Papyrus 46Edit
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Papyrus 46 (P46) is one of the most important early witnesses to the text of the Apostle Paul’s letters. Designated in the Gregory-Aland numbering as P46 and often simply referred to as Papyrus 46, it survives as a substantial papyrus codex containing large portions of several Pauline epistles. The manuscript dates to roughly the late second century and is valued for its age, the breadth of Paul’s writings it preserves, and its capacity to illuminate the textual transmission of the Pauline corpus in early Christianity. Today, P46 is housed at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin as part of the Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri collection. Papyrus 46 Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri New Testament Pauline epistles
Origins and physical description
Papyrus 46 is written on papyrus leaves and arranged in a codex form, which marks an early phase in the transition from rolling scrolls to bound book formats in Christian manuscript culture. The script is in Greek uncial letters, with page layout typical of early codices, including two columns per page and generally dense lines that reflect careful scribe work. The codex form itself is significant because it reflects an early preference among Christian communities for bound collections of authoritative texts, a development that would influence the formation of the biblical canon and the way letters were circulated in antiquity. The physical composition and paleographic style help scholars situate P46 within the broader textile of late antique manuscript production. Codex Palaeography Papyrus
Contents and textual reach
P46 preserves substantial portions of Paul’s epistles, making it a cornerstone for checking the text of Romans and several of Paul’s other letters. The manuscript contains material from Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and Hebrews. The exact portions vary by current scholarship, but the collection is widely regarded as one of the most important early witnesses to Paul’s writings in a codex format. The presence of Hebrews in this collection—whether as part of a Pauline corpus or as an independent inclusion in the same manuscript—has been a matter of scholarly discussion and debate, illustrating how ancient manuscripts sometimes circulated letters with fluid canons of Pauline authorship. The breadth of Paul’s letters represented in P46 helps textual critics assess early readings and the transmission history of key theological debates within Paul’s corpus. Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Ephesians Galatians Philippians Colossians Hebrews Pauline epistles
Dating, provenance, and scholarly significance
Scholars generally date P46 to the late second century, with estimates commonly placing it around 175–225 CE. Its Egyptian provenance aligns with the broader pattern of early Christian manuscript finds from the region, where dry storage conditions have preserved many papyri. The manuscript’s broad sampling of Paul’s letters makes it one of the earliest substantial Christian codices, offering a crucial data point for understanding the shape of the Pauline corpus in the early church and for tracking textual developments that would later be reflected in critical editions of the Greek New Testament. The papyrus was acquired in the late 19th century as part of the Chestet Beatty acquisitions and has since been central to textual criticism discussions, serving as a key witness in apparatuses like the United States–based and European critical editions of Paul’s letters. Chester Beatty Library Textual criticism New Testament textual criticism
Textual characteristics and scholarly debates
As an early witness, P46 exhibits a mixture of textual traits that scholars classify within the broader stream of early Christian texts. It shows features typical of early Greek manuscript practice, including nomina sacra and scribal abbreviations. The text type represented by P46 is often described as having Alexandrian influence, with distinctive readings that have informed modern critical editions of Paul’s epistles. Because P46 predates the rise of later standardized manuscript families, it provides a valuable baseline for assessing how Paul’s letters circulated and were preserved in early Christian communities. The presence of multiple Paulines within a single codex also raises questions about how early Christians organized and transmitted Paul’s letters, and whether the sequence reflects a deliberate collection or a practical compilation that emerged in a particular community. Scholarly debates surrounding P46 frequently focus on dating precision, the exact portions of each letter preserved, the order of the epistles within the codex, and whether Hebrews was included as part of Paul’s corpus in this manuscript or was added later. Textual criticism Hebrews Romans 1 Thessalonians
Significance for the history of the biblical canon
P46’s status as an early, substantial Pauline codex makes it a touchstone for understanding how early Christians valued Paul’s letters and how those letters circulated before the establishment of the later, more standardized canon. Its age and breadth provide important data for reconstructing the transmission history of Paul’s writings and for evaluating how scribes handled quotations, theological terms, and stylistic features across multiple letters in a single manuscript. The manuscript’s influence extends to discussions about the order in which Paul’s letters circulated and the extent to which early Christian communities recognized Paul’s letters as a coherent collection. Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri New Testament Pauline corpus