I continue to be puzzled by the problem of the purchase of the Nash Papyrus. In an earlier post, I noted that one finds two different dates in the literature, 1898 and 1902. I cited Emanuel Tov among those who have given the 1902 date. But I now see that in a more recent volume (2020) Tov has also noticed the problem already: ...And the problem remains unsolved, because the people who gave the dates gave no supporting information.
We think we can reconstruct the history of the Qumran community, but we can't even figure out what year the Nash Papyrus was purchased.
Background here and links.
UPDATE: I wrote the above yesterday, but didn't get around to posting it. Meanwhile Dr. Nongbri has a new post on the subject:
Early Publications on the Nash Papyrus
The weight of evidence is now in favor of the 1902 date, but the matter remains complicated.
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