The Gospels · early-to-mid 2nd century CE (papyrus copied c. 200 CE)
The Egerton Gospel
The Egerton Gospel is an otherwise unknown gospel surviving in four papyrus fragments acquired by the British Museum in 1934 — among the oldest Christian manuscripts in existence, copied around the late second century. Its episodes overlap John and the synoptics without matching either: disputes with lawyers, a leper healed, the tribute question, and a mysterious miracle by the Jordan found nowhere else.
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In 1934 the British Museum purchased a batch of papyri from a dealer; among them were fragments of a gospel no one had ever read. Papyrus Egerton 2 — joined decades later by a further scrap identified in Cologne (P.Köln 255) — preserves episodes from a gospel that is neither John nor the synoptics but sounds eerily like both at once.
Its four legible episodes: Jesus disputes with lawyers and rulers who take up stones ('we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for you, we don't know where you're from'); a leper is healed and sent to the priests; questioners flatter Jesus before the tribute trap; and — unique in ancient literature — a fragmentary scene by the Jordan where Jesus scatters something on the river and produces fruit, an unparalleled miracle whose meaning is lost with the papyrus.
The manuscript's date is the headline: copied c. 150–200 CE, it is among the very oldest surviving Christian books of any kind — older than nearly every canonical manuscript. Scholars debate whether its author knew John and the synoptics, drew on shared oral tradition, or wrote before the canonical forms hardened; the fragments are too short to settle it.
The translation below is Mark M. Mattison's, in the public domain. The fragment boundaries and lacunae are shown exactly as the papyrus leaves them.
Fragment 1, versoSearch the Scriptures
⟦ The fragment begins and breaks off mid-sentence. Bracketed words are the translator's reconstructions of damaged text; bracketed ellipses mark gaps too damaged to reconstruct. ⟧
[...] to the lawyers ["...all] the wrongdoers [...] and not me [...] how does he do it?"
[Then he turned] to [the] rulers of the people and made this statement: "Search [the] scriptures; [you think] you have life in them. They [testify] about me. Don't [think] I've come to accuse [you] before my Father. [The one who accuses] you is Moses, in whom [you] hope."
But they [said,] "We know [well] God [spoke] to Moses, but you -- we don't know [where you're from."]
Jesus [told them] in reply, "Now [you] stand accused because [you don't believe those who've been approved] by him; because if [you believed Moses,] you'd believe [me, for] he [wrote] about me to your ancestors [...]"
Fragment 1, rectoThe Healing of a Leper
⟦ The fragment begins and breaks off mid-sentence. ⟧
[...] stones together [so they could stone him.] And the [rulers] laid their [hands] on him [so that] they might seize him and [deliver him] to the crowd. But they [could] not seize him, because the hour of his arrest [had] not yet [come.] So the Lord escaped [from their hands] and withdrew from [them.]
And look, someone with leprosy approached [him] and said, "Teacher Jesus, while I was [traveling] with [others] who had [leprosy] and eating at the inn [with them,] I [contracted leprosy] myself. But if [you want to,] you can cure me."
Now the Lord [told him, "I want to:] be cured." [And immediately] the leprosy left him.
Then Jesus [told] him, ["Go] and show [yourself] to the [priests] and offer [what Moses ordered for] your cure, and don't sin anymore [...]"
Fragment 2, rectoA Question About Tribute
⟦ The fragment begins mid-sentence and breaks off in the quotation from Isaiah. ⟧
[...] to him, examining him to test him: "Teacher Jesus, we know that you've come [from God,] because the things you do [testify] above and beyond all the prophets. [So tell] us: is it right [to give] kings what belongs to them? [Should we pay] them, or [not?"]
But since Jesus knew what [they] were thinking, [he scolded them] and asked [them,] "Why do you pay me lip service as a Teacher but [don't do] what [I say? Isaiah] accurately prophesied [about] you when he said:
[These people honor] me with their [lips,] [but] their [heart] is [far] from [me.] [They worship me pointlessly,] [... rules ...]
Fragment 2, versoA Miracle at the Jordan
⟦ The fragment begins mid-sentence and breaks off here; the rest of the gospel is lost. ⟧
[...] enclosed in the [place ...] being subjected uncertainly [... its] weight unweighed [...] but [while] they were puzzled [as] to [his] strange question, Jesus walked and stood [on the] bank of the Jordan [river.] And reaching out with [his] right hand [...] and he sowed [on] the [...] and then [...] water [...] the [...] and [...] he produced [...] fruit [...]
Translation by Mark M. Mattison, released into the public domain. Source manuscript: Egerton Papyrus 2 (British Library), three fragments; a further fragment of the same codex is Papyrus Köln 255. Gaps and brackets reproduce the state of the manuscript — nothing has been smoothed over or invented. Read about our standards on the sources & standards page.
Cite this page: “The Egerton Gospel,” trans. Mark M. Mattison, The Gnostic Library, thegnosticlibrary.com/texts/egerton-gospel/ (updated 2026-08-22).
Common questions
What is the Egerton Gospel?
An unknown early gospel preserved only in papyrus fragments (P.Egerton 2 + P.Köln 255), first published in 1935. It contains episodes resembling both John and the synoptics plus one miracle found nowhere else — evidence that more gospels circulated in the second century than survived.
How old is the Egerton Gospel?
The surviving copy was made around 150–200 CE, placing it among the oldest Christian manuscripts known. The composition itself is usually dated to the early or mid second century, with a minority arguing for the late first.
Is the Egerton Gospel related to the Gospel of John?
Its dispute scenes share striking language with John ('search the scriptures... they testify about me') while its healing and tribute episodes echo the synoptics. Whether its author used those gospels, shared their sources, or preceded their final forms is one of the liveliest small debates in gospel scholarship.
What is the unknown miracle in the Egerton Gospel?
The final fragment shows Jesus by the Jordan scattering — the papyrus breaks — something on the water, which brings forth fruit before the crowd. No other ancient text records this scene, and the damage means no one knows what it meant.