The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 4

3

654. THEOLOGICAL FRAGMENTS

5

ΟΙ ΤΟΙΟΙ ΟΙ ΛΟΓΟΙ ΟΙ [
ΛHΣEN IHΣ O ZΩN K[
KAI ΘΩMA KAI EIΠEN [
AN TΩN ΛOΓΩN TOYT[
OΥ MH ΓEΥΣHTAI — [

MH ΠAΥΣAΣΘΩ O ZH[
EΥPH KAI OTAN EΥPH [
BHΘEIC BAΣIΛEΥΣH KA[
HΣETAI — ΛEΓEI I[
10

OI EΛKONTEΣ HMAΣ [
H BAΣIΛEIA EN OΥPA[
TA ΠETEINA TOΥ OΥP[
TI ΫΠO THN ΓHN EΣT[
OI ÏXΘΥEΣ THΣ ΘAΛA[
15

TEΣ ΫMAC KAI H BAΣ[
ENTOΣ ΫMΩN [.]ΣTI [
ΓNΩ TAΥTHN EΥPH[
EAYTOYC ΓNΩΣEΣΘA! [
ΫMEIC [
EΣTE TOΥ ΠATPOC TOΥ T[
20

ΓNΩΣΘE EAYTOYC EN[
KAI ΫMEIC ECTE HΠTO[

OΥK AΠOKNHΣEI ANΘ[
PΩN EΠEPΩTHΣE ΠA[
PΩN ΠEPI TOΥ TOΠOΥ TH[
OTI
25

ΣETE ΠOΛΛOI EΣONTAI Π[
OI EΣXATOI ΠPΩTOI KAI [
CIN ΛEΓEI IHΣ — . [
ΘEN THΣ OΨEΩC ΣOY KAI [
AΠO ΣOΥ AΠOKAΛΥΦHΣET[
30

TIN KPΥΠTON O OΥ ΦANE[
KAI ΘEΘAMMENON O O[

[. .]ETAZOΥCIN AYTON O[
[. .]ΓOΥCIN ΠΩC NHΣTEΥ[
[. . . .]MEΘA KAI ΠΩC [
35

[. . . .]AI TI ΠAPATHPHΣ[
[. . . .]N — ΛEΓEI IHΣ [
[. . . .]EITAI MH ΠOIEIT[
[. . . .]HC AΛHΘEIAC AN[
[. . . . . . .]N A[.]OKE K P [
40

[. . . . . .]KAPI[ . .] EΣTIN [
[. . . . . . . . . . .]Ω EΣT[
[. . . . . . . . . . . . .]I]N[

{οἱ} τοῖοι οἱ λόγοι οἱ [. . . . . . . . . οὓς ἐλά-
λησεν Ἰη(σοῦ)ς ὁ ζῶν κ[ύριο]ς . . . . . . . . .
καὶ Θωμᾷ καὶ εἶπεν [αὐτοῖς· πᾶς ὅστις
ἂν τῶν λόγων τούτ[ων ἀκούσῃ θανάτου
5 οὐ μὴ γεύσηται.

‘These are the (wonderful?) words which Jesus the living (lord) spake to . . . and Thomas, and he said unto (them), Every one that hearkens to these words shall never taste of death.’

The general sense of the introduction is clear, and most of the restorations are fairly certain. In l. 1 an adjective such as θαυμάσιοι wonderful is necessary after οἱ [. For ἀκούειν to hear/hearken with the genitive in the sense of ‘hearken to’ as distinguished from merely hearing cf. e. g. Luke vi. 47: ‘Every one that hearkens to my words and does them.’ For ‘shall never taste of death,’ cf. Matt. xvi. 28, Mark ix. 1, Luke ix. 27, and especially John viii. 52: ‘If anyone keeps my word, he shall never taste of death.’ In these passages of the Synoptists ‘to taste of death’ simply means ‘die’ in the literal sense; but here no doubt, as in the passage in