Scribal Habits in 𝔓127 (P.Oxy. 74.4968)

The scribal habits in 𝔓127 confirm James R. Royse’s findings that early New Testament scribes omit more than they add. Although 𝔓127 reflects more omissions than additions, the scribe’s habits are nevertheless strikingly different than Royse’s scribes. Royse also wonders if scribal conventions may have changed, becoming more fixed in post-Constantine Christianity. Such a question would require an investigation of many later manuscripts. 𝔓127, however, does not represent a fixed, more stable text. Rather, the opposite is true: 𝔓127 displays a high degree of textual variance. More studies of this type are needed to determine if 𝔓127 is indicative of the fifth century or if other fifth-century witnesses exhibit textual fixity.