Comparison of the Greek and Coptic Texts

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter compares the Greek and Coptic texts. Any detailed comparison of the differences between the POxy 3525 fragment and the Coptic text in BG 8502 is difficult due to the fragmentary nature of the POxy text: at several points (not least in the reconstructions of the missing beginnings and ends of lines), one is heavily dependent on the Coptic text in reconstructing the lost parts of the Greek text. Thus, any Greek text reconstructed in this way will inevitably show close agreement with the Coptic. The differences between the PRyl and Coptic texts are more extensive than those between the POxy and Coptic texts. As with POxy 3525, it is highly unlikely that the PRyl fragment represents the Vorlage of the BG text (or of its immediate Coptic Vorlage).