Hi James,
OK, on your point (2): I'm no expert on NT manuscripts, and don't have direct access to them. I was relying on comments I had read in various things (some published, others online) which indicated that it is generally the case in the MSS that the various nomina sacra are used of both God and Jesus. For example:
L. W. Hurtado, "The Origin of the Nomina Sacra: A Proposal". JBL 117/4 (1988), 655-673. Online: <http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/648/2/P52_TB_article.pdf>http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/648/2/P52_TB_article.pdf
But I've done some digging around, at least for references to specific MSS, if not images. For instance, there is a summary of a presentation at the SBL meeting in Boston last year by Peter Head, concerning "Nomina Sacra in P66" here:
<http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2008/11/sbl-boston-head-on-nomina-sacra-in-p66.html>http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2008/11/sbl-boston-head-on-nomina-sacra-in-p66.html
According to the summary, there are 37 extant occurrences of KURIOS, all contracted (even when not referring to Jesus).
I also found images and a transcription of P46, which is the earliest extant collection of Paul's letters (c. 200 C.E.). There is a list of links, sorted by reference, to images of many sections of P46 here:
<http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2006/01/images-of-p46-michigan-portions.html>http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2006/01/images-of-p46-michigan-portions.html
And there is a transcription, which transcribes nomina sacra, here:
<http://chrles.multiply.com/photos/album/82/Bible_Papyrus_p46>http://chrles.multiply.com/photos/album/82/Bible_Papyrus_p46
I've checked some of the images to check that it really does use nomina sacra for KURIOS with unambiguous reference to Jesus (e.g. in phrases like TOU KURIOU HMWN IHSOU XRISTOU), and it does indeed. And if my search of the transcription is right, the only occurrences of kurios which are NOT in the shortened form refer to "lords" other than Jesus - namely:
1 Cor 8:5
Eph 6:5, 9
Col 3:22
To give you a concrete example, 1 Cor 8:5-6 reads:
5 ɻɸɫ ɡɸɦ ÉÉ«¼Éɦ ÉÉ«É-É«ÉÀ ÉÉÉ¡ÉÕÉ ÉÉÀÉÕÉ« ÉÉÉÕÉ« ÉÉ«É-É ÉÉÀ ÉÕÉ"ɦɸÉÀÉ÷ ÉÉ«É-É É¼É« É¡ÉV É÷É-¼Éɦ ¼ÉÕÉÉÉÕÉ« ÉÉ«É-É«ÉÀ ÉÉÉÕÉ« ɻɸɫ É»É"ɦɫÉÕÉ« ¼ÉÕÉÉÉÕÉ« 6 ÉÉ ÉÉ«ÉÀ ÉÉ«V ÉVÅP ɻɸɫ ÉÕ ¼É¦ÅP ÉÉà ÉÕÉ" É-Éø ¼[ÉøÉÀ]É-Éø ɻɸɫ ÉÉ ÉÉ«V ÉÉ«V ÉøÉ"É-ÉÕÉÀ ɻɸ?É«? [ÉÉ«V] É»VÅP É«ÉÅPV É'ɦÅPV ɬɫ ÉÕÉ" É-Éø ¼ÉøÉÀ[É-Éø] [ɻɸɫ] ÉÉ É?É«?V ɬɫ ÉøÉ"É-ÉÕÉ"
There you have it. Only 2 MS, I know - but they were simply the first 2 I found info about regarding nomina sacra. And both are early and consistent in applying KS more widely than only to YHWH.
Actually, I have to correct that last statement. I'm convinced that the apostles (and NT authors) came to see that, within the identity of YHWH, the one God of the OT whom they worshiped, they had to include Jesus of Nazareth. That way of expressing it comes from Richard Bauckham's excellent book, Christ Crucified: Monotheism and Christology in the New Testament. For instance, he argues - convincingly, in my opinion - that Paul's careful construction of 1 Cor 8:6 is a conscious adaptation of the Shema Israel:
- Deut 6:4, "YHWH our God, YHWH is one" - in the LXX, É»É"ɦɫÉÕV ÉÕ ÉÉÉÕV ÉÉ É÷ÉÀ É»É"ɦɫÉÕV ÉÉ«V ÉÉ-É-É«ÉÀ
- In 1 Cor 8:6, this becomes "One God (ÉÉ?V) the Father ... and one Lord (É»?ɦɫÉÕV) Jesus Christ ..."
I think (with Bauckham) that this is the Christological structure of the entire NT. And in that sense, the early MSS like P46 which use KS for Jesus but not for other "lords" are, in fact, limiting the nomen sacrum to YHWH.
I'm guessing at this point that Rolf, at least, is disagreeing in the strongest possible terms. Don't know about you, James.
That's all I have time for (in fact, I didn't really have time for that...)
Stephen.
2009/12/23 James Christian <<mailto:jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com>jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com>
2) Personally, I am unaware of any specific MSS where KS is used in a context which is clearly talking about Jesus. Do you know of any concrete examples you can point me to?
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