Early Manuscript of John’s Gospel

Shown here is the first page of an early Bible manuscript called Papyrus Bodmer 2 (P⁶⁶), which was copied and bound as a codex about 200 C.E. This manuscript contains a large part of the Greek text of the Good News (or, Gospel) According to John. The first page of this manuscript begins with the title (highlighted) Eu·ag·geʹli·on Ka·taʹ I·o·anʹnen (“Good News According to John”). Titles were evidently not part of the original text but were added later by copyists. The use of such titles along with the name of the writer may have come about for practical reasons, providing a clear means of identification of the books.