Papyrus 18
Papyrus 18, designated by ?18, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript containing the beginning of the Book of Revelation. It contains only Revelation 1:4–7. It is written against the fibres of the papyrus. On the other side of the papyrus is the ending of the book of Exodus. It is unclear whether the papyrus was a scroll of Exodus later reused for a copy of Revelation or a leaf from a codex with miscellaneous contents. The two sides of the papyrus were copied in different hands, but the original editor of the papyrus did not think there was a great interval of time between the copying of the two sides. He assigned the Exodus to the third century and the Revelation to the third or early fourth century.
Description
The Greek text of this manuscript is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. Aland placed it in Category I.It is currently housed at the British Library in London.
Text
Original Greek:
ι εκιαις
Ασια χαρις υμειν και ειρη
και ο ην και ο ερχομε
ενπιον του θρονου αυ
ου και απο ο μαρτυς ο πι
στος ο πρωτοτοκος των νεκρω
και ο αρχων των βασιλεων της γης
τω αγαπωντι ημας και λυσαντι η
ας εκ των αμαρτιων ημων εν
ω αιματι αυτου και εποιησεν ημ
σειαν ιερεις του a και πτρι
υ. αυτω το κρατος και η δοξα
υς αιωνας αμην ιδου
ται μετα των νεφελων
ται αυτον πας οφθαλ
ιτινες αυτον εξε
Romanization:
i ekiais
Asia charis hymein kai eirē
kai ho ēn kai ho erchome
enpion tou thronou au
ou kai apo ho martys ho pi
stos ho prōtotokos tōn nekrō
kai ho archōn tōn basileōn tēs gēs
tō agapōnti hēmas kai lysanti hē
as ek tōn hamartiōn hēmōn en
ō aimati autou kai epoiēsen hēm
seian hiereis tou kai ptri
u. autō to kratos kai hē doxa
us aiōnas amēn idou
tai meta tōn nephelōn
tai auton pas ophthal
itines auton exe
Translation :
John, To the seven churches
in the province of Asia: Grace and peace
to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits
before his throne,
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
the firstborn from the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us
from our sins by his blood,
and has made us to be a
kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—
to him be glory and power
for ever and ever! Amen. “Look,
he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”
a The scribe corrected this to τω