The Chester Beatty Papyri represent a cornerstone in the study of early Christian biblical texts. This collection of papyrus manuscripts, written in Greek and of Christian origin, comprises eleven documents dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, with some possibly as early as the 2nd century. These manuscripts hold immense historical and documentary value, offering a glimpse into the early textual transmission of both the Old and New Testaments.
The collection includes seven manuscripts with portions of Old Testament books and three significant New Testament manuscripts, known as P45, P46, and P47 in the Gregory-Åland numbering system. Additionally, the eleventh manuscript contains apocryphal texts, including chapters from the Book of Enoch, parts of an unidentified Christian homily, and the only manuscript witness to the Apocryphon of Ezekiel, although it is cited by Clement of Alexandria. Most of these ancient texts are preserved in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, with others housed at the University of Michigan and various locations.
Alfred Chester Beatty, an avid collector, acquired these manuscripts from antiquities dealers. Their discovery was first announced on November 19, 1931, a revelation that biblical scholar F. F. Bruce hailed as the most remarkable since the Codex Sinaiticus was found by Tischendorf. The manuscripts' significance lies not only in their age but also in their format as codices, which was unexpected since it was believed that the papyrus codex was not widely used by Christians until the 4th century.
These papyri employ nomina sacra, specialized abbreviations for sacred names and words in Christianity, underscoring their religious significance. Dating to a period before the widespread persecution of Christians under Diocletian, these texts provide critical evidence of the Greek Bible's form in Egypt well before the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus.
The New Testament manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Papyri—P45, P46, and P47—are particularly noteworthy. P45 includes sections from all four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, P46 contains several of Paul's epistles and the Book of Hebrews, and P47 holds parts of the Book of Revelation. These manuscripts are invaluable for understanding the early development and transmission of Christian Scriptures.
We have 2 facsimiles of the manuscript "Chester Beatty Papyri":
- New Testament Papyri facsimile edition published by Hendrickson Publishers, 2020
- The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri facsimile edition published by Emery Walker Limited, 1933-c1937
