Josaphat C. Tam, «When Papyri and Codices Speak: Revisiting John 2,23-25.», Vol. 95 (2014) 570-588
This paper revisits the role of John 2,23-25 in its literary and manuscript context. Contrary to many Johannine commentators who take it as an introduction to the Nicodemus pericope, 2,23-25 should be linked more to the preceding context, not the following. This view is supported by evidence from the sense-unit delimitations observed in the Greek papyri and codices dated within ca. 300 years from the New Testament era. Viewed from a narrative perspective, 2,23-25 should be seen as an anticlimactic concluding remark connected to 1,35 – 2,22.
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WHEN PAPYRI AND CODICES SPEAK: REVISITING JOHN 2,23-25 579
there is a high stop, which indicates a higher-degree break than the
previously used middle stop. Also, 3,1 starts in a new line intention-
ally, leaving a large part of the previous line blank. Ekthesis for the
first letter of the first word is present. According to Porter and
Jongkind, this combination represents a clear paragraph break 42.
Thus, the break at 3,1 rather than 2,23 is clear.
e. Papyrus Bodmer XV, î75 (ca. AD 200-250) 43
2:23 [… …]n o ic˙ wc de hn en toic ϊero
[c]olumoi[…]n tw pacca en th eort[…]
…
3:1 hn en tw anw hn d[…] an[o]c ek tw
Faricaiwn neik[…]dhm[… …]ma autw
…
In Papyrus Bodmer XV (î75), a space of about the width of one
letter is left with a high stop at the end of 2,22. Ekthesis (the first s
in ~Ierosolu,moij) in the next line is suspected. This appears to be a
break of a unit. At the beginning of 3,1, a wider space, about the
width of four letters, is left. Such a width of space is quite uncommon
when compared with the similar breaks in the vicinity, 1,6.29.35.43;
2,1.23; 3,22 and 4,43 in this papyrus. A clear ekthesis for the first
character in the next line is observed. However, as a result of the un-
clear condition after 2,25, the presence of any kind of stop cannot be
confirmed. But judging from the wider space together with the
ekthesis, 3,1 represents a relatively more significant break than 2,23.
f. Papyrus Bodmer II, î66 (ca. AD 200-250) 44
n eipen o ic:
2:23 wc de hn en toic ϊerocolumoic e
42
JONGKIND, Scribal Habits of Codex Sinaiticus, 96. Porter observes
that ekthesis is consistently used in Sinaiticus to indicate paragraph
breaks. PORTER, “Pericope Markers”, 171.
43
Online images can be viewed at the New Testament Virtual Manu-
script Room: http://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/en_GB/manuscript-workspace.
44
Online images can be viewed at the New Testament Virtual Manu-
script Room: http://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/en_GB/manuscript-workspace