Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

ICG 1354, Lydia, ca. 3rd century noted here: "Premerstein dates the inscription to the time before Decius (similar to Tabbernee). Schuler dates it to the end of the 2nd / beginning of the 3rd century." https://icg.uni-kiel.de/icg/ICG_webapp/inscription/show/1354 [ἔτους ․․․ʹ], μη(νὸς) Λώου ...

ICG 1142, Phrygia, dated 242-243 https://icg.uni-kiel.de/icg/ICG_webapp/inscription/show/1142 η(νὸς) ἀ(πιόντος) [Ἔ]τους τκζ ̓ μ ι ̓ , δ ̓, Αὐρ. Σατορνεῖνος δ[ὶ]ς Χρειστιανὸς [ἐν]θά- δε κεῖται κατασκευ- 5 άσας αὐτῷ [τὸν αἰώ]- [νιο]ν οἶκον̣ [ἔτι ζῶν] [ὡ]ς μηδεν̣[ὶ ἄλλῳ ἐξ]- ὸν ἐ[πει]σε[νέγκειν] ἄ̣[λλο...

ICG 1264, Phrygia, probably dated 248 - 249 noted here: "Dating according to the Sullan era. According to Calder (BullJRylLib 7, 1922) the dating is certain. However, the photo shows traces at best. Leschhorn puts a question mark on the dating." https://icg.uni-kiel.de/icg/ICG_webapp/inscr...

Given its relevance for interpreting the epigraphic data, this is now part of the "Arguments" section. Gary J. Johnson on "A Christian Business and Christian Self-Identity in Third/Fourth Century Phrygia," Vigiliae Christianae , Vol. 48, No. 4 (Dec. 1994), pp. 341-366. http://www...

Was the purpose of separating Smith from the library without a chaperone to prevent theft?

If books were always brought out and returned by the monks, isn't that an argument right there?

Or does someone imagine that one book was swapped for another, and that a different book absconded off with Smith, who thereby deposited the Voss?

Secret Alias wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 4:31 pm But not just that it was regarded as authentic. Seraphim was there when Smith discovered the text. How did Smith and Landau know that Smith knew Seraphim? He must have been the one getting the books. I bet.

That's speculation, though. And Smith had access to the library, right.

Smith and Landau add something to the story: Flusser remembers that they did encounter one bump in the road. When the team of scholars attempted to leave with the book, “Abbot Seraphim,” an old friend of Smith who presided over Mar Saba, “raised hell,” demanding that “they would have to request it,...

The question is whether they would have remembered a coverless Latin book with 18th century Greek handwriting in the blank back pages. Or better yet could Seraphim have accepted that such a distinctive text which was never there before suddenly appeared there almost 20 years after he arrived at Mar...

Origen also has an aside for "those who think that the divinity of the Saviour is not at all demonstrable from the Gospel of Matthew": Commentary on Matthew 12.6 And moreover this also is to be observed, in view of those who think that the divinity of the Saviour is not at all demonstrable...