MELITO OF SARDIS: AKHMIMIC TEXT

MS 2337
MS Short Title MELITO OF SARDIS: AKHMIMIC TEXT
Text MELITO OF SARDIS: PERI PASCHA, CH. 10-13 AND 15-17, QUOTING EXODUS 12:5 - 11
Description MS in the Akhmimic dialect of Coptic on papyrus, Upper Egypt, 4th c., 1 partial papyrus, 17x7 cm, 1 column remaining (14x5 cm, column width 5 cm), 18+19 lines in Coptic half uncial.
Context 9 early MSS or fragments of Melito's text are extant: 3 in Greek, 1 in Syriac, 1 in Sahidic (MS 193) and 4 fragments in Coptic. This MS supplies an important part of the missing text from the Crosby-Schøyen codex, MS 193, text 4. For another text in Akhmimic, see MS 089/ 77 (not available online).
Provenance 1. Monastery in Upper Egypt, Wadi Natrun or Dishna?, Egypt (4th c.); 2. Bookseller, Amsterdam (ca. 1970); 3. Stephen Tabor, Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles (ca. 1970); 4. Robert X. Bruce, Balbos, California (ca. 1970-1996); 5. Bruce Ferrini, Akron, Ohio.
Commentary Part of this text is unique and represents an independent textual tradition of one of the oldest of Christian texts. This is the only fragment in the Akhmimic dialect. Melito, Bishop of Sardis (d. ca. 190), was one of the earliest Christian writers, and addressed his Apologia to emperor Marcus Aurelius. His great book, Peri tou Pascha, equating the Jewish Passover with the Christian Easter, was recorded by Eusebius in 4c AD, but no copy was known until ca 1940.
Place of origin Egypt
Dates 4c AD