Thu Feb 13 11:46:08 1997

From owner-tc-list  Thu Feb 13 11:46:08 1997
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From: "Perry L. Stepp" 
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Subject: Re: Parchment & papyrus
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 10:45:36 -0600
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Robert Waltz said:

> To say that parchment replaced papyrus at any given date is massively
> oversimplified. If you check any of the lists of papyri and uncials,
> you will see that papyri have been found from the second to the
> seventh/eighth centuries. The first parchment manuscripts are found
> in the third century, and of course continued to be used exclusively
> till about the twelfth century, and occasionally thereafter.

Robert, I think your statement might be misunderstood.  Parchments were in
use far earlier than the date you give, *possibly* even for mss of the New
Testament--although that's clearly not what you were talking about.  Note 2
Tim 4.13, where the canonical Paul (to use Jim Oxford's term) asks for his
books, especially TAS MEMBRANAS--this from 1st-2nd century, depending on
which argument you buy.  (MEMBRANAS is the Greek transliteration of the
Latin for parchments.)

You're right to assign the date of the extant parchment mss of the New
Testament to a later period--which was, of course, your intent.

Grace and peace, 

Perry L. Stepp

************************************************************
Pastor, DeSoto Christian Church, DeSoto TX
Ph.D. candidate, Baylor University

"A system of morality which is based on relative 
emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar
conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing
true."
                    Phaedo 69b
************************************************************

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