Manuscripts
Primary Biblical Witnesses
Ancient scrolls, papyri, parchments, fragments, and codices — the physical sources behind every Bible in every language.
P52 Rylands Fragment
𝔓52
papyrus
- Date
- c. 125–150 CE
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Papyrus
- Provenance
- Egypt
The oldest surviving manuscript fragment of the New Testament, dating within a generation of the traditional composition of John's Gospel.
Chester Beatty Papyri
𝔓45, 𝔓46, 𝔓47
papyrus
- Date
- c. 200–250 CE
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Papyrus
- Provenance
- Egypt (Fayum region)
Among the earliest large-scale copies of Paul's letters and the Gospels, predating the great codices by a century.
Papyrus 66 (Bodmer II)
𝔓66
papyrus
- Date
- c. 200 CE
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Papyrus
- Provenance
- Egypt
One of the earliest near-complete Gospels, invaluable for tracing the text of John.
Papyrus 75 (Bodmer XIV–XV)
𝔓75
papyrus
- Date
- c. 175–225 CE
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Papyrus
- Provenance
- Egypt
Confirms that the text of Vaticanus reflects a very early, carefully preserved tradition.
Nash Papyrus
papyrus
- Date
- c. 150–100 BCE
- Language
- Hebrew
- Material
- Papyrus
- Provenance
- Egypt
For decades the oldest surviving Hebrew biblical text; a liturgical rather than scriptural copy.