View source for Papyrus 115

{{New Testament manuscript infobox
| form   = Papyrus
| number = 𝔓<sup>115</sup>
| image  = P. Oxy. LXVI 4499.jpg
| isize  =
| caption= Red arrow points to χιϛ (616), "number of the beast" in '''P'''<sup>115</sup>
| name   = [[Oxyrhynchus papyri|P. Oxy.]] 4499
| text   = [[Book of Revelation|Rev]] 2-3, 5-6, 8-15
| date   = c. 275
| found  = [[Oxyrhynchus]], [[Egypt]]
| now at = [[Ashmolean Museum]]
| cite   = Juan Chapa, ''Oxyrynchus Papyri'' 66:11-39. (#4499)
| size   = 26 fragments; 15.5 x 23.5 cm; 33-36 lines/page
| type   = [[Alexandrian text-type|Alexandrian]], close agreement with '''[[Codex Alexandrinus|A]]''' & '''[[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus|C]]'''
| cat    = I
| hand   =
| note   = Gives [[number of the beast]] as 6'''1'''6
}}
{{Grenfell and Hunt}}
'''Papyrus 115''', also known as ''P. Oxy. 4499'', is a fragmented [[Biblical manuscript|manuscript]] of the [[New Testament]] written in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] on [[papyrus]]. It is designated by the [[siglum]] '''{{papyrus|115}}''' in the [[Biblical manuscript#Gregory–Aland|Gregory-Aland]] numbering of New Testament manuscripts. It consists of 26 fragments of a [[codex]] containing parts of the [[Book of Revelation]].{{r|TENTGM}} Using the study of comparative writing styles ([[palaeography]]), the manuscript is dated to the third century, ''c.'' 225-275 AD.<ref>Juan Chapa, ''Oxy. Pap.,'' 66:11-39, no. 4499</ref> Scholars [[Bernard Pyne Grenfell]] and [[Arthur Surridge Hunt|Arthur Hunt]] discovered the papyrus in [[Oxyrhynchus|Oxyrhynchus, Egypt]].

{{papyrus|115}} was not deciphered and published until 2011. It is currently housed at the [[Ashmolean Museum]].<ref name="INTF">{{Cite web | title=Liste Handschriften: Papyrus 115 | publisher=Institute for New Testament Textual Research | location=Münster | url=http://intf.uni-muenster.de/vmr/NTVMR/ListeHandschriften.php?ObjID=10115 | access-date=27 August 2011}}</ref>

== Description ==
The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book) although in a very fragmentary condition. In its original form it was sized 15.5&nbsp;cm by 22&nbsp;cm, with 33-36 lines per page.{{r|Parker|TENTGM|p2=665}} The surviving text includes Revelation 2:1-3, 13-15, 27-29; 3:10-12; 5:8-9; 6:5-6; 8:3-8, 11-13; 9:1-5, 7-16, 18-21; 10:1-4, 8-11; 11:1-5, 8-15, 18-19; 12:1-5, 8-10, 12-17; 13:1-3, 6-16, 18; 14:1-3, 5-7, 10-11, 14-15, 18-20; 15:1, 4-7.<ref name="TENTGM">{{Cite book | first=Philip Wesley | last=Comfort | author-link=Philip Comfort | author2=David P. Barrett | title=The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts | pages=664–677 | year=2001 | publisher=Tyndale House Publishers | location=Wheaton, Illinois | isbn=978-0-8423-5265-9}}</ref>{{r|Parker}} Due to the writing on the pages having a tendency to be narrower when the binding is on the right hand side, it is likely the codex was bound before the copyist started writing in it.{{r|TENTGM|p=665}} After its publication, scholar David C. Parker notes the manuscript "is a significant contribution to our understanding of the text of the book of Revelation",<ref name="Parker">{{Cite book | first=David Charles | last=Parker | author-link=David C. Parker | title=Manuscripts, Texts, Theology: Collected Papers, 1977-2007 | chapter=A New Oxyrhynchus Papyrus of Revelation: P115 (P. Oxy. 4499) | page=73 | year=2009 | publisher=De Gruyter | location=Berlin | isbn=978-3-11-021193-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C7ZLQns00MAC&pg=PA73}}</ref> and as such "may shed light on a crucial period in the development of the text of Revelation."{{r|Parker}}

