Papyrus 134
papyrus manuscript
Papyrus 134 (designated as 𝔓134 in the Gregory-Aland numbering system) is a small surviving portion of an early copy of part of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John. The text survives in three discontinuous fragments on one side of a scroll containing parts of verses 1:49-51 and 2:1. The manuscript has been assigned paleographically to the third or fourth century.
Location
𝔓134 is housed at the University of Texas Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Texas, in the United States.
Textual variants
1:49: According to the reconstruction of Smith, it reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΕΙ (You are King) along with 𝔓75 02 03 032, versus ΕΙ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ (You are the King) found in 𝔓66 01 Byz.
1:50: According to the reconstruction of Smith, it contains the majority reading ΜΕΙΖΩ versus ΜΕΙΖΩΝΑ of 𝔓66 and ΜΕΙΖΩΝ of 𝔓75, all meaning "greater than".
1:51: It contains the Alexandrian reading without ΑΠ ΑΡΤΙ (from now on).
2:1: According to the reconstruction of Smith, it lacks ΤΗ ΗΜΕΡΑ (on the day), with 03.
History
The manuscript was purchased on the antiquities market by Harold R. Willoughby, professor of early Christianity at the University of Chicago, before 1962.
The public source identifies “Papyrus 134” as papyrus manuscript. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Papyrus, papyrus and manuscript.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Papyrus 134”, the useful work is to connect “papyrus manuscript” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q61119101. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1962.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Papyrus 134”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Papyrus 134 primary sources, Papyrus 134 archive and Papyrus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Papyrus 134”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Papyrus 134” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.