A Hebrew Letter on Papyrus and Its Contexts: Oxford MS Heb.d.69(P)

Abstract

This article is a new reading of a Hebrew letter, Oxford MS Heb.d.69(P), written on papyrus and dated tentatively by scholars to the 6th century. The article begins with a new edition of the letter, first published in 1903, its first translation into English, a discussion of its language and epistolary conventions, including layout, script, and formulary. In the letter, written by the scribe Isi, the lender Lazar describes to Jacob the borrower the history of their contract, and the former’s attempts to collect, and demands payment. I discuss the currency mentioned in this description, the terms of the loan, and the rate of interest it reflects. The article ends with a discussion of the broader usefulness of this letter for the economic and social history of Jewish provincials in Byzantine Egypt.