There are some textual corrections in the manuscript which may be evidence the copyist had access to more than one examplar.{{r|Parker|p=77}} Out of 165 variant readings in the manuscript, only nine are considered "singular" or "unique" readings.{{r|Parker|p=77-78}} Five of these are according to Parker "obviously false", and there are therefore only four new textual readings.{{r|Parker|p=78-79}} Parker concludes that "none of these readings is original."{{r|Parker|p=79}} After a full overview of the manuscript, Parker summises: "It is sometimes suggested that the papyri have not had any genuine effect on the printed text of the New Testament. The example of this witness alone is sufficient to disprove the claim."{{r|Parker|p=91}} Biblical scholar Philip Comfort declares that "{{papyrus|115}} has superior testimony to that of {{papyrus|47}}, which aligns with {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} and together form the second-best witness to the book of Revelation."{{r|Comfort|TENTGM|p2=665}}

The manuscript has evidence of the following {{lang|la|[[nomina sacra]]}} (names/titles considered sacred in [[Christianity]]): {{overline|ΙΗΛ}} (''Israel''), {{overline|ΑΥΤΟΥ}} (''his''), {{overline|ΠΡΣ}} (''Father''), {{overline|ΘΩ}}/{{overline|ΘΝ}}/{{overline|ΘΥ}} (''God''), {{overline|ΑΝΩΝ}}/{{overline|ΑΝΟΥ}} (''man''), {{overline|ΠΝΑ}} (''Spirit''), {{overline|ΟΥΝΟΥ}}/{{overline|ΟΥΝΟΝ}}/{{overline|ΟΥΝΩ}} (''heaven''), {{overline|ΚΥ}} (''Master/Lord''). The manuscript uses the [[Greek numerals|Greek numeral]] system, with no number extant as being written out in full.{{r|TENTGM}}

==Text==
The manuscript is considered to be a witness to the [[Alexandrian text-type]], following the text of [[Codex Alexandrinus]] ('''A''') and [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus]] ('''C''').<ref name="Comfort">{{Cite book | first=Philip Wesley | last=Comfort | author-link=Philip Comfort | title=Encountering the Manuscripts. An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism | page=77 | year=2005 | publisher=Broadman & Holman | location=Nashville, Tennessee}}</ref> In a comparison of the textual readings of this manuscript, Parker notes it is "usually right" when it agrees with A as opposed to C, incorrect when it disagrees with both, and only right less than half the time when it disagrees with A.{{r|Parker|p=91}} Accordingly, this shows that the text seen in A "confirms the superior quality" of A as opposed to the text seen in C. The textual variants against [[Codex Sinaiticus]] {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} and {{Papyrus link|47}} show that {{papyrus|115}} is more often right in reading the same as {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} as opposed to {{Papyrus link|47}}.{{r|Parker|p=91}} The manuscript also agrees with some later minuscules, which Parker states that "new discoveries sometimes show late witnesses to contain variants that are far older than we could have known."{{r|Parker|p=91}} According to Parker, the agreement of readings between this manuscripts and A and C "confirms the high quality of {{papyrus|115}}."{{r|Parker|p=91}}

An interesting element of {{papyrus|115}} is that it apparently gives the [[number of the beast]] in Revelation 13:18 as '''616''' ([[Chi (letter)|chi]], [[Iota (letter)|iota]], [[Stigma (letter)|stigma]] / {{overline|ΧΙϚ}}), rather than the majority reading of [[666 (number)|666]] (chi, xi, stigma / ΧΞϚ)), as does [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus]]. According to the transcription of the [[Institute for New Testament Textual Research|INTF]], a conjectured reading of the manuscript, due to the space left, is [{{overline|χξϛ}}] η {{overline|χιϛ}} (''666 or 616''), therefore not giving a definite number to the beast.<ref name="INTFRev1318">{{Cite web | url=http://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/community/vmr/api/transcript/get/?docID=10115&pageID=160&format=html | title=Institute for New Testament Textual Research Papyrus 115 Transcription | access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref>

