Papyrus 5 designated by siglum ⁵, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

. It is a papyrus

Papyrus

Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....

 manuscript

Manuscript

A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...

 of the Gospel of John

Gospel of John

The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...

 dating palaeographically

Palaeography

Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...

 to the early 3rd century. The papyrus is housed in the British Library

British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...

. It has survived in a very fragmentary condition.

The text of the manuscript was reconstructed several times. Textually it is very close to Codex Sinaiticus

Codex Sinaiticus

Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...

, but with some exceptions.

Description

The manuscript is a fragment of three leaves, written in one column per page, 27 lines per page. The surviving text of John are verses 1:23-31.33-40; 16:14-30; 20:11-17.19-20.22-25.

It was written in a documentary hand, in a round, upright uncial of medium size. It uses the nomina sacra

Nomina sacra

Nomina sacra means "sacred names" in Latin, and can be used to refer to traditions of abbreviated writing of several frequently occurring divine names or titles in early Greek language Holy Scripture...

 with abbreviations (ΙΗΝ ΙΗΣ ΠΡ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΣ ΘΥ), though not for ανθρωπος.

There is a tendency to brevity, especially in omitting unnecessary pronouns and conjunctions.

Text

According to reconstruction of Philip W. Comfort

[leaf 1 verso (John 1:23-32)] [1:23] εγ]ω̣ φ̣ων[η] β̣ο̣[ωντος εν τη ερημω ευ]θ̣υνατ[ε την οδον κυ καθως ει π]ε̣ν ησα[ιας ο προφητης [24] και απεσ τ]α̣λμενοι [ησαν εκ των φαρισαι ω]ν [25] και ηρ̣ω̣[τησαν αυτον τι ουν βα π̣τ̣ιζεις ει [συ ουκ ει ο χς ουδε ηλιας ουδε ο προ[φητης [26] απεκριθη αυτοις ο ιωανν[ης λεγων εγω βαπτιζω εν υ δατι μ[εσος υμων εστηκεν ον υμεις ουκ οιδα[τε [27] ο οπισω μου ερχομε ν]ος [ο]υ ο[υκ ειμι αξιος ινα λυσω αυ του τον [ιμαντα του υποδηματος [28] ταυτα εν β[ηθανια εγενετο πε ραν του ιο[ρδανου οπου ην ο ιωαν ν]ης βαπτι[ζων [29] τη επαυριον βλε πει τον ιην [ερχομενον προς αυτον και λεγει [ιδε ο αμνος του θυ ο αιρω   την αμαρ[τιαν του κοσμου [30] ουτος εστιν υπερ [ου εγω ειπον οπισω μου ερχεται α[νηρ ος εμπροσθεν μου γεγον[εν οτι πρωτος μου ην [31] καγω ο̣υ̣κ η̣δ̣[ειν αυτον αλλ ινα φανερω θ̣η̣ [τω ισραηλ δια τουτο ηλθον ε γ̣[ω εν υδατι βαπτιζων [32] και εμαρτυ [ρησεν ιωαννης λεγων οτι τεθεαμαι] [το πνα καταβαινον ως περιστεραν [εξ ουρανου και εμεινεν επ αυτον]

[leaf 1 recto (John 1:33-41)] [33] καγω ουκ ηδειν αυτον] αλλ ο π̣[εμ ψας με βαπτιζειν εν υ]δατ[ι] ε̣[κει νος μοι ειπεν εφ ον αν ι]δης το̣ [πνα καταβαινον και μεν]ον επ αυ[τον ουτος εστιν ο βαπτιζ]ων εν πνι αγιω [34] καγω εωρακα και μεμ]αρτυρηκα ο̣ τι ουτος εστιν ο εκλεκτο]ς του θυ   [35] τη ε̣ παυριον ιστηκει ο ιωανν]η̣ς και εκ των μαθητων αυτου δ]υ̣ο̣ [36] και εμ̣ βλεψας τω ιηυ περιπατο]υντι λεγε[ι ιδε ο αμνος του θυ   [37] και εκ]ουσαν οι δ̣υ̣ο̣ μαθηται λαλουντος και η]κολουθη σαν τω ιηυ   [38] στραφεις δ]ε ο ιης και θε ασαμενος αυτους ακ]ολοθουντας λεγει αυτοις τι ζητει]τε <οι δε> ειπα̣ν̣ <αυ> <τω> ραββει ο λεγεται ερ]μηνευονε νον διδασκαλε που μεν]εις [39] λεγει αυτοις ερχεσθε και οψε]σθε ηλθαν ουν και ειδαν που μενει κ]αι παρ αυτω εμειναν την ημεραν] ε̣κ̣ε̣ι̣ν̣η̣ν̣ ω ρα ην ως δεκατη [40] ην ανδ]ρεας ο α δελφος σιμωνος πετρου εις εκ δ]υο των ακουσαντων παρα ιωαννο]υ̣ και α [κολουθησαντων αυτω [41] ευρισκει] [ουτος πρωτον τον αδελφον τον ιδιον] [σιμωνα και λεγει αυτω ευρηκαμεν] [τον μεσσιαν ο εστιν ερμηνευομενον]

