A new fragment of the Bible has been discovered. 2nd century – Gospel of Thomas. Found in an archeological dig known as an ancient trash dump in el-Bahnasa, Egypt. Unique among all known manuscripts as it is the first known occurrence of papyri material written on for the Bible, pre-dates Mark and Mathew. “Requires a major re-assessment for the composition of Gospel of Thomas”

Drawing of Jesus teaching in the synagogue by Gustave Doré (1832–1883). Illustration by Peter Gurry.

What’s the Big Deal about a New Papyrus with Sayings of Jesus?

A second-century date for a new Greek fragment with gospel material makes it unique among papyri.

Article from: September 13, 2023

On august 31st, the Egypt Exploration Society published the latest volume (LXXXVII) in its long-running series on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (volume 1 appeared in 1898). The volume presents many interesting papyri, including a collection of short biographies of eminent Romans and a fragment of the book of Revelation. Thanks to an article in the Daily Beast, however, the spotlight has fallen on a small fragment (about 1.3ʺ wide × 3.6ʺ high) that contains sayings of Jesus in a form similar to the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Thomas.

Why is this such a big deal? Let’s find out.