Wyman Fragment (Uncial 0220)
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
Romans, textual criticism, New Testament manuscripts, Wyman, Uncial 0220.
Department
Religion
Major
Religion
Abstract
The Wyman Fragment—or Uncial 0220—constitutes the oldest known copy of Romans 4:23-5:3 (observe) and 5:8-13 (reverse), dating from within the third century C.E. It displays several characteristics of fragments from this period including the practice of abbreviating important terms—like divine names—and the practice of abbreviating words or a series of letters through the use of ligatures. While invaluable for its contribution to the textual reconstruction of Romans, the Wyman Fragment also illustrates the challenges researches face when studying ancient manuscript fragments. Natural phenomena have weathered the ink of the letters on the reverse side removing them completely or making them illegible to the human eye. Other letters have become blotched over time. This project has made use of contemporary photography and modern software techniques to identify damaged or obscured letters in an attempt to reconstruct as accurately as possible the text of the fragment. It will highlight scribal practices displayed in the Wyman Fragment and show how contemporary technology allows for the identification or reconstruction of previously unidentifiable letters. It aims to offer a broad overview of the practice of textual criticism today using the Wyman Fragment as a case-study.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Ronald Cox & Dr. Randall Chesnutt
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
29-3-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
29-3-2019 3:00 PM
Wyman Fragment (Uncial 0220)
Waves Cafeteria
The Wyman Fragment—or Uncial 0220—constitutes the oldest known copy of Romans 4:23-5:3 (observe) and 5:8-13 (reverse), dating from within the third century C.E. It displays several characteristics of fragments from this period including the practice of abbreviating important terms—like divine names—and the practice of abbreviating words or a series of letters through the use of ligatures. While invaluable for its contribution to the textual reconstruction of Romans, the Wyman Fragment also illustrates the challenges researches face when studying ancient manuscript fragments. Natural phenomena have weathered the ink of the letters on the reverse side removing them completely or making them illegible to the human eye. Other letters have become blotched over time. This project has made use of contemporary photography and modern software techniques to identify damaged or obscured letters in an attempt to reconstruct as accurately as possible the text of the fragment. It will highlight scribal practices displayed in the Wyman Fragment and show how contemporary technology allows for the identification or reconstruction of previously unidentifiable letters. It aims to offer a broad overview of the practice of textual criticism today using the Wyman Fragment as a case-study.