Manuscripts

The Rylands fragment is generally considered the earliest extant New Testament fragment, typically dated between 120 and 150 CE. The letters which appear on the manuscript have been capitalised in these transcripts. This is the trial sequence (note Pilate's Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια; – What is truth?).

On the front: John 18:31-33

eipon autw OI IOUDAIoi HMIn ouk exestin
apokteina iOUDENA INA O Logos tou ihsou
plhrwqh on eiPEN SHMAINWn poiw qanatw
hmellen apoQNHSKEIN Eishlqen oun palin
eis to praitwRION O Pilatos kai efwnhsen
ton ihsoun KAI EIPen autw su ei o basileus
twn iouda IWn.

On the back: John 18:37-38

eimi egw eis TOUTO GEGENNHMAI kai eis touto
elhluqa eis ton koSMON INA MARTUrhsw th
alhqeia pas o wn eK THS ALHQEias akouei
mou ths fwnhs lEGEI AUTW o pilatos ti
estin alhqeia kaI TOUTO eipwn palin exhlqen
pros tous ioudaious kai legei autois egw
oudemian euriskw en au TW aitian

When the letters in the manuscript are capitalised in a modern text, they form the same shape as the manuscript itself, indicating that the sequences of words surrounding the fragment have the same proportional lengths now as they did then. This makes it unlikely that significant changes to this passage (additions or deletions) have occured between then and now.