[leaf 2 recto (John 16:14-22)] [16:14] οτι εκ του εμου λημψετ]α̣ι και ανα[γ γελει υμειν [15] παντα οσ]α̣ εχει ο πρ ε εμα εστιν δια τουτο ειπο]ν οτι εκ τ[ου εμου λαμβανει κα]ι αν[αγ]γ̣ε̣λ̣ε̣ι̣ υμει   [16] μεικρον και ουκετι θεωρειτε με κ]αι παλιν μεικρον κ]αι οψεσθε [με [17] ειπαν ουν τινες εκ των μ]αθητων αυτου προς αλληλους τι] εστιν τουτο ο λε γει ημειν μεικρον και ου] θεωρει̣τε με και παλιν μεικρον κ]αι οψ]ε̣σ̣θ̣ε̣ μ̣ε̣ κ̣α̣ι̣ [οτ]ι̣ υπαγω προς τον] πρα   [18] ελεγον ο̣υ̣ν τι εστιν τουτο] μ̣εικρον ο̣υ̣κ οιδα μεν τι λαλει [19] εγ]νω <ο> ιης οτι η̣[θ]ε̣λον αυτον ερωταν] κ̣αι ειπενπ αυτ[ο]ις περι τουτου ζητ]ε̣ιτε με μετ αλληλω[ν οτι ειπον μεικρ]ον και ου θεωρει[τε με και παλιν μεικρο]ν και οψεσθε με [20] αμην αμην λεγ]ω υμειν οτ[ι κ]λα[υ σετε και θρηνησ]ετε υμεις ο δε κοσμος χαρησετ]αι υμεις λυπηθη σεσθε αλλ η λυπ]η υμων εις χαραν γενησεται [21] η γυν]η οταν τικτη λυ πην εχει οτι ηλθεν] η ωρα αυτης οταν δε γεννηση το] παιδ[ι]ον ουκε̣ τι μνημονευει της θλ]ειψ[ε]ως δι α την χαραν οτι εγενν]ηθ̣η ανθρω πος εις τον κοσμον ] [22] και υμεις ουν

[leaf 2 verso (John 16:22-30)] νυν μεν [λυπεν εχετε παλιν δε οψομαι υ[μας και χαρησεται υμων η καρδια [και την χαραν υμων ου δεις αρει [αφ] υμων [23] και εν εκεινη τη ημερ̣[α] ε[μ]ε̣ [ουκ ερωτησετε ουδεν [α]μην α̣[μην λεγω υμειν αν τι αιτη[σ]η̣τε [τον πρα δωσει υμειν [24] εν τω ον[ο]ματ̣[ι μου αιτειτε και και λημψεσθε ι[να η χαρα υμων η π̣επληρω[μ]ε[ν]η [[25] ταυτα εν παροι μ̣ιαις λελ[α]ληκα [υ]μειν ερχεται ω̣ρ̣α̣ οτε ο̣υκετ[ι εν παροιμιαις λα λησω υμειν αλλα παρρησια περι του πρς απαγγε[λω υμειν [[26] εν ε κεινη τη ημερα [εν τω ονοματι μου αιτησεσθε [και ου λεγω υμειν ο]τι εγω ερωτησ[ω τον πρα [[27] αυτος γ]αρ ο πρ φιλει υμ[ας οτι υμεις εμε πεφιληκα̣τε̣ και [πεπιστευκατε οτι παρα θυ εξηλθ[ον [28] εξηλθον παρα του πρς και ε[ληλυθα εις τον κ̣ο̣σ̣μον παλιν α̣[φιημι τον κοσμον και πορευομαι προ[ς τον πρα [29] λε γ̣ο̣υ̣σ̣ιν <αυτω> οι μ[αθηται αυτου ιδε νυν εν παρρη̣σια λ[αλεις και παροιμιαν ου δεμιαν λ[εγεις [30] νυν οιδαμεν οτι οιδας πα̣[ντα ου χρειαν εχεις

