Papyrus P26: Romans 1:1–16 in the Bridwell Papyrus
Gregory-Aland P26, P.Oxy. XI 1354, is the Bridwell Library's papyrus fragment of Romans 1:1–16. Dated around the sixth or seventh century, it preserves most of Paul's extended opening and the declaration that the gospel is God's power for salvation, offering a later independent witness alongside the earlier P10 fragment.
- Artifact date
- Sixth–seventh century AD (catalogues differ; palaeographic date)
- Findspot
- Oxyrhynchus region, Egypt
- Current location
- Bridwell Library Special Collections, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, Papyrus 1
What archaeologists can actually examine
P26 is one Greek papyrus fragment published as P.Oxy. XI 1354 and now catalogued as Bridwell Papyrus 1. It preserves Romans 1:1–9 on one face and 1:10–16 on the other, in a single column with approximately twenty-two lines. CSNTM lists the witness as seventh century, while SMU's own description calls it sixth century; both place it in late antiquity and agree on its identity, text, and custody. The fragment is large enough to carry Paul's salutation, desire to visit Rome, obligation to Greeks and non-Greeks, and the opening of his statement that he is not ashamed of the gospel.
Bridwell Papyrus 1
P.Oxy. XI 1354 and Gregory-Aland P26 identify the same SMU papyrus object.
Romans 1:1–16
Both faces preserve the letter's salutation, travel desire, preaching obligation, and verse 16 declaration.
Century boundary remains open
SMU says sixth century while CSNTM says seventh; a sixth–seventh-century label preserves the evidence responsibly.
Multispectral documentation
CSNTM records conventional and multispectral digital imaging of the conserved fragment.
Follow the evidence from discovery to debate
Move through the find in a deliberate order: establish its provenance, examine the surviving object, place it in time, and then weigh the scholarly interpretation.
How the find came to light
The papyrus belongs to the Oxyrhynchus corpus and was published in volume XI as number 1354. SMU describes the object as found in central Egypt near ancient Oxyrhynchus, modern el-Bahnasa, and now protected between glass in Bridwell Library Special Collections. The exact details of its allocation and arrival at the former Lane Museum require fuller archival documentation, but the chain from P.Oxy. 1354 to Bridwell Papyrus 1 is stable in manuscript catalogues. Modern digitization includes ordinary photography and multispectral imaging, which can make faint ink more legible without changing the artifact. The dossier should describe that technical access as documentation, not as the discovery of new verses.
What you are looking at
P26 is a tall, narrow papyrus fragment written on both faces. The recto preserves Romans 1:1–9 and the verso continues with 1:10–16. CSNTM records one fragment, one column, and about twenty-two lines per column. Damage removes parts of lines and the original page edges, so the familiar passage is only partly visible and editors restore lacunae. The photograph shows dark Greek writing running across the fibrous surface, with irregular losses and conservation mounting. Because it contains a continuous opening section rather than an isolated word, P26 supports meaningful comparison with other Romans witnesses, yet one fragment cannot disclose the full size, contents, or ordering of its parent codex.
Where it belongs in history
The date requires explicit nuance. CSNTM currently labels P26 a seventh-century manuscript, SMU public descriptions call it sixth century, and reference lists often place it about AD 600 or across the sixth/seventh-century boundary. All of these are palaeographic judgments based on the hand rather than a dated colophon. The responsible display label therefore uses a sixth–seventh-century range and explains the institutional difference. By that period Romans had a long copying history and circulated in church collections across the Mediterranean. P26 is later than P10 but preserves more of Romans 1, so its relevance lies in independent continuity and comparison, not in claiming it is the earliest surviving witness.
Consensus, questions, and debate
The manuscript's identity and contents are secure, while its exact century illustrates the limits of palaeographic precision. A publication should not choose 'sixth' or 'seventh' merely to create false certainty; instead it should cite both current institutional descriptions and use the shared boundary range. Textual comparison can identify agreements and differences with major codices, but labels such as Alexandrian are shorthand for patterns and should not be treated as proof that every P26 reading is original. Multispectral images may clarify faint strokes, yet even enhanced readings require editorial judgment. The fragment's overlap with P10 is an asset: two independent artifacts can test copying history in the same passage.
The biblical record beside the artifact
The fragment directly attests Romans 1:1–16. It includes Paul's self-identification and apostolic calling, the address to Roman believers, thanksgiving for their faith, his desire to visit them, and his obligation to preach. Its final surviving section reaches the famous declaration in verse 16 that the gospel is God's power unto salvation. Archaeologically, P26 demonstrates that this Greek text was copied on papyrus in late-antique Egypt. It does not prove Paul's journey plans, the theological efficacy of the gospel, or the precise wording of every lost letter. Comparison with P10 and other manuscripts reveals transmission across centuries rather than a single unbroken physical document.
Romans 1:1–16
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
A responsible historical conclusion
P26 preserves a substantial portion of Romans' opening on a single surviving object and brings together excavation history, institutional stewardship, conservation, and modern imaging. Its presence at a theological library also gives the public a concrete encounter with the material history of a text often read only in translation. Pairing P26 with P10 shows why a large archaeology library should retain multiple manuscript witnesses to one chapter. Their dates, dimensions, holdings, and extents differ, and the later fragment carries verses beyond P10. Together they demonstrate continuity with variation while warning readers that age alone does not determine value and that responsible dates sometimes remain ranges.
Authoritative sources
Institutional catalogs, excavation reports, and academic publications let you examine the evidence beyond this summary.
Manuscript P26
Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsExact-object catalogue with current seventh-century dating, layout, holding, and multispectral imaging metadata.
INTF manuscript workspace P26
Institut für Neutestamentliche TextforschungOfficial Gregory-Aland register control for witness 10026.
Bridwell's Special Collections—Special Indeed
SMU Perkins School of TheologyHolding-library account describing the Romans papyrus, sixth-century date, Egyptian provenance, conservation mounting, and Bridwell custody.
Recto of Bridwell Papyrus 1 (P26/P.Oxy. 1354), preserving Romans 1:1–9. · Unknown ancient scribe; Bridwell Library, via Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain Mark 1.0; Commons identifies a faithful reproduction of a public-domain two-dimensional work
View the image source and license