New Testament Papyrus Fragments (Collection)

The document collection New Testament Papyrus Fragments comprises three of the most important early Christian textual witnesses of the New Testament and are therefore of incomparable value for the study of the late antique Christian tradition. The papyrus fragments date from the 2nd to 4th century CE and are therefore among the oldest surviving biblical testimonies. Today, they give us a unique insight into the form of the Christian biblical tradition in the eastern Mediterranean before the widespread persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian (around 240 – around 312). While Papyrus 46 from the Chester Beatty Library contains parts of the Pauline Epistles with Nomina Sacra, Papyrus 52 from the John Rylands Library and Papyrus 66 from the Bibliotheca Bodmeriana comprise fragments of the Gospel of John. All three papyri were found in Egypt and some of them are surprisingly well preserved. However, their dating and the question of their places of origin still puzzle researchers to this day.