Raskrinkano - Biblija nije iskvarena

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For more than a century, P52 has been one of the most celebrated discoveries in biblical studies.

Barely the size of a credit card, this tiny fragment of John's Gospel has often been presented as the earliest surviving New Testament manuscript, seemingly bringing us remarkably close to the origins of Christianity. It has appeared in countless books, documentaries and debates, becoming one of the most famous pieces of evidence in New Testament scholarship.

But how much of its reputation is actually justified?

In this video, we trace the extraordinary journey of P52—from its discovery in the rubbish heaps of ancient Oxyrhynchus, to its identification by Colin Henderson Roberts at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, and the scholarly debates that continue to shape our understanding of its date and significance.
Along the way, we explore how historians date ancient manuscripts, why palaeography is both powerful and limited, how Brent Nongbri and other leading papyrologists challenged long-held assumptions, and what P52 can—and cannot—tell us about the transmission of John's Gospel.

More than simply telling the story of one manuscript, this is a window into how historical scholarship really works. Rather than offering certainty where the evidence is ambiguous, historians continually revisit old conclusions, refine earlier theories, and follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Whether you're interested in biblical manuscripts, textual criticism, early Christianity, or the history of the New Testament, I hope this video gives you a deeper appreciation of one of the most fascinating artefacts from the ancient world