ARCAblog: egyptian exploration society

Tuesday, October 22, 2019 -

andy stimer,egyptian exploration society,papyri

Updates from the Egyptian Exploration Society and the papri purchased by Andy Stimer

The Egyptian Exploration Society issued an update Monday, 21 October 2019 indicating that collector Andy Stimer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Hope Partners Industry, has confirmed to the EES that he is in possession of five papyri from their collection. The USA collector appears to be cooperating with the EES and has agreed "to make arrangements for their return" and "wishes to help the EES check whether he holds any other EES texts".

The EES listed the five biblical papyri Stimer reported purchasing (in good faith) as:

Exodus 40: P.Oxy. inv. 30 4B.37/F(1-3)c

Psalms 3-4: inv. 100/103(b)

Ecclesiastes: inv. 102/124(b)

Romans 9-10: inv. 29 4B.46/G(4-6)a [three pieces]

1 Corinthians 7-10: inv. 106/116(c)

Their report also clarified that four of the papri identified in Brent Nongbri’s post of 18 October 2019, ‘Recently emerged papyri of dubious origins: a working list’, are safe within the Oxyrhynchus collection, and have been assigned to editors for publication.

Those are:

Genesis 11: P.Oxy. inv. 11 1B.147/D(a)
Matthew 12: inv. 102/66(d)
Luke? [Luke 12]: inv. 106/113(c)
Luke 2: inv. 104/42(c)

In addition to the controversial Dead Sea Scrolls, Stimer is recorded as having donated the following objects to the Museum of the Bible:

A first edition of the New Testament printed in Russian without parallel Church Slavonic text purchased in 2010 by Dr. Andrew Stimer;[1] Purchased in 2016 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry) under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

An 1866 New Testament and Psalms in Icelandic acquired before 2016 by Dr. Andrew Stimer, private collector, Camarillo, California; Purchased in 2016 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry) under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

A first edition of the New Testament in Hula was translated by L. M. T. Short and Ila Tiana purchased before 2016 by Dr. Andrew Stimer, private collector, Camarillo, California; Purchased in 2016 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry) under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

The Gospel of John and Gospel Tracts in Karen privately purchased in the 1990s by Andrew Stimer, private collector, Camarillo, California; Purchased in 2016 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry) under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

By: Lynda Albertson