Papyrus 50
manuscript
Papyrus 50 (Gregory-Aland), designated by 𝔓50, is an early copy of a small part of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles, it contains Acts 8:26-32; 10:26-31. The manuscript palaeographically has been assigned to the 3rd/4th century. Elijah Hixson suggests that the manuscript may possibly be a forgery based on anomalies in line spacing, some text seeming to wrap around lacunae, and serious issues with fiber alignment in the papyrus.
Description
The Greek text of this codex is mixed. It has some orthographical peculiarities and corrections. Aland placed it in Category III. The text generally concurs with Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus.
The nomina sacra are contracted (ΙΛΗΜ, ΠΝΑ, ΑΝΟΣ, ΑΝΟΝ, ΘΣ, ΘΥ, ΚΥ).
The manuscript was purchased in Paris by Yale University in 1933 along with other manuscripts of Egyptian provenance. The text of the codex was published in 1937 by Carl H. Kraeling.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Papyrus 50” is manuscript. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Papyrus and manuscript, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “manuscript” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1547392. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1933 and 1937.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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
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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 50”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Papyrus 50 primary sources, Papyrus 50 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 50”?
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- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Papyrus 50” 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.