![]() ![]() The Beatty Papyri were purchased from an Egyptian dealer in 1934. But around 35 of them contain portions of the New Testament. Many of them were secular, pertaining to business contracts, letters, and literature. In 1898, thousands of papyrus fragments were found in the ancient garbage dumps of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. The earliest manuscripts on papyrus are divided into three primary groups: the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, the Chester Beatty/Michigan Papyri, and the Bodmer Papyri. (“Codex” refers to the book form used exclusively by Christians for making copies of Biblical writings.) Both date to the early fourth century. The earliest complete copies of the New Testament are Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The papyri are followed by uncials, minuscule, and finally, lectionaries. Generally speaking, if we were to list these groups out in chronological order, the earliest group is the papyri. The earliest were written on papyrus while the latest are written on paper. New Testament manuscripts are usually found on vellum or parchment.
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