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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 18.31-33 (King James Version) :Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF062
The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls
Discovered in 1979 by Gabriel Barkay in the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem, the Ketef Hinnom scrolls are two rolled silver strips inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew. Dating from the end of the 7th or the beginning of the 6th century BC, they contain the priestly blessing of Numbers 6,24-26 and are the oldest known fragments of biblical texts, earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Kept at the Israel Museum, they attest to the existence of written biblical texts from the First Temple period.
Numbers 6.24-26 (King James Version) :The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF064
The Qumran Region
Qumran, located on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in the West Bank, is a major archaeological site founded between 134 and 104 BC under John Hyrcanus. Associated with the Essenes, it is best known for the discovery in 1947 of the Dead Sea Scrolls in its caves. The excavations of Roland de Vaux revealed cisterns, ritual baths and communal rooms. The site was destroyed by the Romans in AD 68 during the First Jewish–Roman War.