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Catalog Record: michigan.apis.3925 [xml]

Title Christian literature: The Sphepherd of Hermas, Similitudines (GCS 48, 51, 8-82, 1)
Author Hermas (?)
Summary The Sphepherd of Hermas, Similitudines, preserving the end of IX, 4 and the beginning of IX, 5 (partly preserved).;Between p. 60 and 61 one leaf is lost
Citations Bonner C, HThR 18, 115-27, 1925 Bonner C, Shepherd of Hermas P.Mich. 129, 39-126, 1934, Pl I-V
Inv. Id P.Mich.inv. 917
Support/Dimensions 1 papyrus ; 10.2 x 17.4 cm
Condition Under this number 26 separate mounts are comprised. Of these, Nos 1 to 6 inclusive contain single leaves. No 7-8 contains in one mount a small part of each of two sepatate leaves. Nos 9 to 14 are sheets or double leaves containg four pages each; in all these cases the two leaves forming the sheet are still attached at the middle. Nos 15 to 25 are single leaves again, and no 26 contains four very small unplaced fragments, and two others which may not have belonged to the Hermas manuscript. The unplaced fragments show only two or three letters each.;The sheets or double leaves belonged to the middle of the book. But one side of every sheet, in most cases the left as it would lie with the book open at the middle, has suffered considerably, so that even in this part of the book some pages are adly frayed and lacerated. Of the single leaves a few are well preserved, but most of them have considerable portions broken away; and some are reduced to mere fragments. ;The papyrus used was of fine quality, thin and well polished, and it still retains something of its original toughness and pliability.
Lines p. 61: 22 lines; p. 62: 22 lines
Recto/Verso Source of description: Recto (page 61) + Verso (page 62)
Hands The extreme measurements of the double leaves are at present 24.3 cm in height and 22.1 in breadth. Since all the margins have been broken away to a greater or less extent, the original size is somewhat uncertain; 25 by 22.5 or 23 cm is a reasonable estimate. Thus the book, when closed, was a tall volume, a little more than twice as high as it was wide. ;The columns of writing vary from 19 to 20 cm in height and are usually 8-9 cm wide, though some are no more than 7 cm. The space between the two columns on a sheet, which varies from 2 to 3 cm is rather narrow in view of the circumstances that the book appears. It have consisted of one very large quire, each successive sheet lying inside the preceding ones. The scribe's practice was not very regular either in the number of lines allowed for a page or in the number of letters making a line. The commonest page-length is 30 lines; but the number runs as low as 28 and as high as 34, and there are several pages of 31 oe 32 lines. The variation in the length of the lines is even greater. Not taking into account several lines which have not been filled out completely, we find that there are lines with as few as 14 letters and as many as 24. The breadth of the columns and the distance between them are not much affected by the lessening of the number of letters in the line; the hand is simply more spreading. The variation in the length of the line considerably increases the difficulty of reconstructing the text when the right margin is broken away. ;The pages were numbered in the middle of the upper margin by a hand different from that which wrote the text, and certainly later.;When the book was closed, the side of the papyrus leaf where the fibers run vertically was out and the other side where the fibers run in a horizontal direction was in. ;At the time of the numbering of the pages, the book probably consisted of a single gathering of 43 sheets, or 172 pages. It had originally contained 6 more sheets, and it is probable that still another was added, outside of them all. This served as a cover to protect the written leaves.;The whole text of the manuscript is written in one hand, a fairly large, well-formed, moderately sloping uncial of the type which paleographers have somewhat vaguely called oval, because the curves of such letters as epsilon, theta, an sigma are elliptical or oval rather than circular. The writer was evidently an accomplished scribe, but it may be that his skill was acquired in professional letter writing rather than in the copying books.Certainly his work is even and regular, and lapses into a cursive style only in a few cases when alpha is made without lifting the pen, and is connected with the following iota. He uses a relatively small omicron and a flat omega, which has only a slight wave in the base and occasionally none at all. Both omicron and omega are st slightly above the base line. Attention may be called to the deeply notched mu and to the beta in which the lower loop is closed by a straight line that is often carried on to the right beyond the descending curve. The scribe often uses a slight hook or starting stroke in making both horizontal and vertical strokes.
Origin unknown
More from unknown
Language Greek
Date second half of the IIIrd century A.D.
More from the period between 250 CE and 300 CE
Note (general) The translation is Roberts-Donaldson's as in the http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html
Note (general) Location: Ann Arbor
Note (general) Pub. status: Recto (page 61) + Verso (page 62)
Subjects Literary; christian; Papyrus
Images Recto thumbnail
Images Recto medium
Images Recto large
Images Verso thumbnail
Images Verso medium
Images Verso large
License Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License.

APIS Translation (English)

The translation is Roberts-Donaldson's as in the http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html;;(page 61) (Sim. IX, 4:) They were accordingly brought from all the mountains of various, colours, and being hewn by the men were given to the virgins; and the virgins carried them through the gate, and gave them for the building of the tower. And when the stones of various colours were placed in the building, they all became white alike, and lost their different colours. And certain stones were given by the men for the building, and these did not become shining; but as they were placed, such also were they found to remain: for they were not given by the virgins, nor carried through the gate. These stones, therefore, were not in keeping with the others in the building of the tower. And the six men, seeing these unsuitable stones in the building, commanded them to be taken away, and to be carried away down [to their own place whence they had been taken; [and being removed one by one, they were laid aside; and] they say to the men who brought the stones, "Do not ye bring any stones at all for the building, but lay them down beside the tower, that the virgins may carry them through the gate], (page 62) and may give them for the building. For unless," they said, "they be carried through the gate by the hands of the virgins, they cannot change their colours: do not toil, therefore," they said, "to no purpose." (Sim. IX, 5:) And on that day the building was finished, but the tower was not completed; for additional building was again about to be added, and there was a cessation in the building. And the six men commanded the builders all to withdraw a little distance, and to rest, but enjoined the virgins not to withdraw from the tower; and it seemed to me that the virgins [had been left to guard the tower. ...