Introduction to P104 and Its Significance in Textual Criticism
P104, officially catalogued as P. Oxy. 4404, is a papyrus manuscript fragment that contains portions of Matthew 21:34–37 and 43, with verse 45 partially preserved and Matthew 21:44 notably absent. It was discovered at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and is presently housed in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. This fragment, though small, holds critical value in the field of New Testament textual criticism due to both its textual agreement with the established Alexandrian text and its early paleographic features that may indicate a date as early as the late first century.
Its earliest possible date—if confirmed—would make it the oldest known witness to the Gospel of Matthew, preceding even the widely known second-century papyri. Its omission of Matthew 21:44 is particularly important in the textual tradition, as this verse is included in later manuscripts and versions, and its absence here provides early support for the shorter Alexandrian text form.
Paleographic Features and Manuscript Style
The handwriting of P104 is a key element in the debate regarding its date. The script is carefully executed in a form of Roman uncial that displays rounded, decorated characteristics often referred to as zierstil—a stylistic designation introduced by Schubart to describe a type of formal writing with ornate, serifed letterforms. This script was thought to have flourished from the late Ptolemaic period (1st century B.C.E.) through to the end of the first century C.E., with a potential extension into the early to mid-second century.
J. D. Thomas, the editor of the papyrus, placed the manuscript conservatively within the late second century, yet he also acknowledged that the hand was early in style. A comparison of P104 with other literary hands supports the view that it reflects an earlier, more rigid, and ornamental script than is typical for later second-century biblical papyri such as P90, P32, and P. Antinoopolis 7.
Notably, P104 shares significant paleographic affinities with manuscripts such as PSI 1213 and P. Oxy. 4301—both dated to the late first or early second century. The stylistic alignment includes specific forms of epsilon, iota, lambda, mu, nu, and rho, suggesting not only an early date but possibly the same scribal school or even the same scribe. These observations support a dating hypothesis that would place P104 potentially as early as 100 C.E., if not the late first century.
Physical Description and Textual Content
The fragment consists of a single leaf measuring approximately 14 cm x 25 cm, with 31 lines per page. The text is preserved with clarity on the recto and is faintly visible on the verso. The visible portions include:
Recto (Front) – Matthew 21:34–37 Verso (Back) – Matthew 21:43 and partial 45
The spacing of the lines and the page layout suggest this was a codex rather than a scroll, in keeping with early Christian manuscript practices. The presence of 31 lines per page is consistent with other early Christian papyri, indicating careful literary production.
The presence of nomina sacra—such as θ̅υ̅ for θεοῦ (“of God”)—also reflects early Christian scribal convention, further reinforcing its authenticity and early Christian origin.
The Omission of Matthew 21:44 and Its Implications
One of the most noteworthy aspects of P104 is the absence of Matthew 21:44, which reads in the NA28 as:
“The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
This verse is found in the Byzantine and later Western traditions but is absent from some of the earliest Alexandrian witnesses. The non-inclusion in P104—combined with its agreement with the NA28 and UBS5—provides compelling support for the originality of the shorter reading, thus strengthening the Alexandrian textual tradition.
This variant has been debated among textual critics. The UBS5 places the omission of Matthew 21:44 in square brackets, indicating a degree of uncertainty, though weighted in favor of exclusion. P104, therefore, becomes the earliest extant witness to this textual omission, establishing it as a crucial piece of external documentary evidence. Its agreement with Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus reinforces the view that the earliest recoverable text of Matthew likely did not include this verse.
Comparison with Contemporary Manuscripts
P104 can be fruitfully compared with a range of contemporaneous and near-contemporaneous manuscripts:
1. P90 (P. Oxy. 3523) While dated similarly, 𝔓90 (from the Gospel of John) shows a more developed and less rigid hand, lacking the decorative final strokes and serifs seen in P104.
2. P. Antinoopolis 7 This manuscript of the Psalms, dated to the late second century, also lacks the rigidity and ornamental features of P104.
3. PSI 1213 and P. Oxy. 4301 As noted above, these manuscripts exhibit striking similarities in their execution and may even be from the same scribe. Their dating to the late first or early second century supports the proposition that P104 comes from this same time frame.
4. P. Oxy. 454 + PSI 119 Firmly dated to the mid-second century, this manuscript also helps bracket the terminus ad quem of P104’s likely date.
5. Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus Though much later (4th century C.E.), these codices represent a continuation of the textual tradition found in P104. Their agreement with it in omitting Matthew 21:44 confirms the reliability of the Alexandrian tradition and the stability of this textual stream.
Scribe and Codicology
The scribe responsible for P104 was clearly skilled, as evidenced by the consistent script, spacing, and alignment. The letters are distinct, well-proportioned, and decorated in a manner reflective of formal Roman uncial, not cursive or documentary hand. This precision suggests a scribe trained in literary copying, possibly within a Christian scriptorium or a professional context that handled literary papyri.
The codex form, rather than the scroll, also aligns with early Christian textual transmission patterns, which adopted the codex more rapidly and widely than surrounding literary cultures.
Theological and Textual Relevance of the Text
The verses preserved in P104 occur within the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33–46), a crucial passage in understanding Jesus’ prophetic rebuke of the Jewish religious leaders. This fragment contains the climactic sequence where the landowner sends his son, whom the tenants kill—an unmistakable allusion to the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus.
Thus, while the fragment is small, the theological weight of the preserved material is immense. It reflects the early Christian emphasis on the identity and rejection of the Messiah and the subsequent transfer of spiritual responsibility (“the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits”—Matthew 21:43).
The early dating and textual alignment with the Alexandrian tradition further indicate that the earliest Christians were transmitting a consistent and stable text of the Gospel, contradicting modern liberal assumptions of wild textual fluidity in the first and second centuries.
Conclusion: The Value of P104 in the Alexandrian Tradition
Though small, P104 represents a textual witness of immense significance in the study of the New Testament. Its likely early date, potentially as early as the late first century, places it among the very earliest extant Christian writings. The style of the hand, the form of the codex, and the alignment with the Alexandrian text-type all converge to demonstrate the careful transmission of the Gospel text from its earliest period.
Its omission of Matthew 21:44 not only corroborates the Alexandrian text but also strengthens the reliability of the NA28 and UBS5 in presenting a text close to the autographs. As the earliest known manuscript of Matthew, P104 is a cornerstone for establishing the textual reliability and preservation of the New Testament in the second century and possibly even earlier.
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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