Papyrus 39

Papyrus 𝔓³⁹

New Testament manuscript
Recto John 8:14–18
Name	P. Oxy. XV 1780
Text	John 8 †
Date	3rd century
Script	Greek
Found	Egypt
Now at	The Green Collection
Cite	Grenfell & A. S. Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri XV, 1922, pp. 7-8.
Size	26 by 16 cm
Type	Alexandrian text-type
Category	I

Papyrus 39 is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John in a fragmentary condition, containing only John 8:14-22. It is designated by the siglum 𝔓³⁹ in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been assigned to the 3rd century CE.

The manuscript was likely written by professional scribe, in 25 lines per page, in large, beautiful letters. It has numbered pages.¹ Biblical scholar Don Barker proposes a wider and earlier range of dates for Papyrus 39, along with Uncial 0232, Papyrus 88 and Uncial 0206; and states that all four could be dated as early as the late second century or as late as the end of the fourth century.²

The Greek text of this codex is considered a representative of the Alexandrian text-type (or more likely proto-Alexandrian). Biblical scholar Kurt Aland placed it in Category I of his New Testament manuscript classification system.³ 𝔓³⁹ shows agreement with Vaticanus and 𝔓⁷⁵.¹ There are no singular readings.⁴

Papyrologist Guglielmo Cavallo published a facsimile of 𝔓³⁹ in 1967.⁵ The manuscript now resides in the Green Collection and is featured at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.