Epistles: A Disquisition upon the Corpus Paulinum (London,
1953); Moisés Silva, "The Text of Galatians: Evidence from the Earliest
Greek Manuscripts," in David A. Black, ed., Scribes and Scripture: New
Testament Essays in Honor of J. Harold Greenlee (IN, 1992).

The argument as I proposed in my original posting still stands that the new
proposals have no foundation. Even if all the patristic authors were found
to be 4th century ( a view I would never hold to and one that could never be
demonstrated as tenable) the problem of P46 firmly fixed c. AD 150 (or as
you would prefer c. AD 140-160) still poses a serious obstacle to this
interpretation. Or seeing it the other way round that P46 is 3rd century
and the patristics as authentic blows their views out of the water. So, it
is not surprising that a much later date for P46 and a dispute regarding the
authenticity of the patristics is necessitated by these researchers. I only
point out that given the plethora of sound scholarship that comprises the
bulk of the historical survey of the literature on these matters none of it
lends support, but, rather poses serious obstacles to these rather novel
views.

Cordially in Christ,
John
<><


John N. Lupia
501 North Avenue B-1
Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208-1731 USA
JLupia2 AT excite.com
<>< ~~~ <>< ~~~ <>< ~~~ ><> ~~~ ><> ~~~ ><>
"during this important time, as the eve of the new millennium approaches . .
. unity among all Christians of the various confessions will increase until
they reach full communion." John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 16





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