Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

Shown here is a leaf from a papyrus codex known as P⁴⁶, believed to date from about 200 C.E. The codex contains a collection of nine of Paul’s letters, but the letters do not appear in the same order as in modern-day Bibles. (See Media Gallery, “Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians” and “Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.”) This leaf shows the end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the beginning of his letter to the Christians in Colossae, a city in southwest Asia Minor. It is part of the Papyrus Chester Beatty 2, which is housed at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland. Highlighted is the title, which reads: “Toward [or, “To”] Colossians.” This papyrus collection provides evidence that from an early date, scribes identified Bible books by titles.