The first volume of the new series “Papyri and the New Testament” introduces students, teachers, and scholars to the value of the study of papyrological documentsand their impact on the understanding of early Christ groups.Papyri, ostraca, and tablets document social, economic, political, and multilingualcircumstances of the Greco-Roman period and are one of the best sources for understandingNew Testament times. Compared to the first studies devoted to papyri andthe New Testament some hundred years ago, the amount of available material hasincreased twentyfold. In addition, the days have...

Everyday life in Graeco-Roman times has fascinated generations of scholars, students and people interested in the New Testament alike. One of the most unique sources to access ancient everyday affairs are documentary papyri because they provide access to the ancient world both before and while it was shaped into one in which Christianity began to predominate. These textual sources allow the modern reader to meet everyday people from the past through their own writings and in texts about their daily affairs, joys, and sorrows. Documentary papyri provide an abundance of information to...