PAPYRUS P45 𝔓⁴5 (P. Chester Beatty I)
is an early New Testament manuscript that is a part of the Chester Beatty Papyri. It has been paleographically dated to about 175-225 CE.[1] It contains the texts of Matthew 20-21 and 25-26; Mark 4-9 and 11-12; Luke 6-7 and 9-14; John 4-5 and 10-11; and Acts 4-17. The manuscript is currently housed at the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland, except for one leaf containing Matt. 25:41-26:39 which is at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna (Pap. Vindob. G. 31974)
The manuscript is heavily damaged and fragmented. The papyrus was bound in a codex, which may have consisted of 220 – 250 pages, however, only 30 survive (two of Matthew, six of Mark, seven of Luke, two of John, and 13 of Acts). All of the pages have lacunae, with very few lines complete. The leaves of Matthew and John are the smallest. The original pages were roughly 10 inches by 8 inches.
This reconstruction is based on a genuine Egyptian papyrus. This codex was transcribed into Greek in Egypt. It is a page from papyrus P45. This fragmented page contains Luke 13:29–14:10.
