Papyrus P57: Acts 4:36–5:10
Pap. Vindob. G. 26020, Gregory-Aland P57, is a fourth-century Greek papyrus fragment preserving the transition from Barnabas's gift to the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 4–5.
- Artifact date
- fourth century AD (palaeographic estimate; some catalogues allow fourth–fifth)
- Findspot
- unknown; possibly Fayum, Egypt, in 1881
- Current location
- Austrian National Library, Vienna, Pap. G. 26020
What archaeologists can actually examine
P57 is the damaged lower portion of a Greek papyrus codex page. Ten fragmentary lines on each side preserve Acts 4:36–5:2 and 5:8–10. The recto moves from Joseph/Barnabas selling a field and laying the proceeds at the apostles' feet to Ananias withholding part of a sale and Sapphira's knowledge; the verso preserves Peter's questioning of Sapphira and her collapse. 4CARE reconstructs an original single-column page of about thirty-one lines and records a small variant, para in place of pros, on the recto. This is direct textual evidence for how the passage was copied in late Roman Egypt. It is not archaeological evidence for the field, the sale, or the deaths narrated by Acts.
Barnabas and Ananias remain together
The fragment preserves Acts' deliberate movement from Barnabas's gift into the deception of Ananias and Sapphira.
A space precedes Acts 5:1
The physical page retains a sense division before the introduction of Ananias, useful for studying ancient layout.
A small variant survives
The recto reads para where another form of the tradition reads pros, a modest but collatable copying difference.
The Fayum story is uncertain
4CARE records provenance as unknown and only notes a possible Fayum discovery in 1881.
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
Peter Sanz published the fragment in 1946 as P. Rainer IV 40, after which it received Gregory-Aland number P57. It is held by the Austrian National Library under Pap. G. 26020. The 4CARE database explicitly lists provenance as unknown and mentions only the possibility that the papyrus was discovered in the Fayum in 1881. That possibility must remain qualified rather than becoming a firm discovery statement. Current digital imaging and modern re-edition by Stanley and Wendy Porter have improved the text and physical description. The verified chain thus begins securely with collection custody and publication, not with excavation. No ancient owner, reading community, scribe, or specific discard context can be recovered from the sources checked.
What you are looking at
The fragment measures about 3.5 by 8.5 centimeters and comes from the bottom of a single-column codex leaf. Ten strongly fragmentary lines remain on each face. Scholars estimate that the original page was roughly 26–27 by 15 centimeters, with thirty-one lines per page and about twenty-four letters per line. A space before the beginning of Acts 5:1 is visible, giving useful evidence for paragraphing or sense division. The uneven writing has been attributed partly to the poor papyrus surface, a reminder that scribal appearance can reflect material resistance rather than competence alone. Lost edges require extensive restoration, but the sequence and two-sided writing securely identify a running Acts codex rather than an independent moral excerpt.
Where it belongs in history
4CARE assigns P57 to the fourth century and reports more detailed proposals: the Porters favor the end of the fourth century, while Jaroš compared the hand with documents spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth. CSNTM uses a broader fourth-to-fifth-century label. Since all are palaeographic, a public date of fourth century with acknowledged range is more responsible than a precise year. The codex belongs to a period when Acts circulated in Greek Christian books in Egypt. If the possible Fayum provenance is correct it would offer regional context, but the uncertainty prevents building an interpretation upon it. Papyrus material alone neither establishes an early date nor a private function.
Consensus, questions, and debate
P57's shelfmark, Acts content, codex form, fragment dimensions, and current Vienna custody are well documented. Its palaeographic date and possible Fayum origin are less certain. The variant para/pros is noteworthy because even a small prepositional difference contributes to the history of copying, but it does not transform the passage's meaning. Broad labels such as Alexandrian or Category II summarize older evaluations and should not replace explicit collation. Poor surface conditions explain some letter irregularities and warn against moralizing about the scribe's care. The manuscript remains a small but useful witness whose ten lines per side can test particular readings, layout, and sense division without representing the entire lost codex.
The biblical record beside the artifact
Acts 4:36–37 introduces Barnabas as a Levite from Cyprus who sells land and gives the proceeds. Acts 5:1–2 immediately contrasts Ananias and Sapphira, who retain part while presenting the gift deceptively. Acts 5:8–10 preserves Peter's question to Sapphira, her answer, and the judgment that follows. P57 materially witnesses this deliberate narrative contrast between generosity, communal trust, and deception. Its spacing near Acts 5:1 may also illuminate how a reader perceived the episode's division. The papyrus helps establish the textual history of these verses but does not verify the property transaction, provide legal documents for the early Jerusalem community, or resolve ethical questions about communal ownership.
Acts 4:36–37
36And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, [and] of the country of Cyprus,
37Having land, sold [it], and brought the money, and laid [it] at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:1–2
1But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it] at the apostles’ feet.
A responsible historical conclusion
P57 preserves one of Acts' sharpest literary contrasts on a single damaged page: Barnabas's transparent generosity stands beside Ananias and Sapphira's deceptive presentation. That juxtaposition matters because later readers sometimes isolate the judgment scene from Luke's preceding portrait of community and gift. The papyrus confirms that the sequence circulated together in an ancient codex and even retains a space at the transition into chapter 5. For textual criticism it supplies an independent Greek witness and a minor variant. For archaeology it is a study in disciplined limits: a genuine artifact can illuminate transmission and book design while offering no direct material confirmation of the land sale or the people named.
Authoritative sources
Institutional catalogs, excavation reports, and academic publications let you examine the evidence beyond this summary.
P. Rainer IV 40 / Gregory-Aland P57
4CARE, MF Norwegian School of TheologyDetailed artifact record for dimensions, layout, passages, variant, dating debate, possible Fayum provenance, shelfmark, and bibliography.
Manuscript P57
Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsCatalogue and images for the fragment count, line count, date range, Vienna custody, and Acts identity.
INTF Manuscript Workspace P57
Institute for New Testament Textual Research, University of MünsterAuthoritative Gregory-Aland registry and textual collation workspace.
Austrian National Library Papyrus Collection
Austrian National LibraryHolding institution context and portal for original papyrus records and digital study.