Papyrus 90 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by P90, is a small fragment from the Gospel of John 18:36-19:7 dating paleographically to the early middle 2nd century. It was edited by T. C. Skeat, published in 1983.
The Greek text of this codex is representative of the Alexandrian text-type. It is written in a reformed documentary hand. Aland placed it in Category I (because of its date).[1]
Comfort says “P90 has [close] textual affinity with P66 … [and] some affinity with א (Aleph).”[2] Comfort says elsewhere, “T. C. Skeat, the editor of P90, notes its general similarities with the Egerton Gospel of the second century and even closer similarities with P. Oxy. 656 (Genesis), also of the second century.[3] My own personal observation of the two manuscripts confirms the same. The hand is a decorated rounded (discussed in the introduction) dated anywhere from the early to middle second century. It is similar to P. Oxy. 3216 and P Yale 1273.”[4]
It is currently housed at the Sackler Library (Papyrology Rooms, P. Oxy. 3523) in Oxford.[5]
Paleographers have been able to distinguish four major kinds of handwriting, each of which reveals something about the training (or lack thereof) of the copyist who produced it. The four types are as follows:
1.) Common: The work of a semiliterate writer who is untrained in making documents. This handwriting usually displays an inelegant cursive.
2.) Documentary: The work of a literate writer who has had experience in preparing documents. This has also been called “chancery handwriting” (prominent in the period A.D. 200–225). It was used by official scribes in public administration.
3.) Reformed documentary: The work of a literate writer who had experience in preparing documents and in copying works of literature. Often, this hand attempts to imitate the work of a professional but does not fully achieve the professional look.
4.) Professional: The work of a professional scribe. These writings display the craftsmanship of what is commonly called a “book hand” or “literary hand,” and leave telltale marks of professionalism such as stichoi markings (the tallying of the number of lines, according to which a professional scribe would be paid), as are found in P46.
Various handwriting styles are more pronounced in one time period over another and thereby help in dating manuscripts.
Shared Features of Jewish and Christian Manuscripts
… Some of the earliest Christian manuscripts could reveal the influence of Jewish scriptoral practices. If this link can be substantiated, then it stands to reason that the earliest Christian writing centers may have been—to some degree—carryovers from Jewish scriptoria. When one examines the Greek Old Testament manuscripts and the Christian Old Testament (and New Testament) manuscripts, we see some common features. For starters, we see the shared appearance of an enlarged letter at the beginning of each line. This could be attributed to Jewish influence, rather than to documentary (as is often done). This observation comes from Peter Parsons, who compared some of the documentary features of the Minor Prophet Scrolls from Nahal Hever with early Christian manuscripts. Parsons made these comments:
Most of this material [in the Greek Minor Prophets] is documentary; but the comparison is rather appropriate, since the use of enlarged initials at line beginning … and phrase beginning … and (set out in the margin) to mark a new section … gives this manuscript a documentary look. The fact is itself remarkable. Early Christian books show the same characteristic; copies of the Greek classics do not. It has therefore been tempting to argue that the texts of the Early Church stood closer to the world of business than to that of literature, and to draw conclusions about the social milieu in which the texts circulated or the esteem in which they were held. Now we see the same thing in a Jewish manuscript of a pre-Christian date. This may suggest that the Christians inherited the practice, rather than inventing it.
C. H. Roberts was of the same opinion, saying, “Documentary practice may not have been the only influence on Christian scribes.” Roberts then goes on to explain that the Minor Prophets scrolls show this “enlarged letter, preceded by a small blank space, marking the beginning of a new phrase, while verses are marked off by larger spaces.”