; Some notable readings<ref>Taken from NA27 Edition Apparatus, and http://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-transcripts {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613014854/http://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-transcripts | date=13 June 2015}}</ref>
{{Bibleverse|Revelation|8:12}}
: και το τριτον της σεληνης (''and a third of the moon''): 
:: omit. : '''{{papyrus|115}}'''
:: incl. : {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]]

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|9:11}}
: ο απολλυων (''the Destroyer'') : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' 1740
: απολλυων (''Apollyon'') : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} ''pc'' gig 2344

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|9:13}}
:''{{overline|δ}} / τεσσάρων'' (''fourth'')
:: incl. : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' Majority of manuscripts vg<sup>cl</sup> [[Peshitta|sy{{sup|p}}]][[Syriac versions of the Bible#Later Syriac versions|{{sup|, h}}]]
:: omit. : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]] 0207 1611 2053 2344 ''pc'' lat [[Syriac versions of the Bible#Later Syriac versions|sy{{sup|h}}]] [[Bible translations into Coptic|co]]

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|11:15}}
: λεγουσαι (''they said'') : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus|C]] 051 1006 1611 1841 1854 2329 2344 <math>\mathfrak{M}</math>{{sup|A}}
: λεγοντες (''saying'') : [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]] 2053 2351 <math>\mathfrak{M}</math>{{sup|K}}.

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|13:8}}
: το ονομα (''name'') : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' <math>\mathfrak{M}</math> [[Bible translations into Coptic|co]] Bea.
: τα ονοματα αυτων (''their names'') : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Porphyrianus|P]] 051 1006 1841 2329 al lat
: το ονομα αυτου (''his name'') : [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus|C]] 1854 2053 ''pc'' [[Irenaeus|Ir{{sup|lat}}]] Prim.

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|13:13}}
:''εκ του ουρανου'' (''out of heaven'')
:: omit. : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' 175.
:: incl. : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]] Majority of manuscripts

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|14:6}}
: κατοικουντας (''who inhabit'') : '''{{papyrus|115}}''' [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]] 2049 69.
: καθημενους (''dwelling'') : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}} [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus|C]] [[Codex Porphyrianus|P]] 1611 1854 2053 2329 ''pc'' [[Peshitta|sy{{sup|p}}]][[Syriac versions of the Bible#Later Syriac versions|{{sup|, h}}]] [[Origen|Or]]

{{Bibleverse|Revelation|14:20}}
:''{{overline|βχ}}'' (2600) : '''{{papyrus|115}}'''.
:''{{overline|αχ}}'' / ''χιλιων εξακοσιων'' (1600) : {{papyrus link|47}} {{larger|{{script|Hebr|[[Codex Sinaiticus|א]]}}}}{{sup|c2}} [[Codex Alexandrinus|A]] 42 69 82 93 177 325 456 498 627 699 1849 2138 2329 Majority of manuscripts

== See also ==
* [[List of New Testament papyri]]
* [[Oxyrhynchus papyri]]
* [[Stigma (letter)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* Oxford University [http://www.papyrology.ox.ac.uk/POxy/beast/beast616.html 'P. Oxy. LXVI 4499']
* Images of the fragments of [http://163.1.169.40/cgi-bin/library?e=q-000-00---0POxy--00-0-0--0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-4499--00031-001-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=POxy&cl=search&d=HASH0102c9e219e75e15dea6b8d2 P. Oxy. LXVI 4499]

{{New Testament papyri}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Book of Revelation}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papyrus 0115}}
[[Category:New Testament papyri]]
[[Category:Oxyrhynchus papyri vol. LXVI|4499]]
[[Category:3rd-century biblical manuscripts]]
[[Category:Papyri from ancient Egypt]]
[[Category:Early Greek manuscripts of the New Testament]]
[[Category:Book of Revelation papyri]]