Papyrus 13
3rd century manuscript of the Epistle to the Hebrews
Papyrus 13, designated by siglum 𝔓13 or P13 in the Gregory-Aland numbering, is a fragmentary
manuscript of the New Testament in Greek. It was copied on papyrus in the 3rd century at approximately 225-250 CE.
Description
Papyrus 13 was discovered by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. It is currently housed at the British Library, Inv. Nr. 1532, and Egyptian Museum, SR 3796 25/1/55/2 (11), or PSI 1292.
The surviving text is twelve columns, of 23 to 27 lines each, from a scroll. This is all from the Epistle to the Hebrews, namely 2:14-5:5; 10:8-22; 10:29-11:14; 11:28-12:17. Its presence of pagination 47-50 means that Hebrews was preceded by only one book in the original scroll, likely the Epistle to the Romans as in Papyrus 46. It is the largest papyrus manuscript of the New Testament outside the Chester Beatty Papyri.
It was written on the back of a papyrus containing the Epitome of Livy and some scholars think the manuscript was possibly brought to Egypt by a Roman official and left behind when he left his post.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Papyrus 13” is 3rd century manuscript of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Papyrus, century and manuscript, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “3rd century manuscript of the Epistle to the Hebrews” 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.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2050994. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1532 and 1292.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. 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
- 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 13”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Papyrus 13 primary sources, Papyrus 13 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 13”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Papyrus 13” 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.