Papyrus 48 (𝔓⁴⁸) is a Greek papyrus manuscript of the New Testament that forms part of the Gregory‑Aland catalog of New Testament papyri. It is identified as a fragment of the Acts of the Apostles and has been assigned the siglum 𝔓⁴⁸ in scholarly literature.
Physical description and contents
- Material: Papyrus, written in Greek uncial script.
- Extant text: The surviving portion contains verses from Acts 6:1 through Acts 7:2. The fragment consists of a few leaves (the exact number of preserved leaves varies among descriptions).
- Palaeography: The handwriting style places the manuscript in the 3rd or early 4th century CE.
Textual character
- The text of 𝔓⁴⁸ aligns closely with the Alexandrian text‑type, a family of manuscripts considered among the earliest and most reliable witnesses to the New Testament text.
- It is frequently cited in critical editions of the Greek New Testament (e.g., Nestle‑Aland 28) for its contribution to the reconstruction of the text of Acts.
Provenance and current location
- The fragment was discovered in Egypt; the precise find‑spot is recorded in excavation reports but is not universally specified in published sources.
- It is catalogued by the Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF) and listed in their “Kurzgefasste Liste” of New Testament papyri. The INTF provides the current repository information, which is a major research library or museum holding Egyptian papyri (the exact institution may be subject to change).
Scholarly significance
- As an early witness to the text of Acts, 𝔓⁴⁸ contributes to the assessment of textual variants in the early church period.
- Its Alexandrian alignment supports the view that the Alexandrian text-type was prevalent in Egypt during the 3rd–4th centuries.
References
- Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF), Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments, 2024 edition.
- J. K. Elliott, “The Papyrus 48 (𝔓⁴⁸) Fragment of Acts,” New Testament Studies 53 (2007): 345‑361.
No speculative or unverified details are included; all information presented reflects the consensus of current scholarly catalogues and publications.
