Papyrus 72 and the Bodmer Miscellaneous Codex : a study of the dynamics of early Christian identity formation

Abstract

Early Christian manuscripts like P72 and the Bodmer Miscellaneous Codex (BMC) offer a window into the dynamics of early Christian identity formation. Recent scholarship argues that the scribe of P72 was also the collector of the BMC. This allows these manuscripts to be studied together as a creation of a single person in the early 4th century. Through the utilization of social-scientific and text-critical methodologies, and with reference to social identity theory, the present study will aim to explicate the socio-historical context of these manuscripts in conjunction with their known textual features in an attempt to more fully appreciate the dynamic process of social identity and boundary formation in some early Christians. My thesis can be stated as follows: The selection of texts in the codex, as well as the marginal notes and textual emendations in 1 Peter, are indicative of a process of social identity formation, specifically an emerging orthodox Christian identity that is seeking positive distinctiveness and striving to reinforce the boundaries between an ingroup and various other outgroups.