Chester Beatty Papyri

For the medical papyrus, see Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus.

P. Chester Beatty I, (𝔓45) folio 13–14, containing portion of the Gospel of Luke
Fragments of P. Chester Beatty VI showing portions of Deuteronomy
P. Chester Beatty XII, folio 3, verso, currently housed at the University of Michigan

The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri or simply the Chester Beatty Papyri are a group of early papyrus manuscripts of biblical texts.[1]: 113  The manuscripts are in Greek and are of Christian origin. There are eleven manuscripts in the group, seven consisting of portions of Old Testament books, three consisting of portions of the New Testament (referred to with the Gregory-Åland no. (a list of New Testament manuscripts) 𝔓45, 𝔓46, and 𝔓47), and one consisting of portions of the Book of Enoch and an unidentified Christian homily.[1]: 113  Most are dated to the 3rd century CE.[2] They are housed in part at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, and in part at the University of Michigan, among a few other locations.[3]: 118 [1]: 113 

The papyri were most likely first obtained by dealers in illegal antiquities. Because of this, the exact circumstances of the find are not clear. One account states that the manuscripts were in jars in a Coptic graveyard near the ruins of the ancient city of Aphroditopolis. Other theories have proposed that the collection was found near the Fayum instead of Aphroditopolis, or that the location was a Christian church or monastery instead of a graveyard.[4] Most of the papyri were bought from a dealer by Alfred Chester Beatty, after whom the manuscripts are named, although some leaves and fragments were acquired by the University of Michigan and a few other collectors and institutions.[3]: 118 

The papyri were first announced on November 19, 1931,[1]: 113  although more leaves were acquired over the next decade. Biblical scholar Frederic G. Kenyon published the manuscripts in The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri: Descriptions and Texts of Twelve Manuscripts on Papyrus of the Greek Bible, in an 8-volume work that spanned 1933–58. The papyri are usually catalogued as P. Chester Beatty followed by a corresponding Roman numeral between I-XII, one for each manuscript.

The term Chester Beatty Papyri can also generally refer to the collection of manuscripts that Alfred Chester Beatty acquired over his lifetime, which include non-Biblical papyri such as the Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus.

At the time of their discovery, biblical scholar F. F. Bruce stated they "may fairly be claimed as the greatest discovery of Biblical manuscripts since Tischendorf discovered the Codex Sinaiticus".[2]

  1. ^ a b c d Kenyon, Frederic G (1936). The Story of the Bible. London: Butler & Tanner Ltd.
  2. ^ a b Bruce, Frederick Fyvie (1934). "The Chester Beatty Papyri". The Harvester. No. 11. p. 163.
  3. ^ a b Nongbri, Brent (2018). God's Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts. London, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-21541-0.
  4. ^ Horton, Charles (2004). The Earliest Gospels: The Origins and Transmission of the Earliest Christian Gospels - The Contribution of the Chester Beatty Gospel Codex 𝔓45. London; New York: T&T Clark International. pp. 157–8. ISBN 0-567-08389-6.