COURTESY OF THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY AND THE FACULTY OF CLASSICS, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
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 Jeffery Fish, one of the text’s translators. “And despite some theological differences, the overall thrust is really not very different from what we find in the canonical parallels, especially Luke (cf. Luke 12:13–21).” The fragment’s exact relationship to the Gospels and other early Christian textual traditions, however, remains unclear. Despite some similarities, textual differences suggest it may have developed independently but from a common oral tradition, with the scribe writing down sayings from memory or altering them intentionally.
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 […]