Manuscripts

Chester Beatty Papyrus P46 (Pauline Epistles)

Era: c. AD 175-225
Location: Egypt
Discovered: published 1934-1937

A 2nd- or early-3rd-century papyrus codex containing most of Paul's letters — pushing the manuscript history of the Pauline corpus back to within about 150 years of Paul himself.

The find

P46 originally contained the collected Pauline epistles. 86 of its estimated 104 leaves survive, preserving substantial portions of Romans, Hebrews, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians. Most scholars date it around AD 200; some have argued for an earlier date.

Why it matters

P46 shows that Paul's letters were already being collected, copied, and circulated as a bound unit within a century or two of his death. That's direct physical evidence against the theories that treat the Pauline corpus as a late assembly.

Cross-linked Scripture

Doctrine check

Sources

·Kenyon, F.G. (1936). The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri III
·Royse, J.R. (2008). Scribal Habits in Early Greek New Testament Papyri
·Papyrus 46 (Wikipedia)