[leaf 3 recto (John 20:9-19)] [[9] ουδεπω γαρ ηδεισαν την γραφην] [οτι δει αθτον εκ νεκρων αναστηναι] [[10] απηλθον ουν παλιν προς αυτους οι] [μαθηται [11] μαρια δε ειστηκει προς τω] μνημ[ειω εξω κλαιουσα ως ουν εκλαιεν παρεκυ[ψεν εις το μνημειον [12] και θεω ρει δυο [αγγελους εν λευκοις καθεζομε ν[ους ενα προς τη κεφαλη και ενα προς τ[οις ποσιν οπου εκειτο το σωμα του ιηυ [13] και λεγουσιν αυτη εκεινοι γυναι τι] [κλαιεις λεγει αυτοις οτι ηραν τον κν] μου και ουκ οιδα που εθηκαν αυτον [14] ταυτα [ειπουσα εστραφη εις τα οπι σω και [θεωρει τον ιην εστωτα και ου κ ηδει [οτι ιης εστιν [15] λεγει αυτη ιης γυναι [τι κλαιεις τινα ζητεις εκεινη δοκου[σα οτι ο κηπουρος εστιν λεγει αυτω [κε ει συ εβαστασας αυτον ειπε μοι π[ου εθηκας αυτον καγω αυτον αρω [[16] λεγει αυτη ιης μαριαμ στραφει σα εκεινη λεγει αυτω εβραιστι ραβ] β[ουνι [κε μου [17] λεγει αυτη ιης μη μ[ου απτου ουπω γαρ αναβεβηκα προς τ̣[ον πρα πορευου δε προς τους αδελ [φους μου και ειπε αυτοις αναβαινω] [προς τον πρα μου και πρα υμων και] [θν μου και θν υμων [18] ερχεται μαριαμ] [η μαγδαληνη αγγελλουσα τοις μαθη] [ταις οτι εωρακα τον κν και ταυτα]

[leaf 3 verso (John 20:19-26)] [ειπεν αυτη [19] ουσης ουν οψιας τη] [ημερα εκεινη τη μια σαββατων] [και των θυρων κεκλεισμενων] [οπου ησαν οι μαθηται δια τον] φοβον των ιουδαιων] η̣[λθεν ο ιης και εστη εις το μεσο]ν <και> λεγει ειρηνη υμειν [20] και τ]ουτ' ειπω   εδειξεν τας χειρας και την πλε]υ ραν εχαρησαν ουν οι μαθητ]αι ι [δοντες τον κν [21] ειπεν ουν αυτοις] [ο ις παλιν ειρηνη υμειν καθως] [απεσταλκεν με ο πρ καγω πεμ] [πω υμας [22] και τουτο ειπων ενεφυσ ησεν και λεγει αυτοις λαβετε πνα α γιον [23] αν τινων αφητε ταςν αμ]αρτιας αφεωνται αυτοις αν τινων] κρατητε κεκρατηνται [24] θωμας εις εκ τω]ν δω δεκα ο λεγομενος διδυμος ο]υκ ην μετ αυτων οτε ουν ηλθ]εν ιης [25] ελεγον αυτω οι μαθηται εω]ρακα μεν τον κν ο δε ειπεν αυτοι]ς εαν μη ιδω εν ταις χερσιν τον τυ]π̣ο̣ν̣ [των ηλων και βαλω τον δακτυλον] [μου εις τον τυπον των ηλων και] [βαλω μου την χειρα εις την πλευ] [ραν αυτου ου μη πιστυσς [26] και [μεθ ημερας οκτω παλιν ησαν εσω]

Scribes and Correctors

In John 1:38 "οι δε" was added superlineary; αυ was deleted by dots above the letters.

In John 16:19 "ο" was added superlineary.

In John 16:29 αυτω was added superlineary.

In John 20:19 και was added superlineary.

Textual character

In John 1:34 it reads ὁ ἐκλεκτός together with the manuscripts ¹⁰⁶, א, b

Codex Veronensis

The Codex Veronensis, designated by siglum b or 4 , is a 4th or 5th century Latin Gospel Book. The text, written on purple dyed vellum in silver and occasionally gold ink, is a version of the old Latin. The Gospels follow in the Western order.- Description :The manuscript contains the Latin text of...