As for Christian Old Testament manuscripts, the feature of the enlarged letter at the beginning of the line can be seen in several of Chester Beatty Greek Old Testament manuscripts: V (Gen.), VI (Num.-Deut.), VII (Isa.), VIII (Jer.), X (Dan.). In my examination of early New Testament manuscripts, I have seen this feature in the following papyri: P13 (somewhat), P23, P32, P46 (somewhat), P53, P70, P72, P78, P90, and P109. The second physical feature of New Testament manuscripts which may have been influenced from Jewish Greek Old Testament manuscripts is the invention of the nomen sacrum for kurios (Lord). As I will argue in chapter 4, it seems that the best explanation for this invention came from Christians producing copies of the Septuagint who then provided an alternative way to display the sacred title, YHWH. Instead of writing the Hebrew Tetragrammaton in a Greek text, they invented a Greek nomen sacrum, ΚΣ for denoting “LORD.”[6]
Papyrus 90 (P90) NAME: P. Oxy 3523 Text: John 19.1
Greek Text
The papyrus is written on both sides. The characters that are in bold style are the ones that can be seen in P90.
Gospel of John 18:36-19:1 (recto)
BAΣIΛEIA H EMH OI YΠHPETAI OI EMOI HΓΩNIZONTO AN INA MH ΠAPAΔOΘΩ TOIΣ IOYΔAIOIΣ NYN ΔE H BAΣIΛEIA H EMH OYK EΣTIN ENTEYΘEN EIΠEN OYN AYTΩ O ΠEIΛATOΣ OYKOYN BAΣI- ΛEYΣ ΣY EI AΠEKPIΘH O IΣE ΣY ΛEΓEIΣ OTI BAΣIΛEYΣ EIMI EΓΩ EIΣ TOYTO ΓEΓENNHMAI KAI EIΣ TOYTO EΛHΛYΘ- A EIΣ TON KOΣMON INA MAPTYPH- ΣΩ TH AΛHΘEIA ΠAΣ O ΩN EK THΣ AΛHΘEIAΣ AKOYEI MOY THΣ ΦΩNHΣ ΛEΓEI AYTΩ O ΠEIΛATOΣ TI EΣTIN AΛHΘEIA KAI TOYTO EIΠΩN ΠAΛIN EΞHΛΘEN ΠPOΣ TOYΣ IOYΔAIOYΣ KAI ΛEΓEI AYTOIΣ EΓΩ OYΔEMIAN EYPIΣKΩ EN AYTΩ AITIAN EΣTIN ΔE ΣYNHΘEIA YMEIN INA ENA AΠ- OΛYΣΩ YMEIN EN TΩ ΠAΣXA BOYΛE- ΣΘE OYN INA AΠOΛYΣΩ YMIN TON BAΣIΛEA TΩN IOYΔAIΩN EKPAYΓ- AΣAN OYN ΠAΛIN ΛEΓONTEΣ MH TOYTON AΛΛA TON BAPABBAN HN DE O BAPABBAΣ ΛHΣTHΣ TOTE OYN
ΛABΩN O ΠEIΛATOΣ TON IΣE KAI EMA-
…
basileia ē emē oi upēretai oi emoi ēgōnizonto an ina mē paradothō tois ioudaiois nun de ē basileia ē emē ouk estin enteuthen eipen oun autō o peilatos oukoun basi- leus su ei apekrithē o ise su legeis oti basileus eimi egō eis touto gegennēmai kai eis touto elēluth- a eis ton kosmon ina marturē- sō tē alētheia pas o ōn ek tēs alētheias akouei mou tēs phōnēs legei autō o peilatos ti estin alētheia kai touto eipōn palin exēlthen pros tous ioudaious kai legei autois egō oudemian euriskō en autō aitian estin de sunētheia umien ina ena ap- olusō umien en tō pascha boule- sthe oun ina apolusō umin ton basilea tōn ioudaiōn ekraug- asan oun palin legontes mē touton alla ton barabban ēn de o barabbas lēstēs tote oun
labōn o peilatos ton ise kai ema-
…
kingdom, my servants for me would fighteth, so that I would not be delivered unto the Jews: but now this kingdom of mine is not from hence. Said therefore to him Pilate, “Then a king thou art?” answered Jesus, “Thou said that king I am. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, so that I would testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears of me my voice.” Said to him Pilate, “What is truth?” And this having said, again he went out unto the Jews and said to them, “I do not find in him guilt.There is, though, a custom for you, that I should release unto you one at the Passover: do you wish then that I would release unto you the King of the Jews?” They cried out so again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Then therefore
