Fragment of New Testament discovered on eBay

- A piece of papyrus containing a fragment of the Gospel of John is sold on the American auction site eBay for a primary bid of only $ 99 (93 euros).

Discoverer Geoffrey Smith, a researcher of early Christianity at the University of Texas, managed to convince the seller that the fragment in a private collection should not disappear but should be investigated. On Saturday, he will present the results of that investigation, reports The New York Times.

The piece of papyrus is about as big as a credit card and dates from 250 to 350 AD. There are six lines on the Gospel of John on one side and previously unknown Christian text on the other side.