Uncial 060: John’s Farewell Discourse Fragment
Uncial 060: John’s Farewell Discourse Fragment is the independently registered Greek New Testament witness GA 060, controlled by its manuscript number, present shelfmark, physical form, and surviving biblical contents.
- Artifact date
- Sixth century AD
- Findspot
- Recovered in Egypt and preserved in the Berlin papyrus collection; the exact ancient findspot and copying center are not secure
- Current location
- Berlin State Museums, Papyrussammlung, P. 5877
What archaeologists can actually examine
one parchment leaf fragment, preserving John 14:14–17, 19–21, 23–24, and 26–28 from Jesus’ farewell discourse. The surviving writing surface uses a fragment about 14 by 12 centimeters preserving Greek majuscule writing from a lost codex.
A controlled physical identity
GA 060 and Berlin State Museums, Papyrussammlung, P. 5877 identify this witness independently of broad manuscript names or subject matter.
The writing surface is evidence
one parchment leaf fragment, preserving John 14:14–17, 19–21, 23–24, and 26–28 from Jesus’ farewell discourse. The surviving writing surface uses a fragment about 14 by 12 centimeters preserving Greek majuscule writing from a lost codex.
Directly preserved Scripture
The extant leaves physically preserve John 14:14–28; the connection is textual and material rather than merely thematic.
The limits remain visible
This is a sixth century ad witness rather than an autograph or an object from the events narrated in John 14:14–28. Only one parchment leaf fragment survive, the stated date is palaeographic, and the original copying center and early ownership are not fully documented. Broken margins, erased writing, later reuse, or lacunae must not be silently reconstructed as surviving text.
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
Recovered in Egypt and preserved in the Berlin papyrus collection; the exact ancient findspot and copying center are not secure. The Gregory–Aland number GA 060 and the repository designation Berlin State Museums, Papyrussammlung, P. 5877 control identity independently of generic labels such as “uncial fragment.” Modern custody does not establish ancient provenance, so this dossier separates find or collection history, likely copying context, publication, and present location. The record was also checked against the live Watchman 33 inventory by GA number, shelfmark, contents, and source URLs before selection. Digital photographs extend access, but the parchment itself remains the archaeological object.
What you are looking at
one parchment leaf fragment, preserving John 14:14–17, 19–21, 23–24, and 26–28 from Jesus’ farewell discourse. The surviving writing surface uses a fragment about 14 by 12 centimeters preserving Greek majuscule writing from a lost codex. Material, ruling, lineation, ink, letter formation, corrections, marginal systems, bilingual writing, and reuse are evidence alongside the copied words. The selected image depicts GA 060 itself, not a generic manuscript. It represents one photographed side or leaf and must not be mistaken for every missing page of the original codex.
Where it belongs in history
The display date “Sixth century AD” follows current registry and palaeographic assessment. Letter forms, ruling, page design, material, ink, and comparison with related hands can support a range, but they do not supply an exact calendar year. This manuscript directly preserves John 14:14–28 in the period when it was copied. That is evidence for the transmission and use of those texts, not proof that the physical leaf was present when the narrated events occurred.
Consensus, questions, and debate
GA 060 contributes a physically controlled witness to the textual history of John. Its readings are evaluated passage by passage against other Greek witnesses, early translations, patristic citations, scribal corrections, and the history of the codex. A text-type or Aland-category label summarizes patterns; it does not decide every reading or rank the manuscript’s theological value. The INTF registry controls the international manuscript identity, CSNTM provides an independent manuscript catalog and images where available, and published bibliography locates editions and collations.
The biblical record beside the artifact
The surviving parchment directly preserves John 14:14–28. It materially witnesses the copying, reading, organization, and transmission of these biblical passages in sixth century ad.
John 14:14–28
14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it.]
15¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you.
26But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come [again] unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
A responsible historical conclusion
Uncial 060: John’s Farewell Discourse Fragment makes textual transmission visible at human scale. Its surviving surface shows how a biblical book was copied, formatted, corrected, translated, read, erased, or preserved. The connected Bible pages let readers move from the object to the precise passages it contains, while stable registry and repository identifiers make the claims independently checkable. Its fragmentary condition is instructive rather than embarrassing: confidence rests on comparing bounded evidence, not on asking one leaf to carry more history than it preserves.
Authoritative sources
Institutional catalogs, excavation reports, and academic publications let you examine the evidence beyond this summary.
NT.VMR manuscript workspace: GA 060
University of Münster INTFOfficial registry workspace used to confirm the identity, contents, date, and current repository of GA 060.
CSNTM catalog: GA 060
Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsIndependent manuscript catalog used to check the physical description, shelfmark, contents, and available digital images of GA 060.
A Bibliography of Greek New Testament Manuscripts
Cambridge University PressScholarly bibliographic framework for tracing published catalogs, facsimiles, collations, and textual studies of registered Greek New Testament manuscripts.
Uncial 060: John’s Farewell Discourse Fragment image and rights record
Wikimedia CommonsSource page for the authentic GA 060 manuscript image used here; the historical manuscript image is marked public domain.
Uncial 060 preserving portions of John 14 · Historical manuscript image via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
View the image source and license