Papyrus P85: Revelation 9:19–20 in a Greek Witness
Papyrus P85, dated by the CSNTM catalog to the 4th–5th century, physically preserves Revelation 9:19–20 as part of the early manuscript transmission of the New Testament.
- Artifact date
- 4th–5th Century
- Findspot
- Egypt; exact ancient findspot is not stated in the consulted manuscript catalogs
- Current location
- Strasbourg, National and University Library, P. Gr. 1028
What archaeologists can actually examine
Fourth or fifth century manuscript of Revelation on papyrus; 3 fragments, single column, approximately 37 lines per column. CSNTM's page-level indexing identifies the photographed folio as preserving Rev 9:19, Rev 9:20. The stable Gregory-Aland designation distinguishes this witness from other papyri containing the same biblical book. The evidentiary claim concerns Papyrus P85: Revelation 9:19–20 in a Greek Witness as a physical witness dated 4th–5th Century, not a general claim about every manuscript in the same collection. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Distinct cataloged witness
P85 is a separate Gregory-Aland manuscript identity held as P. Gr. 1028 at Strasbourg, National and University Library.
Physical text of Revelation 9:19–20
The indexed first folio preserves Rev 9:19, Rev 9:20, providing an inspectable ancient witness to this New Testament passage.
Papyrus transmission evidence
Fourth or fifth century manuscript of Revelation on papyrus; 3 fragments, single column, approximately 37 lines per column.
A bounded evidentiary claim
The dossier distinguishes the cataloged object and visible text from restored gaps, broader historical claims, and theological interpretation.
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
Papyrus P85: Revelation 9:19–20 in a Greek Witness is cataloged as a discrete manuscript witness rather than as a generic literary tradition. Its present identity is controlled by the shelf mark or excavation siglum in the cited institutional catalog, while the publication history in the accompanying scholarly source provides the basis for the description used here. The discovery and modern catalog history matter because provenance and stable identifiers prevent detached fragments, neighboring shelf marks, or similarly named witnesses from being silently combined. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
What you are looking at
Fourth or fifth century manuscript of Revelation on papyrus; 3 fragments, single column, approximately 37 lines per column. CSNTM's page-level indexing identifies the photographed folio as preserving Rev 9:19, Rev 9:20. The stable Gregory-Aland designation distinguishes this witness from other papyri containing the same biblical book. The surviving material is presented as evidence for the text actually preserved, not as a reconstruction of missing pages or an autograph. Readers should notice the relation between the preserved material, the lines or fragments actually visible, and the biblical range assigned by the critical catalog. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Where it belongs in history
The date 4th–5th Century is the cataloged scholarly assessment, normally based on script, material features, and comparison with dated hands or archaeological context. The range should therefore be read as an expert estimate rather than a date supplied by the ancient copyist. Paleographic and material dating situates the copy within a transmission history while leaving an honest chronological range rather than a falsely exact year. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Consensus, questions, and debate
Scholarly value lies in the manuscript's independent physical witness and its controlled catalog identity. Readings and reconstructions are evaluated against other witnesses; differences may illuminate transmission, but one fragment does not by itself determine the earliest recoverable form of every passage. Critical editions compare this witness with other Hebrew or Greek manuscripts, ancient translations, corrections, and scribal habits instead of treating one reading in isolation. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
The biblical record beside the artifact
This manuscript is direct physical evidence for the copying and circulation of Revelation 9:19–20. Its surviving text allows the wording, scribal practice, material format, and transmission history of this passage to be compared with other Greek New Testament witnesses. The connection is textual: the object preserves wording from the cited passages and documents that those passages were copied, arranged, and read in this historical setting. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Revelation 9:19–20
19For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
A responsible historical conclusion
This record gives readers a specific, inspectable point of contact between the biblical passage and an ancient manuscript. It is most useful for understanding preservation, copying, and reception while keeping historical and theological conclusions proportionate to the evidence. Its value is cumulative and comparative: a controlled manuscript identity adds one more datable checkpoint to the history of the biblical text and helps readers see how conclusions are tested. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Authoritative sources
Institutional catalogs, excavation reports, and academic publications let you examine the evidence beyond this summary.
Manuscript P85
Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsExact catalog record for P85, giving its date, material, holding collection, shelf number, contents, physical description, and digital facsimile context.
INTF manuscript workspace P85
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, University of MünsterIndependent INTF workspace identity 10085 for the same Gregory-Aland papyrus, used to control the manuscript designation and textual-witness identity.
Liste Handschriften: Greek New Testament Manuscript Registry
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, University of MünsterAuthoritative registry context for Gregory-Aland manuscript identifiers, contents, dates, and present holdings.