Mt 21:44 Does P104 (POxy 4404) omit this verse? NA 27 Matthew 21:44 Îkai. o` pesw.n evpi. to.n li,qon tou/ton sunqlasqh,setai\ evfv o]n dv a'n pe,sh likmh,sei auvto,nåð omit: P104?, D, 33, it(a, b, d, ff 1, ff 2, r 1 ), Sy-S, Or, Eus Syr, mae-2, Tis, Gre, Bois, Bal P104 (2 nd CE, POxy 4404): According to the editors it is possible that P104 omits verse 44, too. None of the letters is very certain though, "making it hazardous to use this papyrus as evidence" (J.D. Thomas, ed.). B. Aland (Festschrift Delobel, 2002): "[one variant reading of the papyrus is] extraordinary important. The papyrus seems to omit the complete verse 44." From the text on the verso very little is preserved. Here's the published image (online):
Here's the photo with three insertions from the recto for comparison: One can reconstruct the following: [h basileia tou qu kai]doqhset[a]i [ eqnei poioun]ti t[o]us kar[pou]s [auths kai akou]sa[n]tes o[i arcie] [reis kai oi farisaioi tas parabolas] 43 h` basilei,a tou/ qeou/ kai. doqh,setai e;qnei poiou/nti tou.j karpou.j auvth/jå 45 Kai. avkou,santej oi` avrcie rei/j kai. oi` Farisai/oi ta.j parabola.j The green letters are very certain (red = doubtful).
Unfortunately the reconstruction of doqh,setai is extremely unsecure. I cannot make out a single letter. Can anybody see anything here? I don't see anything that resembles doqhset[a]i. But the next two lines fit very good with the reconstruction. The only other instance with the letter combination of ska and tes is in verse 21:23 (avrcierei/j kai. oi` presbu,teroi tou/ laou/ le,gontej), but this is too far removed to fit on the same page (it would give about 50 lines per page). Another suggestion would be 21:24 (u`ma/j kavgw. lo,gon e[na( o]n eva.n ei;phte, moi). K.S. Min (ANTF 34, p. 234 ff.) writes: "the verso is not clear. Only with a lot of effort some letters can be made out. Nevertheless it is probable that the payrus omits the complete verse 44, as also the ed.pr. notes with reserve." P. Comfort (Encountering the MSS, p. 330) writes: "The exclusion of the verse is certain because the text on the verso of P104 can only be reconstructed with the verse missing."
The reconstruction is quite probable but not entirely certain. We can reconstruct the two pages as follows: Recto: DOULOUS AUTOU PROS TOUS GEWRGOUS LABEIN TOUS KAR POUS AUTOU. 35 KAI LABONTES OI GEWR GOI TOUS DOULOUS AUTOU ON MEN EDEIRAN, ON DE APEKTEINAN, ON DE ELIQOBOLHSAN. 36 PALIN APE STEILEN ALLOUS DOULOUS PLEIO NAS TWN PRWTWN, KAI EPOIHSAN AUTOIS WSAUTWS. 37 USTERON DE APE STEILEN PROS AUTOUS TON UION AU TOU LEGWN, ENTRAPHSONTAI TON UION MOU. 38 OI DE GEWRGOI IDONTES TON UION EIPON EN EAUTOIS, OU TOS ESTIN O KLHRONOMOS, DEUTE APOKTEINWMEN AUTON KAI SCW MEN THN KLHRONOMIAN AUTOU, 39 KAI LABONTES AUTON EXEBAL ON EXW TOU AMPELWNOS KAI APE KTEINAN. 40 OTAN OUN ELQH O KURIOS TOU AMPELWNOS, TI POIHSEI TOIS GEWRGOIS EKEINOIS? 41 LEGOUSIN AUTW, KAKOUS KAKWS APOLESEI AU TOUS KAI TON AMPELWNA EKDWSETAI ALLOIS GEWRGOIS, OITINES APODW SOUSIN AUTW TOUS KARPOUS EN TOIS KAIROIS AUTWN. 42 LEGEI AUTOIS O IS, OUDEPOTE ANEGNWTE EN TAIS GRA FAIS, LIQON ON APEDOKIMASAN OI OIKODOMOUNTES, OUTOS EGENHQH Verso: EIS KEFALHN GWNIAS, PARA KURIOU EGENETO AUTH KAI ESTIN QAUMAS TH EN OFQALMOIS HMWN? 43 DIA TOUTO LEGW UMIN OTI ARQHSETAI AF UMWN H BASILEIA TOU QEOU KAI DOQHSETAI EQNEI POIOUNTI TOUS KARPOUS AUTHS. 45 KAI AKOUSANTES OI ARCIE REIS KAI OI FARISAIOI TAS PARABOLAS AUTOU EGNWSAN OTI PERI AUTWN LEGEI, 46KAI ZHTOUNTES AUTON KRATHSAI EFOBHQHSAN TOUS OCLOUS, EPEI EIS PROFHTHN AUTON EICON.
Conclusion: The question is, can we assign "vid" to P104 for the omission? I would say, yes, if the letters visible are really ska tes Are they? I would say yes. Additionally the letter after tes appears to be an o, which also supports the reconstruction.