OXYRHYNCHUS-PAPYRI-SALE UPDATE: In June of 2003, I noted the sale of 29 Oxyrhynchus papyri by Colgate Rochester Divinity School (Crozer Theological Seminary) to persons unknown. It later developed that Macquarie University in Australia bought three of them. Now a fourth, a fragment of the Gospel of John, has resurfaced on display at the Ink and Blood exhibit about to open in Knoxville, Tennessee. The following post has just gone up on the Textual Criticism list:

Forwarded from M. Robinson:

-----------------------------------------------------
As I recall, there was some concern last Spring regarding the U. of Pennsylvania's sale of p39 to an unknown party, which had people wondering whether this fragment would ever be viewable again, etc.

In case no one has found the answer, it appears here:

http://www.inkandblood.com/exhibit/exhibit_artifacts.php

Gospel of John Fragment - The Gospel of John fragment (8:14-22) from the 3rd Century is an Oxyrinchus [Sic - JRD] Papyrus known as the P39 in scholarly circles. It is one of the earliest witnesses in existence to any portion of The New Testament.

The owner corporation (who will let you look at the fragment among its traveling exhibits for US$15) is:

Ink & Blood
111 West College Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130

-----------------------------------------------------

There are good online images at:
http://www.atla.com/digitalresources/searcha.asp

keyword=swasey title=john
(safe the images!)

Best wishes
Wieland [Willker, listowner]

As above, it was the Crozer Theological Seminary that sold the papyri, not the University of Pennsylvania. The Ink and Blood exhibit appears to be a breakaway from the From Dead Sea Scrolls to the Bible in America exhibition (which is still on tour), created after a falling out among the organizers.