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INF061
The P52 papyrus
Papyrus P52 is the oldest known fragment of the New Testament, containing verses from John 18. Discovered in Egypt in the early 20th century by Oxford scholars, it was acquired in 1920 for the John Rylands Library in Manchester. Identified in 1935 by Colin Henderson Roberts, this 9x6 cm fragment is dated on paleographic grounds to the first half of the 2nd century. Its discovery confirms the rapid spread and faithful transmission of the Gospels.
John 18.37-38 (King James Version) :Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org