[B-Greek] Bodmer P 72- Late 3rd Century of II Peter

MSandberg mspalaeo at comcast.net
Sat Nov 22 23:33:31 EST 2003


Dear fellow colleagues,

Recently I've been comparing NT passages with other New Testament manuscripts using The Text of Early New Testament Greek Manuscripts (TENTGM), and some texts apparently have variant readings. One in particular I'd like to mention for others to review/comment on is the NT II Peter 3:16 passage that reads kai tas loipas graphas (other/remaining writings) whereas the Bodmer P72 late third century Greek manuscript reads kai tas lupas graphas. Of course error notations are made off to the right hand margin concerning this manuscript, but in verse 16 Comfort and Barrett (TENTGM) do not reference anything concerning an error in the margins between loipas and lupas that I can see. I found this to be odd.

I believe this to be an intentional scribal regiment more than at typographical error in the book's edition mainly for the reason that I don't see how an omicron and iota uncial be misconstrued as an upsilon. I'm open for suggestions/corrections by someone who has another example for comparison. What's more the lexical meanings as you all know of loipas (rest/remaining) and lupas (pain/grief) are different as night is to day (see BDAG). lupas in view of the whole reading of verse 16 would seem textually bizarre. 

If lupas (lupe) was intentional, what interpretation could one scribe ascribe to the whole draft of II Peter 3:16 that would make any sense? Any ideas/opinions? 

Final consideration, if P 72 tas lupas graphas were to be the right reading to II Peter than that of tas loipas graphas as what's in our present texts, then the implication and only reference of Paul's letters being referenced to as scriptures would no longer exist raising theological challenges. 

Note: 

I deliberately left out the parsing of both Greek readings. As you can see following the conjunction in the two examples, the proper form of the article, adjective, and noun all agree in gender number and case.

I would be glad to hear from my fellow comrades.

MS




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