Papyrus 46 — Galatians & Philippians
Where Galatians Ends and Philippians Begins
The short answerWhat is this leaf?
This is a single page from Papyrus 46 — the earliest surviving collection of the letters of Paul, copied around AD 175–225. On this one leaf the letter to the Galatians ends — “I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus on my body… the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” — and then, after the title, the letter to the Philippians begins: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…”
Unlike a small torn scrap, almost the whole page survives. Nearly every letter you see below is real ink on the papyrus, so this page lets you read your replica, front and back, essentially in full — only the torn foot of the front and the torn lower edge of the back are supplied.
The featureTwo letters, one book
Look at the transcription of the front page below. After Paul’s closing “ΑΜΗΝ” to the Galatians, the scribe writes the title ΠΡΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΗΣΙΟΥΣ (“To the Philippians”) and begins the next letter on the very same page. Two of Paul’s letters meet on one leaf.
That is the whole point of Papyrus 46: it is not one letter but a collected edition — Romans, Hebrews, 1–2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians and 1 Thessalonians copied into a single papyrus codex. This page is physical evidence that, by around AD 200, Paul’s letters were already being gathered, ordered, titled and read as one book.
Line by lineThe Greek exactly as it sits on the leaf
Transcribed from the INTF transcription (NTVMR, folios 086r and 086v) and shown in the majuscule capitals the scribe used, with the original line breaks. Nomina sacra keep the scribe’s overline. The photograph sits beside each side so you can compare the letters directly.
Folio 86r — Galatians 6:10–18 · the title · Philippians 1:1
Folio 86v — Philippians 1:5–15
Word by wordRead it, sound it out, and see the meaning
The whole leaf, word by word: the Greek on the leaf, a transliteration to sound it out, and a word-for-word English gloss, with the smooth translation after each passage. Sacred names carry the scribe’s overline; their meaning is in the gloss. A gold underline under a box marks a word broken across the torn edge — the part in [brackets] is supplied.
Do good to all — Galatians 6:10–11
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith. 11 See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.
Those who compel circumcision — Galatians 6:12–13
12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; just so that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.
Boast only in the cross — Galatians 6:14–16
14 But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God’s Israel.
The marks of Jesus — Galatians 6:17–18
17 From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. (The final Ν of ΗΜΩ[Ν] is the one supplied letter here.)
Galatians ends, Philippians begins — the seam · Philippians 1:1
After the last word of Galatians the scribe writes the title ΠΡΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΗΣΙΟΥΣ (“To the Philippians”) and begins the letter: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants.” The foot of the page is torn, so the bracketed words are supplied from the known text.
Partnership in the gospel — Philippians 1:5–6
5 … for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now; 6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
You are in my heart — Philippians 1:7–8
7 It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.
That your love may abound — Philippians 1:9–11
9 This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (P46 here reads …ΘΥ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΑΙΝΟΝ ΕΜΟΙ — “glory of God and praise to me” — see textual notes.)
My chains advance the gospel — Philippians 1:12–14
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News, 13 so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ, 14 and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
Some preach Christ — Philippians 1:15
15 Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will… (The leaf breaks off mid-word at ΕΥΔΟΚ|ΙΑΝ.)
Reading the detailsTextual notes
The cross as a sacred word. Watch line 6 and line 11 of the front: the scribe contracts ΣΤΑΥΡΩ (“cross”) to ΣΤΡΩ with an overline, treating “the cross of Christ” as a sacred name in its own right — a habit especially characteristic of P46.
A distinctive reading in Philippians 1:11. Where most manuscripts and English Bibles read “to the glory and praise of God,” P46 here reads ΕΙΣ ΔΟΞΑΝ ΘΥ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΑΙΝΟΝ ΕΜΟΙ — “to the glory of God and praise to me” (verso, line 18). It is one of the small individual readings that make P46 such an interesting early witness.
Everyday spellings. The scribe writes ΥΜΕΙΝ for ΥΜΙΝ (“to you”), ΤΕΙΜΟΘΕΟΣ for ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟΣ (“Timothy”), ΕΧΙΝ for ΕΧΕΙΝ (“to have”) and ΓΕΙΝΩΣΚΕΙΝ for ΓΙΝΩΣΚΕΙΝ (“to know”) — ordinary phonetic spellings (itacism) of the period, where ΕΙ and Ι had come to sound alike.
The manuscriptAt a glance
| This leaf | Folio 86: Galatians 6:10–18 (recto) · Philippians 1:1, 5–15 (verso) — the Galatians–Philippians seam |
|---|---|
| Whole codex | Paul’s letters: Romans, Hebrews, 1–2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians (86 of ~104 leaves survive) |
| Date | c. 175–225 CE (commonly “c. AD 200”); a later date is argued — see below |
| Discovered | Egypt (the Fayum), acquired 1930–31; part of the Chester Beatty biblical papyri |
| Held at | Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (56 leaves) & University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (30 leaves, incl. this one) |
| Gregory–Aland no. | 𝔓46 (INTF doc. ID 10046) |
| Format | Single-quire papyrus codex, ~28 × 16 cm, ~26–28 lines per page |
| Text type | Alexandrian (with Western readings) · Aland Category I |
Why it mattersThe oldest edition of Paul
Papyrus 46 is the earliest substantial copy of the Pauline letters — a century or more older than the great parchment codices. It matters not only for its age but for what it is: a bound collection. Its very existence shows that Paul’s letters were circulating as a gathered corpus remarkably early, and its running order — with Hebrews placed among Paul’s letters, right after Romans — is a window onto how the early church read and arranged them.
The codex was written as a single huge quire — a stack of sheets folded once down the middle — and the scribe, running short of room toward the end, packed more and more lines onto each page. A later hand even counted the “stichoi” (lines) at the foot of several letters. It is, in short, a real working book from the early church.
Own this leaf
Manuscript Shop produces a museum-grade facsimile of this leaf of Papyrus 46 on real Egyptian papyrus, reproducing both sides — the end of Galatians, the seam, and the opening of Philippians — at its true size.
ReferencesSources
- Transcription (surviving text): INTF transcription of 𝔓46, New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room, doc. ID 10046, folios 086r and 086v.
- Manuscript images: Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, and University of Michigan Library (P. Mich. inv. 6238); photographs from the Manuscript Shop listing.
- Editio princeps: F. G. Kenyon, The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri, Fasciculus III: Pauline Epistles (London, 1936–37).
- Dating & significance: F. G. Kenyon; K. Aland & B. Aland, The Text of the New Testament; B. Nongbri and others on the palaeographic date.
- Word-for-word glosses follow standard tagged Greek New Testament data (STEP Bible, Tyndale House; Berean Interlinear).
- Smooth translation: World English Bible (public domain), ebible.org.