There’s a really interesting papyrus fragment called P.Oxy. 5575 that’s been getting attention because it includes sayings of Jesus from Matthew, Luke, and even the Gospel of Thomas. It’s from the late 2nd or early 3rd century, making it one of the oldest Christian manuscripts we have.
What’s cool about it is that it mixes quotes from the gospels with sayings from Thomas, showing that early Christians sometimes collected teachings from different sources, not just the canonical scriptures.
I went through the fragment and compared the quotes to their sources. It talks about things like not worrying about food or clothing (Matthew 6, Luke 12), trusting God’s care for the birds and lilies (Matthew, Luke, and Thomas 36), and even includes a Thomas saying about fasting from the world to find the kingdom (Thomas 27). Seeing all of these together gives a sense of how early Christian communities may have shared and combined these sayings.
It’s a small fragment, but it gives a fascinating look at how early Christian texts weren’t always neatly divided into canonical and non-canonical material.
Here's what it says on the recto and verso:
recto (→)
[…] (the rich man) died. [I tell you, don’t] be anxious about [your life], what you’ll eat, [nor the] body, what [you’ll wear], because I tell you, [unless] you fast from [the world], you’ll never find [the kingdom], and unless you […] the world, [you’ll never …] the Father [… the] birds, how […] and [your] heavenly Father [feeds them …] so you […] much […]
verso (↓)
[…] how [they grow …] Solomon […] in [his] glory […] the Father [clothes] grass which [dries up] and is thrown into the oven, [he’ll clothe] you […] so you […] also […] because [your] Father [knows] your need, [but] look for [the kingdom and all these things will be given …]
Notes
recto (→)
(the rich man) died. Cp. Thomas 63: “a rich man … died.” See also Luke 12:16-21.
[don’t] be anxious. Cp. Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22; Thomas 36.
[unless] you fast from [the world]. Cp. Thomas 27.
Reason & Theology
There’s a really interesting papyrus fragment called P.Oxy. 5575 that’s been getting attention because it includes sayings of Jesus from Matthew, Luke, and even the Gospel of Thomas. It’s from the late 2nd or early 3rd century, making it one of the oldest Christian manuscripts we have.
What’s cool about it is that it mixes quotes from the gospels with sayings from Thomas, showing that early Christians sometimes collected teachings from different sources, not just the canonical scriptures.
I went through the fragment and compared the quotes to their sources. It talks about things like not worrying about food or clothing (Matthew 6, Luke 12), trusting God’s care for the birds and lilies (Matthew, Luke, and Thomas 36), and even includes a Thomas saying about fasting from the world to find the kingdom (Thomas 27). Seeing all of these together gives a sense of how early Christian communities may have shared and combined these sayings.
It’s a small fragment, but it gives a fascinating look at how early Christian texts weren’t always neatly divided into canonical and non-canonical material.
Here's what it says on the recto and verso:
recto (→)
[…] (the rich man) died. [I tell you, don’t] be anxious about [your life], what you’ll eat, [nor the] body, what [you’ll wear], because I tell you, [unless] you fast from [the world], you’ll never find [the kingdom], and unless you […] the world, [you’ll never …] the Father [… the] birds, how […] and [your] heavenly Father [feeds them …] so you […] much […]
verso (↓)
[…] how [they grow …] Solomon […] in [his] glory […] the Father [clothes] grass which [dries up] and is thrown into the oven, [he’ll clothe] you […] so you […] also […] because [your] Father [knows] your need, [but] look for [the kingdom and all these things will be given …]
Notes
recto (→)
(the rich man) died. Cp. Thomas 63: “a rich man … died.” See also Luke 12:16-21.
[don’t] be anxious. Cp. Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22; Thomas 36.
[unless] you fast from [the world]. Cp. Thomas 27.
[the] birds. Cp. Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24.
3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 161