Old Testament, Book of Psalms, Psalm I [1]
The papyrus sheet features eight lines of text on the recto side, written in Ancient Greek using uncial script. At the top margin, it bears a Christian staurogram—a symbol combining the Greek letters tau and rho—as an abbreviation of the Greek word stauros (σταυρός), meaning "cross." The text on the recto is a copy of Psalm I [1], the opening psalm of the Book of Psalms in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint). The presence of the staurogram and the relatively well-preserved first three lines, which helped classify the text as religious, enabled its identification. Based on paleographic analysis, the Turin copy can be dated to between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD.
Small papyrus sheets like this, containing Christian texts written in Greek, were often used as amulets. Therefore, it is likely that the Turin papyrus served as a magical amulet for protection.
Late Empire (285-565 AD)
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Uncertain
Acquisition: Unknown
Blessed is the man who does not walk into the counsel of the impious,
and does not stand in the way of the sinners, and does not sit on the seat of
the scornful:
Vittoria Vegni (VV)
greek
Book of Psalms, Textual amulet, Religious text
amulets, Bible, magic
Late Empire (285-565 AD)
Leonid Dynasty (457-518 AD) - Eastern emperors
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No
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- Traversa, Augusto. 1954. “Notizione di Papiri Greci Inediti del Museo Egiziano di Torino.” In: Miscellanea Philologica in Memoriam Achillis Beltrami. Genova: Università di Genova, 227-237.
- Cecchetti, Igino. 1954. “Un Interessante Documento dei Primi Tempi del Cristianesimo in Egitto: il Papiro “T. Gr. I.” del Museo Egizio di Torino.” Miscellanea Giulio Belvederi, 557-577.
- De Bruyn, Theodore S. and Jitse H.F. Dijkstra. 2011. "Greek Amulets and Formularies from Egypt Containing Christian Elements: A Checklist of Papyri, Parchments, Ostraka, and Tablets. Avec résumé en anglais." Bulletin of American Society of Papyrology 48, 163-216, no. 144.
- Van Haelst, Joseph. 1976. Catalogue des papyrus littéraires juifs et chrétiens, no. 84 descr.
