Introduction to P102 and Its Context in New Testament Textual Criticism
Papyrus 102 (P102), also designated as P. Oxy. 4402, is a fragmentary Greek manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew, containing parts of Matthew 4:11–12 and 4:22–23. This manuscript, though extremely small in size and content, contributes modestly to the vast and detailed tapestry of New Testament textual witnesses, particularly from the early Christian centuries. It belongs to the collection of Oxyrhynchus Papyri, a set of ancient manuscripts unearthed from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt—one of the most prolific and significant archaeological sites for early Christian texts. While its limited extent prohibits firm conclusions regarding its textual character, its paleographic features and provenance contribute to our understanding of the New Testament’s textual transmission during the late third and early fourth centuries.
Paleographic Analysis and Dating
Papyrus 102 has been dated to the late third or early fourth century, approximately around 300 C.E. This dating is based on paleographic comparison with other manuscripts of known provenance and date, particularly P. Hermes 5, which is dated to circa 325 C.E. The key differentiating factor here is the script: while P. Hermes 5 has a rightward-sloping script, P102 exhibits an upright script, characteristic of slightly earlier transcriptional tendencies in Egyptian documentary hands.
Paleography—the study of ancient handwriting—is especially useful in establishing relative dating of manuscripts, particularly when radiocarbon analysis is unavailable or inapplicable due to the fragility or fragmentary nature of the material. The upright nature of the script in P102 indicates a transitional phase between the classical majuscule script of the second century and the more stylized, sloping forms of the later fourth century. This positions P102 among early documentary witnesses to the Gospel of Matthew, albeit fragmentary.
Provenance and Physical Description
The papyrus was discovered in Oxyrhynchus, a city in Upper Egypt that has yielded more Christian papyri than any other archaeological site. The dry climate and sandy soil of Oxyrhynchus have contributed to the preservation of thousands of Greek papyri dating from the Ptolemaic to the Islamic periods.
Physically, the fragment is a small portion from the bottom corner of a codex page, measuring originally around 14 cm by 27 cm. The presence of about 35 lines per page reflects a densely written text, not atypical of the late third-century papyri, where space economy was becoming more common. This page layout is indicative of literary production where maximizing writing space was essential, likely for cost-efficiency in manuscript production, especially in Christian scriptoria.
Textual Content: Analysis of the Extant Verses
Though the manuscript is limited to Matthew 4:11–12 and 4:22–23, these few verses reflect narrative content from the early ministry of Jesus, immediately after his temptation and the calling of his first disciples. The Greek transcriptions of the extant portions are reconstructed as follows:
Recto (Matthew 4:11–12): μονω λατρευσεις· τοτε αφιησιν αυτον ο διαβολος και ιδου αγγελοι προσηλθον και διηκονουν αυτω· ακουσας…
Verso (Matthew 4:22–23): …και περιηγεν εν ολη τη γαλιλαια διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων…
The location of the upper margin is uncertain on both sides, making line reconstruction somewhat speculative. However, the portions that are preserved agree well with the standard Alexandrian text-type readings known from Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Sinaiticus (ℵ). Yet, due to the minimal amount of extant text and the lack of clear variant readings, textual character classification remains undetermined at this time. The standard assessment notes: “Textual character: too small to determine.”
Matthew 4:22-23 on Papyrus 102
Relation to Other Manuscripts and Textual Families
Even though no definitive textual alignment can be drawn, P102’s alignment with other early Alexandrian texts is not unlikely. Given the provenance from Egypt and the known prevalence of Alexandrian textual tradition in this region, there is a high likelihood that P102 follows a text close to what is preserved in Codex Vaticanus (B) and P75, the latter of which is an early papyrus manuscript with remarkable consistency with Vaticanus, dated to approximately 175–225 C.E.
It is important to remember that by the time of P102’s production (around 300 C.E.), the Alexandrian text-form was already firmly rooted in Egyptian Christianity, particularly within Coptic and Greek-speaking Christian communities in Alexandria and Oxyrhynchus. The layout, orthography, and script style of P102 are consonant with other manuscripts from this geographical area and time period.
Relevance in Textual Criticism
Though P102 is too fragmentary to establish a textual character, its significance lies in paleographic anchoring and historical continuity. Every manuscript, no matter how small, contributes to the broader understanding of the textual tradition. It helps confirm that the Gospel of Matthew was being copied, read, and circulated in Egypt in the early fourth century, aligning with the growing Christian community there in the years leading up to the Edict of Milan (313 C.E.).
Moreover, manuscripts like P102 serve as tangible witnesses to the stability of the New Testament text in its transmission history. The absence of wild variants or paraphrastic expansions in this fragment, even if slight, supports the broader conclusion affirmed by other early papyri: the early text of the New Testament was stable, well-preserved, and largely free from significant corruption, contrary to the assumptions of radical textual skepticism.
Housing and Access
The fragment is housed at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, cataloged under P. Oxy. 4402. Scholars wishing to examine it may access it through the museum’s papyrological collection, and the official transcription and preliminary edition have been published by J. D. Thomas in The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Vol. 64 (pages 4–5).
Bibliographical Reference
Primary Edition: J. D. Thomas, “The Oxyrhynchus Papyri,” Volume 64, London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1997, pp. 4–5, no. 4402.
Conclusion on P102’s Place in the Corpus
Although modest in textual scope, P102 represents another data point within the documentary approach to New Testament textual criticism. Its early date and geographical origin further support the primacy of the Alexandrian text-type, especially in Egypt during the late third and early fourth centuries. When evaluated alongside other early papyri from Oxyrhynchus—such as 𝔓1, 𝔓13, 𝔓64+67, and 𝔓77—this fragment affirms the long-standing and faithful copying of the Gospels in the early church, particularly the Gospel of Matthew.
EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
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