Papyrus 20

Papyrus 20 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓²⁰, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Epistle of James, but it only contains Chapter 2:19-3:9. The manuscript has been paleographically assigned to the early 3rd century.^[1]

Papyrus 𝔓²⁰

New Testament manuscript
Epistle of James 3:3–3:9 on verso side
Name	P. Oxy. 1171
Text	Epistle of James 2-3 †
Date	3rd century
Script	Greek
Found	Egypt
Now at	Princeton University Library
Cite	B. P. Grenfell & A. S. Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri IX, (London 1912), pp. 9-11
Size	11.5 by 4.5 cm
Type	Alexandrian text-type
Category	I

Description

Recto James 2,19–3, 2

The original size of the leaves was 17 by 12 cm.

The text is neatly written in upright semi-cursive letters. The main Nomina Sacra are used, but πατηρ/pater/father and ανθρωπος/anthropos/man are written out in full.^[2]

The Greek text of this codex is representative of the Alexandrian text-type (rather proto-Alexandrian). Aland placed it in Category I.^[1] This manuscript shows the greatest agreement with Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus,^[3] but not with codices Ephraemi, Regius and other late Alexandrian manuscripts.^[2]

Philip Comfort has conjectured that the scribe who wrote 𝔓²⁰ was also the same scribe who wrote 𝔓²⁷, where the Greek letters α, β, δ, ε, λ, ι, μ, ν, ο, π, ρ, σ, ψ, υ, φ, ω are formed identically in both manuscripts.^[3]

It is currently housed at the Princeton University Library (AM 4117) in Princeton.^[1][4]

See also

• James 2; 3
• List of New Testament papyri
• Princeton Papyri