This small papyrus fragment may contain one of the earliest known collections of Jesus’s sayings. The papyrus, which experts date to the early second century, is known as the “Sayings of Jesus” papyrus. Its contents parallel material from both Matthew and Luke, as well as the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas. The fragment is one of more than a half-million documents discovered at Oxyrhynchus in Upper Egypt, a site that has yielded a wealth of treasures related to early Christianity. The sayings in the text appear to revolve around leaving behind worldly cares. “The papyrus is about freedom from anxiety,” said […]
