Ryland P52

Fragments from John’s Gospel

(Year ~ 100-120 A.D.)

  The Ryland Papyrus P52 takes its name because it belongs to John Rylands library. It was acquired in Egypt in 1920 by Bernard Pyne Grenfell; probably comes from ancient city of Oxyrhynchus and remained unnoticed until 1934.

It was first released in 1935 by Colin Robert, who identified it as part of Chapter 18 of the Gospel of John; the front side contains verses 31 to 33 and the reverse verses 37 and 38.

  On the basis of its close resemblance to the Fayum papyrus 110, of the year 94 AD and the papyrus of London 2078, which is a private letter of the time of Domitian, from ~ 96 A.D. the papyrus has been dated between 100 and 120,  about 5 to 15 years after the death of the Apostle John.

  The importance of the P52 is great because it belies the argument of the critics who argued that this gospel was composed later than 150 AD, and said it had been written much after the events by a community which had reflected their own view of Christ.

 

Here below are the pictures of the fragment and its translation.

Front side

 

Uncial Greek text

 

ΟΙ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΟΙ ΗΜΙΝ ΟΥΚ ΕΞΕΣΤΙΝ ΑΠΟΚΤΕΙΝΑΙ
OYΔΕΝΑ ΙΝΑ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΠΛΗΡΩΘΗ ΟΝ ΕΙ-
ΠΕΝ ΣΕΜΑΙΝΩΝ ΠΟΙΩ ΘΑΝΑΤΩ ΗΜΕΛΛΕΝ ΑΠΟ-
ΘΝΕΣΚΕΙΝ ΕΙΣΗΛΘΕΝ ΟΥΝ ΠΑΛΙΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΠΡΑΙΤΩ-
ΡΙΟΝ Ο ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΦΩΝΗΣΕΝ ΤΟΝ ΙΗΣΟΥΝ
ΚΑΙ ΕΙΠΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΣΥ ΕΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥ-
ΔΑΙΩN

 

Greek text in lowercase

 

31 εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Λάßετε αὐτὸν ὑµεῖς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόµον ὑµῶν κρίνατε αὐτόν εἶπον [οὖν] αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Ἡµῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἀποκτεῖναι οὐδένα· 

32 ἵνα ὁ λόγος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν σηµαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ ἤµελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν 

33 Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν πάλιν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἐφώνησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Σὺ εἶ ὁ ßασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων 

 

English translation

 

31 Then Pilate told them: Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law! Answered him the Jews: To us is not consented putting to death anybody.

32 Thus were fulfilled the words that Jesus said when he indicated of which death he had to die.

33 Entered to the Pretorius Pilate made Jesus be called and to him said, Are you the King of the Jews?

Verso

 

Uncial Greek text

 

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΕΙΜΙ ΕΓΩ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΤΟ ΓΕΓΕΝΝΗΜΑΙ
ΚΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΤΟ ΕΛΗΛΥΘΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΣΜΟΝ ΙΝΑ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΗΣΩ

ΤΗ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΠΑΣ Ο ΩΝ ΕΚ ΤΗΣ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΣ

ΑΚΟΥΕΙ ΜΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΦΩΝΗΣ ΛΕΓΕΙ ΑΥΤΩ
Ο ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ ΤΙ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥΤΟ
ΕΙΠΩΝ ΠΑΛΙΝ ΕΞΗΛΘΕΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΙΟΥ-
ΔΑΙΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΛΕΓΕΙ ΑΥΤΟΙΣ ΕΓΩ ΟΥΔΕΜΙΑΝ
ΕΥΡΙΣΚΩ ΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΑΙΤΙΑΝ

 

Greek text in lowercase

 

37 εἶπεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Οὐκοῦν ßασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Σὺ λέγεις ὅτι ßασιλεύς εἰµι. ἐγὼ εἰς τοῦτο γεγέννηµαι καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα εἰς τὸν κόσµον, ἵνα µαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· πᾶς ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκούει µου τῆς φωνῆς 

38 λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια; Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν πάλιν ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἐγὼ οὐδεµίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν 

 

English translation

 

37 Therefore Pilate said to him: Then, are you a King? Jesus answered: You say it, I am king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Anyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

38 To him said Pilate: What is truth! And he went back to the Jews and said to them: I find in him no guilt.