"What is Truth?"

Leica M8.2

35mm Summicron f/2.0 1/8 sec

 

The question allegedly posed by Roman Procurator Pontious Pilate to Jesus during his trial, shortly before his crucifixion.

 

This second century fragment of papyrus is kept at the John Rylands Library on Deansgate in Manchester. it is only a few inches in width and height and it has writing on both sides (meaning it was originally part of a ‘codex’ or book rather than a scroll. The fragment of papyrus was among a group acquired on the Egyptian market in 1920 by Bernard Grenfell although the original transcription and translation of the fragment of text was not carried out until 1934, by Colin H. Roberts.

 

It is thought to date from around 117AD to 138AD and is the earliest fragment of the New Testament Bible in existence.

 

It has been suggested that the writer of this particular manuscript (P52), could have been copying from the actual Gospel of St. John, the original of which, is no longer in existence. Other people have argued that this fragment could be from the actual Gospel itself although the paleographic evidence seems to support the former school of thought rather than the latter.

 

Dating such a small fragment can be quite tricky however with most letters of the greek alphabet present, it is possible to compare the scribing style with other contemporary documents that exist in libraries and collections around the world. On the Papyrus there are a total of 114 legible letters which are visible on the two sides, representing 18 out of the 24 letters of the Greek Alphabet.

 

The full text from John 18:31-33 (pictured) would read:

 

ΟΙ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΟΙ ΗΜΙΝ ΟΥΚ ΕΞΕΣΤΙΝ ΑΠΟΚΤΕΙΝΑΙ

OYΔΕΝΑ ΙΝΑ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΠΛΗΡΩΘΗ ΟΝ ΕΙ-

ΠΕΝ ΣHΜΑΙΝΩΝ ΠΟΙΩ ΘΑΝΑΤΩ ΗΜΕΛΛΕΝ ΑΠΟ-

ΘΝHΣΚΕΙΝ ΕΙΣΗΛΘΕΝ ΟΥΝ ΠΑΛΙΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΠΡΑΙΤΩ-

ΡΙΟΝ Ο ΠIΛΑΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΦΩΝΗΣΕΝ ΤΟΝ ΙΗΣΟΥΝ

ΚΑΙ ΕΙΠΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΣΥ ΕΙ O ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥ-

ΔAΙΩN

...

the Jews, "For us it is not permitted to kill

anyone," so that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he sp-

oke signifying what kind of death he was going to

die. Entered therefore again into the Praeto-

rium Pilate and summoned Jesus

and said to him, "Thou art king of the

Jews?"

 

The obverse of the fragment contains verses, 37 and 38:

 

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΕΙΜΙ ΕΓΩ ΕΙΣ TOΥΤΟ ΓΕΓΕΝΝΗΜΑΙ

ΚΑΙ (ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΤΟ) ΕΛΗΛΥΘΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΣΜΟΝ ΙΝΑ ΜΑΡΤY-

ΡΗΣΩ ΤΗ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΠΑΣ Ο ΩΝ EΚ ΤΗΣ ΑΛΗΘΕI-

ΑΣ ΑΚΟΥΕΙ ΜΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΦΩΝΗΣ ΛΕΓΕΙ ΑΥΤΩ

Ο ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ ΤΙ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΚAΙ ΤΟΥΤO

ΕΙΠΩΝ ΠΑΛΙΝ ΕΞΗΛΘΕΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΙΟΥ-

ΔΑΙΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΛΕΓΕΙ ΑΥΤΟΙΣ ΕΓΩ ΟΥΔEΜΙΑΝ

ΕΥΡΙΣΚΩ ΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΑΙΤΙΑΝ

...

a King I am. For this I have been born

and (for this) I have come into the world so that I would

testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth

hears of me my voice." Said to him

Pilate, "What is truth?" and this

having said, again he went out unto the Jews

and said to them, "I find not one

fault in him."

 

The Rylands Manuscript Papyrus (P52) is kept on public display at the library.

 

The importance of this document to the history of Christianity should not be underestimated. Although little of the full codex survives, the early dating and undeniable content coupled with the geographic dispersal from the presumed site of the actual Gospels authorship (Ephesus, Turkey) means that logically, the date of authorship for the Gospel of John itself must be at least a few years prior to the date attributed to the Rylands Fragment.

 

Until the discovery and study of P52, Crtitics of St. Johns Gospel often argued that the work was likely to be pseudepigraphal (not actually written by St. John himself) although P52 now allows actual authorship dates for the Gospel to c.90AD. Such a date can be considered quite consistant with the existance of the proposed author and Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Done