(pardon me while I wipe the drool off of my keyboard)

Ok. I'm ready now.

I was browsing around earlier today, and I checked up on a project I hadn't checked into for awhile. It is the Biblical Manuscripts Project. Here's a brief description from the site:

The Biblical Manuscripts Project (http://purl.org/BibleMSS) is making high quality images and transcriptions of important Bible manuscripts and early printed editions freely available through the Internet. Development is conducted by biblical scholars at the Religion and Technology Center.

If you're into textual criticism (particularly of the New Testament) then get out your drool-wiping towel, you'll need to wipe the drool off of your keyboard too after visiting this site. Need to see an image of Sinaticus? They've got page images of Tischendorf's pseudo-facsimile. How 'bout Codex Bezae? You know, images of the actual manuscript? No problem.

But those resources have been there for awhile. Since the last time I visited the site, it appears that someone has gone through the Duke Papyrus archive and also the “Pinax Project” at Oxford and made an index of some of the NT papyri at each site. Now that's cool.

For the stuff at Oxford, you'll go to the main site. Click on The Papyri. Click on the ill-conceived Click here link to pull up the search menu. Now, see the ID on the Religion and Technology site (left column of the table)? Use that to search for the “Papyrus ID” at Pinax. The tough work has been done for you.

Remember folks, browse safely. Keep the drool to a minimum, and clean up frequently to avoid electric shock. The life you save may be your own.