Subject: Re: "Magdalen Manuscript"?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 22:34:12 -0800

>>>I just received a question via my web page about a so-called Jesus or 
Magdalen Manuscript, supposedly dated around AD 65.  The questioner 
implied that it has something to do with Matthew's Gospel.  I'm out here 
in northwestern Wyoming, a gazillion miles from a good academic library; 
does anybody have any information about this document?<<<<

This has to do with Carsten Theide's research on the Magdalen Manuscripts in
the Oxford library. Originally, they've been sitting around for a century or
so untouched because folks thought they were dated around (200 AD?).  In 94,
Theide took a deeper look at them and part of his argumentation states that
the three scraps date around 50-65 AD (my understanding based on what I've
heard so far) because of the handwriting style of the MSS. which supposedly
went out of style around mid-first century.  Yes, the three scraps are from
Matthew. From what I hear, the book's been getting good reviews (from
evangelicals anyway...=)   ). 

In any case, he's published his findings in a book called "Rekindling the
Word: [I FORGET THE REST OF THE TITLE]." Glenn Miller's Christian ThinkTank
(http://www.webcom.com/~ctt) has the full title listed under his book list.
Furthermore, I've ordered the book and it just came in on Tuesday ($15.99). I
should pick it up by next week (you know how us poor college students
are....). 

Kerry Gilliard
Director and Founder
W.I.T.N.E.S.S. Ministries
http://members.aol.com/blufunk195/witness.html

"God has a great sense of humor and I'm living proof of it!!"

---

From: [email-masked] (Nichael Lynn Cramer)
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 07:55:33 -0400

David Washburn wrote:
> ...[re: Magdalen Manuscript/p64]...

Hi Dave

Others have pointed to recent discussions on this topic that appeared on
this list (and on IOUDAIOS).  Two other, easily accessible, in-print
discussion of this material are:

Graham Stanton, "A Gospel Among the Scrolls?", Bible Review, Dec 1995.

Graham Stanton, _Gospel Truths?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels_
(Trinity Press, 1995).

(The BR article (primarily selections from the book) focuses on p64 and the
proposal, put forth by Jose O'Callaghan that certain fragments discovered
at Qumran contained portions of the NT.  The book is a "popular" survey of
the current state of contemporary NT scholarship.  The book covers a very
wide range of topics and, while there are several places where I wished
that the book had contained a bit more detail, it is a very nice overview
of the material.  A good book, rich in bibliographic detail, for those of
us who view these things from the sidelines or for a friend who wonders
what is actually going on in the field.)

As James Adair pointed out, Thiede's claims have virtually no support among
NT scholars.  This article and book do a very nice job of explaining why
this is so.

Nichael                       |   "Just because it didn't happen         |
[email-masked]             |            don't mean it ain't true."    |
http://www.sover.net/~nichael | -Yogi Berra [paraphrasing Mircea Eliade] |