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Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1 (P.Oxy.I 1), Bodleian Library, Oxford: Bodleian MS.Gr.th.e7.

In 1897 archaeologists were excavating an ancient trash heap near Oxyrhynchus in Egypt when they found this section of papyrus. Over the years they found thousands of Greek and Latin documents, letters and literary works as well as theological works at Oxyrhynchus. This fragment of the Gospel of Thomas was referred to as sayings of Jesus until the Coptic version of the full gospel was discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi and the two could be compared.

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1

The final stage of the Egyptian language, which also lent its name to the Coptic Church, the Egyptian branch of Orthodox Christianity.

A gospel is an account that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Of or related to the written word, especially that which is considered literature; literary criticism is a interpretative method that has been adapted to biblical analysis.

A city on the Nile in Egypt where papyrus codices written in Coptic and associated with antique Gnosticism were found in 1945.

Relating to thought about the nature and behavior of God.

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