INF061

The P52 papyrus

Papyrus P52 is the oldest known fragment of the New Testament, containing verses from John 18. Discovered in Egypt in the early 20th century by Oxford scholars, it was acquired in 1920 for the John Rylands Library in Manchester. Identified in 1935 by Colin Henderson Roberts, this 9x6 cm fragment is dated on paleographic grounds to the first half of the 2nd century. Its discovery confirms the rapid spread and faithful transmission of the Gospels.

2 min Papyrus P52 New Testament biblical manuscript Gospel of John paleography

The P52 papyrus

The story of the discovery of Papyrus P52 is just as fascinating! Here is how it happened:

Discovery

Early 20th century: Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt, two scholars from the University of Oxford, were digging through ancient rubbish heaps in the Fayum region of Egypt when they unearthed hundreds of papyrus fragments.
1920: Grenfell acquired a small papyrus fragment measuring about 9 cm by 6 cm. This fragment was among others acquired for the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

Identification

1935 : Colin Henderson Roberts, also of the University of Oxford, was sorting these ancient papyri for the library. He noticed a fragment with familiar Greek words1.
1936 : Roberts published his conclusions in an article entitled "An Unpublished Fragment of the Fourth Gospel in the John Rylands Library". He identified the fragment as verses from the Gospel according to John (John 18.31-33 on the front and John 18.37-38 on the back).

Importance

Dating: Using a method called paleography, Roberts was able to estimate that the fragment dated from the first half of the 2nd century, which makes it the oldest known fragment of the New Testament.
Preservation: Papyrus P52 is now kept at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

This unexpected discovery among the rubbish has made it possible to better understand the history and transmission of the biblical texts. It is a wonderful story of perseverance and passion for historical research!