Pilate took Jesus, and
Gospel of John 19:1-7 (verso)
ΣTIΓΩΣEN KAI OI ΣTPATIΩTAI ΠΛE- ΞANTEΣ ΣTEΦANON EΞ AKANΘΩN EΠEΘHKAN AYTOY TH KEΦAΛH KAI IMATION ΠOPΦYPOYN ΠEPIEBA– ΛON AYTON KAI HPXONTO ΠPOΣ AY– TON KAI EΛEΓON XAIPE O BAΣIΛEY– Σ TΩN IOYΔAIΩN KAI EΔIΔOΣAN AY– TΩ PAΠIΣMATA EΞHΛΘEN ΠAΛIN O ΠEIΛATOΣ KAI LEΓEI AYTOIΣ IΔE AΓΩ YMIN AYTON EΞΩ INA ΓNΩ– TE OTI AITIAN EN AYTΩ OYX EYPIΣ– KΩ EΞHΛΘEN OYN O IΣE EΞΩ ΦOP– ΩN TON AKANΘINON ΣTEΦANON KAI TO ΠOPΦYPOYN IMATION KAI ΛEΓEI AYTOIΣ IΔOY O ANΘPΩΠOΣ OTE OYN EIΔON AYTON OI APXIEPEIΣ KAI OI YΠHPETAI EKPAZAN LEΓON- TEΣ ΣTAYPΩΣON AYTON ΛEΓEI AY– TOIΣ O ΠEIΛATOΣ ΛABETE YMEIΣ AYTON KAI ΣTAYPΩΣATE EΓΩ ΓAP OYX EYPIΣKΩ EN AYTΩ AITIAN AΠEKPIΘHΣAN OI IOYΔAIOI HMEIΣ NOMON EXOMEN KAI KATA TON
…
stigōsen kai oi stratiōtai ple- xantes stephanon ex akanthōn epethēkan autou tē kephalē kai imation porphuroun perieba– lon auton kai ērchonto pros au– ton kai elegon chaire o basileu– s tōn ioudaiōn kai edidosan au– tō rapismata exēlthen palin o peilatos kai legei autois ide agō umin auton exō ina gnō– te oti aitian en autō ouch euris– kō exēlthen oun o ise exō phor– ōn ton akanthinon stephanon kai to porphuroun imation kai legei autois idou o anthrōpos ote oun eidon auton oi archeireis kai oi upēretai ekrazan legon- tes staurōson auton legei au– tois o peilatos labete umeis auton kai staurōsate egō gar ouch euriskō en autō aitian apekrithēsan oi ioudaioi ēmeis nomon echomen kai kata ton
…
scourged him. And the soldiers having woven a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and a robe of purple they put around him, and they did come to him, and they said “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they gave him blows with their hands. And went forth again Pilate, and said unto them, “Behold, I bring him to you forth, so that you may know that fault in him I do not find.” Came forth then Jesus without, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, “Behold the man!” When they so saw him, the chief priests and officers cried out, saying, “Crucify him!” Saith unto them Pilate, “Take ye him, and crucify him: for I do not find in him guilt.” Answered the Jews, “We have a law, and according to that
[1] Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 102, 159.
[2] Philip W. Comfort, Encountering the Manuscripts. An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism, Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005, p. 74.
[3] P. Oxy. 656 is dated to the second century by H. I. Bell and T. C. Skeat, eds., Fragments of an Unknown Gospel and Other Early Christian Papyri (London: Oxford University Press for the British Museum, 1935), 6–7.
[4] Philip Wesley Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Vol. II (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2019), 132-133.
[5] Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 102, 159.
“Liste Handschriften”. Münster: Institute for New Testament Textual Research. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
[6] Philip Comfort, Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2005), 26–27.
Gospel of John 18:36-19:1 (recto)
Gospel of John 19:1-7 (verso)
