Papyrus 52 - Greek John 18 - Between 100 & 125 AD

 Recto

 

 Verso

 

---Papyrus 52---

Date: Approximately 100 AD

Discovered: Egypt

Location: Manchester England (John Rylands University Library)

Contains: John 18:31-33, 18:37-38 

Text Type: Category 1 - Undetermined text type. (This Papyrus closely aligns with the Byzantine & Alexandrian text types, although is sometimes categorized as proto-Alexandrian, in part because of age.)

Language: Greek

Important Notes: This papyrus is usually considered to be the earliest New Covenant manuscript still in existence.  It was placed in Category 1 because of its age.

 

~A picture of the Papyrus is above. Below I will post the Greek text and a translation of the Papyrus as well as a comparison to the Majority Text with additional commentary following.~

 

Recto

ΟΙ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΟΙ ΗΜΕΙΝ ΟΥΚ ΕΞΕΣΤΙΝ ΑΠΟΚΤΕΙΝΑΙ
ΟΥΔΕΝΑ ΙΝΑ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΠΛΗΡΩΘΗ ΟΝ ΕΙ-
ΠΕΝ ΣΗΜΑΙΝΩΝ ΠΟΙΩ ΘΑΝΑΤΩ ΗΜΕΛΛΕΝ ΑΠΟ-
ΘΝΗΣΚΕΙΝ ΙΣΗΛΘΕΝ ΟΥΝ ΠΑΛΙΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΠΡΑΙΤΩ-
ΡΙΟΝ Ο ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΦΩΝΗΣΕΝ ΤΟΝ ΙΗΣΟΥΝ
ΚΑΙ ΕΙΠΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΣΥ ΕΙ O ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥ-
ΔΑΙΩN

 

Verso 

 ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΕΙΜΙ ΕΓΩ ΕΙΣ TOΥΤΟ ΓΕΓΕΝΝΗΜΑΙ
ΚΑΙ (ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΤΟ) ΕΛΗΛΥΘΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΣΜΟΝ ΙΝΑ ΜΑΡΤΥ-
ΡΗΣΩ ΤΗ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΠΑΣ Ο ΩΝ ΕΚ ΤΗΣ ΑΛΗΘΕI-
ΑΣ 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

 

 

Translation

~~~~~~~~~~

Translation Key:

Underline -- minor translatable difference from the Majority Text.

Highlight -- minor non-translatable difference in spelling or word order in comparison to the Majority Text.

[Brackets] -- words missing --- either completely omitted or undetermined due to scroll damage

[...] -- text segment missing clearly due to manuscript damage/fragmentation 

Italics -- letters/words implied or missing due to manuscript damage, with enough spacing present for the letters/word(s) to have existed in the original undamaged manuscript.

Asterisk* -- a footnote provides more information

Bold -- major textual variation (there are no major textual variations present in this papyrus)

Note: In this translation I use a Hebrew/Aramaic rendering of the name Jesus as "Yeshua."

~~~~~~~~~~

 

 John 18 (Papyrus 52)

 (31) Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” (32) that the word of Yeshua might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. (33) Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Yeshua, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” [...] (37) Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Yeshua answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause* I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (38) Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

 

Footnotes: {John 18:37} - this segment of the manuscript has a missing space where there is debatably not enough space for the phrase "for this cause" to have been written, unless it was written very small.

 

John 18 (Majority Text - only including verses present in Papyrus 52)

 (31) Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” (32) that the word of Yeshua might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. (33) Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Yeshua, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” [---] (37) Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Yeshua answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (38) Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

 

Comments: This text is almost identical to the Byzantine Majority text that we use nearly 2,000 years later. The minor spelling and word order difference that is highlighted in yellow is not a translatable difference. Both texts give the exact same message without deviation, and neither rendering is inaccurate to the event taking place. Considering that most Greek New Covenant Writing manuscripts were not copied by professional scribes, this level of preservation is incredible!