Papyrus 52 (P52), also known as the Rylands Library Papyrus P52 or the St. John’s fragment, is a small but significant manuscript fragment containing portions of the Gospel of John from the New Testament. It measures approximately 3.5 by 2.5 inches (8.9 cm × 6.4 cm) and is written on both sides (recto and verso), indicating it originated from a codex rather than a scroll, a format common for early Christian texts. The recto contains parts of John 18:31–33, while the verso contains parts of verses 37–38, including the exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate where Jesus affirms his kingship and Pilate famously asks, “What is truth?”.
- CSNTM Image Id: 139303
- Location: Manchester, John Rylands University Library
- Text: John 18.37, John 18.38
- Image Description: Text
- Image Type: Digital
- Ink: Black
- Language: Greek
- Material: Papyrus
- MS Feature: Fragmentary
- CSNTM Image Name: P_52_0001b.jpg
P52 is widely regarded as the earliest known extant manuscript of any part of the New Testament, with its date of origin generally estimated between the early second century and the early third century CE. The original editor, Colin H. Roberts, proposed a date range of 100–150 CE based on paleographic analysis, particularly comparing the handwriting to dated papyri from the Hadrianic period (117–138 CE). A more recent study by Pasquale Orsini and Willy Clarysse suggests a date of 125–175 CE, while some scholars allow for a broader window extending into the later second and early third centuries. Despite these debates, the fragment is considered a crucial piece of evidence for the early circulation and acceptance of the Gospel of John, likely written in the late first century.
The fragment was discovered in Egypt, likely from the site of Oxyrhynchus, and acquired by Bernard P. Grenfell in 1920 for the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England. It was not identified as a New Testament fragment until Colin H. Roberts published its first transcription and translation in 1935. Since 2007, P52 has been on permanent display at the John Rylands University Library in Manchester. It is cataloged as Rylands Greek Papyrus 457 and is classified as part of the Alexandrian text-type. The manuscript is written in Koine Greek and contains 114 legible letters, representing 18 of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet. The handwriting is described as heavy, rounded, and somewhat informal, suggesting it was not produced by a professional scribe but was still a careful and deliberate work, possibly intended for liturgical reading.