Joset O’Callaghan Martínez
Encyclopedia
Dr. Josep O'Callaghan Martínez, SJ (Tortosa
, October 7, 1922 - Barcelona
, December 15, 2001) was a Spanish Jesuit Catholic
priest
, papyrologist and Biblical scholar. He is known for his identification of the 7Q5
papyrus of Qumran
with a text of Mark
6, 52-53.
, Tarragona
, Spain
in 1922, he joined the Jesuits on October 29, 1940. He was ordained on May 31, 1952 and became Bachellor in Theology
from the Sant Cugat del Vallès
, Barcelona
in 1953, Doctor in Philosophy
and Literature
from the Universidad de Madrid in 1959, and Doctor in Classic Literature from the Università di Milano in 1960.
He was professor of the Faculty of Theology of S. Cugat del Vallés (1961–1971), Barcelona, where he founded the School of Papyri Studies (Seminario de Papirología). In 1971 he joined the Pontificio Istituto Biblico in Rome
(1971–1992). In 1980 he returned to Barcelona
as professor of Textual reviews with Dr. R.P. Pierre Proulx. He was dean of the Biblical Faculty (1983–1986). He founded the Studia Papirologica publication. He died on December 15, 2001.
named by the editors as "7Q5
" (Cave 7 + Qumran + Papyrus 5). It was stated before his identification (and by some since) that there were no texts of the New Testament
found in the caves of the Qumran complex. Claims that the caves of the Dead Sea
could hold documents of the early Christian
communities were held as naive and even absurd.
Dr. O'Callaghan did not set out to look for papyri of the New Testament at Qumran, but his interest was identification of the fragments that the editors could not fully clarify. More than a dozen years after certain scraps were printed, it dawned on O'Callaghan that certain of the clear and identifiable letters on them might be part of the occasional New Testament name for the sea of Galilee
, the Sea of Genneseret
. Hitherto it had been assumed that such letters were part of the Greek word for "to beget," yet no one had been able to find any piece of ancient literature which fit with this identification of the letters and the surrounding necessary context of other letters.
The results of his work with the small fragment brought him to the conclusion that 7Q5 could be a fragment of the Gospel of Mark and he published his investigation in 1972 in his work "¿Papiros neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrân?" (New Testament Papyri in Cave 7 at Qumran?). The reaction of scholars, especially those committed to the conventional wisdom of how the Bible became formulated, was almost universally against Dr. O'Callaghan. His identification was viewed as an almost impossible claim since the papyrus itself had been dated prior to the identification as having been written no later than 50 CE, much earlier than scholars thought the New Testament had been written. The Catalan scholar's career was frustrated and he was practically isolated until 1982 when Prof. Carsten Peter Thiede
reviewed the research of O'Callaghan. Thiede came to the conclusion that O'Callaghans' proposals were not illogical and his scientific method was serious and possible. Thiede revived the discussion again in his work "The Earliest Gospel Manuscript?" in 1982. However, even today the majority of papyrus scholars disagree with O'Callaghan's conclusion, even though a better theory has yet to be put forth by anyone.
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
, October 7, 1922 - Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, December 15, 2001) was a Spanish Jesuit Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, papyrologist and Biblical scholar. He is known for his identification of the 7Q5
7Q5
Among the Dead Sea scrolls, 7Q5 is the designation for a small papyrus fragment discovered in Qumran Cave 7. The significance of this fragment is derived from an argument made by Jose O´Callaghan in his work ¿Papiros neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrân? in 1972, later reasserted and expanded...
papyrus of Qumran
Qumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
with a text of Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
6, 52-53.
Biography
Born in TortosaTortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
, Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1922, he joined the Jesuits on October 29, 1940. He was ordained on May 31, 1952 and became Bachellor in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the Sant Cugat del Vallès
Sant Cugat del Vallès
Sant Cugat del Vallès is a town and municipality north of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. In antiquity known as Castrum Octavianum, it is named after Saint Cucuphas, who is said to have been martyred on the spot now occupied by its medieval monastery.Sant Cugat has seen its population increase in...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1953, Doctor in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
from the Universidad de Madrid in 1959, and Doctor in Classic Literature from the Università di Milano in 1960.
He was professor of the Faculty of Theology of S. Cugat del Vallés (1961–1971), Barcelona, where he founded the School of Papyri Studies (Seminario de Papirología). In 1971 he joined the Pontificio Istituto Biblico in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1971–1992). In 1980 he returned to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
as professor of Textual reviews with Dr. R.P. Pierre Proulx. He was dean of the Biblical Faculty (1983–1986). He founded the Studia Papirologica publication. He died on December 15, 2001.
7Q5
Dr. O'Callaghan became famous for his identification of a small scrap of papyrus discovered in Cave 7 of QumranQumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
named by the editors as "7Q5
7Q5
Among the Dead Sea scrolls, 7Q5 is the designation for a small papyrus fragment discovered in Qumran Cave 7. The significance of this fragment is derived from an argument made by Jose O´Callaghan in his work ¿Papiros neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrân? in 1972, later reasserted and expanded...
" (Cave 7 + Qumran + Papyrus 5). It was stated before his identification (and by some since) that there were no texts of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
found in the caves of the Qumran complex. Claims that the caves of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
could hold documents of the early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
communities were held as naive and even absurd.
Dr. O'Callaghan did not set out to look for papyri of the New Testament at Qumran, but his interest was identification of the fragments that the editors could not fully clarify. More than a dozen years after certain scraps were printed, it dawned on O'Callaghan that certain of the clear and identifiable letters on them might be part of the occasional New Testament name for the sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
, the Sea of Genneseret
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. Hitherto it had been assumed that such letters were part of the Greek word for "to beget," yet no one had been able to find any piece of ancient literature which fit with this identification of the letters and the surrounding necessary context of other letters.
The results of his work with the small fragment brought him to the conclusion that 7Q5 could be a fragment of the Gospel of Mark and he published his investigation in 1972 in his work "¿Papiros neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrân?" (New Testament Papyri in Cave 7 at Qumran?). The reaction of scholars, especially those committed to the conventional wisdom of how the Bible became formulated, was almost universally against Dr. O'Callaghan. His identification was viewed as an almost impossible claim since the papyrus itself had been dated prior to the identification as having been written no later than 50 CE, much earlier than scholars thought the New Testament had been written. The Catalan scholar's career was frustrated and he was practically isolated until 1982 when Prof. Carsten Peter Thiede
Carsten Peter Thiede
Carsten Peter Thiede was a German archaeologist and New Testament scholar. He was also a member of PEN and a Knight of Justice in the Order of St John. Thiede often advanced theories that conflicted with the consensus of academic and theological scholarship...
reviewed the research of O'Callaghan. Thiede came to the conclusion that O'Callaghans' proposals were not illogical and his scientific method was serious and possible. Thiede revived the discussion again in his work "The Earliest Gospel Manuscript?" in 1982. However, even today the majority of papyrus scholars disagree with O'Callaghan's conclusion, even though a better theory has yet to be put forth by anyone.
Works
- Las tres categorías estéticas de la cultura clásica, Madrid, 1960, 288 pgs.
- Cartas cristianas griegas del siglo V, Barcelon, 1963, 251 pgs.
- Studia Papirologica.
- ¿Papiro neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrán? Biblica, 1972. Roma. pp. 91–100
- Notas sobre 7Q tomadas en el "Rockefeller Museum" de Jerusalén. Biblica, 1972. Roma. pp. 517–536