, e

Codex Palatinus

The Codex Palatinus, designated by e or 2 , is a 4th or 5th century Latin Gospel Book. The text, written on purple dyed vellum in gold and silver ink , is a version of the old Latin.- Description :...

, ff²

Codex Corbeiensis II

The Codex Corbeiensis II, designated by ff2 or 8 , is a 5th or 6th century Latin Gospel Book. The text, written on vellum, is a version of the old Latin. The manuscript contains 190 parchment folio with the text of the four Gospels with lacunae...

, syr^{c, s}.

In John 16:17 at line 7 of the recto of the second fragment there appears to be extra space which would require some additional material.

In John 16:20, λυπηθησεσθε originally read λουπηθησεσθε, to which the scribe corrected to λυπηθησεσθε. In 16:21, λυπην originally read λοιπην, to which the scribe corrected to λυπην. In 16:27, it singularly omits εγω. In 20:19 the scribe originally omitted και, but then added it superlinearly later on.

At line 19 of the third folio of the recto (John 20:16) the missing fragment is difficult for a reconstruction. Grenfell & Hunt remarked that there is no space for the ordinary reading ο λεγεται διδασκαλε because a line should have 34 letters, which is too long. Grenfell & Hunt rejected another possible reading κε διδασκαλε, which is found in Codex Bezae

Codex Bezae

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...

 (possible conflation), and proposed κε alone, because Domine is found in Codex Vercellensis

Codex Vercellensis

The title Codex Vercellensis refers to two manuscript codices preserved in the cathedral library of Vercelli, in the Piedmont Region, Italy.- Old Latin Codex Vercellensis :...

 and in Codex Usserianus I, but in the reconstructed text of the manuscript they did not decide to include this proposed variant to the text:

αρω [λεγει αυτη ιης μαριαμ στραφει

[σα εκεινη λεγει αυτω εβραιστι ραβ

β[ουνι . . . . . . . . . . . λεγει αυτη ιης

All the editors agree that the space is insufficient for ο λεγεται διδασκαλε (John 20,16) but κε alone is too short and it is not supported by any Greek manuscript. Elliott & Parker have suggested ο λεγεται κε. It was supported by Peter Head. Comfort proposed κε μου though this reading is not supported by any known Greek manuscript. It is close for κε διδασκαλε of Codex Bezae

Codex Bezae

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...

 and Old-Latin Magister Domine or Domine.

The Greek text of this codex is representative of the Western text-type

Western text-type

The Western text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts...

. Aland

Kurt Aland

Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...

 ascribed it as a "Normal text", and placed it in Category I. It stays in close agreement with Codex Sinaiticus

Codex Sinaiticus

Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...

 against Codex Vaticanus

Codex Vaticanus

The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...

 (e.g. John 1:27.34; 16:22.27.28; 20:25). "This agreement is unfortunatelly obscured by mutilation".

History

The manuscript was discovered at the end of the 19th century by Grenfell and Hunt in Oxyrhynchus

Oxyrhynchus

Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. The first and third leaves were published in Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part II (1899), no. 208. Gregory

Caspar René Gregory

Caspar René Gregory was a American-born German theologian theologian.-Life:Gregory was born in Philadelphia. He studied theology at two Presbyterian seminaries: in 1865-67 at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton Theological Seminary...

 classified it under number 5 on his list.
The second leaf (John 16:14-30) was published in 1922 as Oxyrhynchus no. 1781.

It was examined by Grenfell, Hunt, Wessely, Schofield, Comfort, and Barrett.

It is currently housed at the British Library

British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...

 (Inv. nos. 782, 2484) in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Further reading

• C. R. Gregory
  Caspar René Gregory
  Caspar René Gregory was a American-born German theologian theologian.-Life:Gregory was born in Philadelphia. He studied theology at two Presbyterian seminaries: in 1865-67 at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton Theological Seminary...
  
  , "Textkritik des Neuen Testaments", Leipzig 1909, vol. 3, p. 1085.
• Karl Wessely
  Karl Wessely
  Karl Wessely was an Austrian palaeographer and papyrus scholar. He examined manuscripts housed at the Austrian National Library and in other important European libraries .- Works :* , Wiener Studien 4 , 198-214.* * * Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer...
  
  , Les plus anciens monuments du christianisme, PO 4/2 (1907), pp. 145-148.

External links

• Image from ⁵, John 1:33-40
• Image from ⁵, John 16:14-22
• Image from ⁵, John 16:22-30