The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 8

(Nomina Sacra sacred names, p. 167), but pending fuller evidence the script is a better criterion of the date of this codex than the occurrence of a particular compendium.

Textually the fragment is of considerable interest. As has been already stated, several of the verses here preserved are not otherwise extant in the Old Latin version, though since they tend to follow a definite formula they could to some extent be correctly reconstructed. Others among them were already known from patristic citations, with which, however, the new witness does not always coincide. Minor divergences may easily be attributed to inexact quotation; but some of the peculiar readings of this manuscript point rather to a different recension, of which a prominent characteristic may have been its closeness to the Greek; cf. ll. 28-30 and the note. A variant noted by Augustine makes its appearance in l. 46. Speciosae beautiful in l. 48, in the light of a comment by the same Father (cf. note ad loc.), looks very like an interpolated gloss.

v. 4.

genuit Se[th anni .dcc he begot Seth years 700
et genu[it filios et fili and he begot sons and daught-
5

as et fu[e]run[t omnes ers and there were all
dies Adae quo[s vixit the days of Adam which he lived
5 annis .dcccc[xxx. et years 930. and
6

mortuus est [vixit autē died. he lived also
Seth annis .[cv. et ge Seth years 105. and he be-
7

nuit Enos. et [vixit got Enos. and he lived
Seth. postqua[m genuit Seth. after he begot
10 [A]enos annis .[dccvii. et Enos years 707. and
genuit filios [et filias he begot sons and daughters
8

et fuerunt o[mnes di and there were all the da-
es Seth ann[i .dccccxii ys of Seth years 912
et mortuus [est and he died
15 Et vixit Aeno[s annis .xc 9 And Enos lived years 90
et genuit Ca[inan et vi 10 and he begot Cainan and liv-
xit Aenos pos[tquam ed Enos after
genuit Cainan annis he begot Cainan years
dccxv. et ge[nuit filios 715. and he begot sons
20 et filias et fue[runt om 11 and daughters and there were all
nes dies Aen[os annis the days of Enos years
dccccv. et m[ortuus est 905. and he died

v. 29

[men eiu]s Noe dicens name his Noe saying
[iste requies]cere faciet this one will make to rest
[nos ab o]per[ib]us nostris us from our works
[et tristi]tiis manum nos and the sorrows of the hands of our
30 [traru]m et a terra cui hands and from the earth which
[maled]ixit Dns Ds· et vi 30 cursed the Lord God. and he liv-
[xit La]mech annis .dlxv ed Lamech years 565
[et gen]uit filios et filias and he begot sons and daughters
[et fuer]unt omnes dies 31 and there were all the days
35 [quos v]ixit Lamech which Lamech lived
[anni .]dccliii. et mor[tu years 753. and he died
[us est]
[Et fuit N]oe annorum vi. 1 And was Noe of years
[quinge]ntorum et ge five hundred and he be-
40 [nuit N]oe tres filios· got Noe three sons
[Sem Cha]m Iapeth Sem Cham Iapeth
[Et factu]m est postquā And it happened after
[coeper]unt homines men began
[multi fie]ri super terrā to become many upon the earth
45 [et filiae] natae sunt eis and daughters were born to them
[vident]es autem filii seeing moreover the sons
[Dī filias] hominum 2 of God the daughters of men