Papyrus 1

Papyrus 1 designates a fragment of the Gospel of John, traditionally dated to the early 2nd century CE. It is one of the earliest known surviving manuscripts of the New Testament and is therefore a significant artifact for textual criticism. The fragment, also known as P52, contains portions of John 18:31-33 and 37-38. It is written in Greek and is housed at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England. Its significance lies in its early dating, which provides evidence for the early circulation and acceptance of the Gospel of John as canonical scripture. The small size of the fragment limits the amount of textual information available, but its existence supports the reliability of later, more complete copies of the Gospel.