Apocryphal collection · Sayings and fragments · 2 min read
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 840
A tiny book with a dispute about purity in the Temple
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
P.Oxy. 840 is a parchment leaf only 8.8 × 7.4 cm, found in 1905 at Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, and written in the 4th century in a tiny, careful hand, perhaps an amulet or a pocket book. In it, Jesus enters the Temple court with his disciples and is challenged by a Pharisee high priest named Levi, who accuses him of entering without purifying himself. Jesus replies that the Pharisee washed in water where “dogs and pigs” lie, while he and his disciples bathed in the “living waters that come down from heaven”.
Key points
- Found in 1905 by Grenfell and Hunt and published in 1908.
- 4th-century parchment, with 45 lines in Greek.
- It is smaller than a business card.
- Today it is at the Bodleian Library, in Oxford.
- It contains a dialogue without parallel in the canonical gospels.
What scholars say
Scholars debate whether the episode reflects real Temple practices or a later Christian polemic against Jewish rites. The small format suggests personal or devotional use.
Keep investigating
- Papyrus Egerton 2 (the "Unknown Gospel") One of the oldest Christian papyri in the world
- Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1224 Sayings about enemies and those who are far away
Other languages: Português · Español
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