Until November 1, the oldest document kept in the monumental building can be viewed at the Biblioteca Nacional (BN). It was loaned by the Fundación Pastor de Estudios Clásicos in the 1980s and today, as an outstanding piece of the institution, it is the protagonist of a small free exhibition for the general public.
The Ezekiel Papyrus ( or Codex P967) is one of the oldest and most valuable biblical manuscripts in the world. With more than two hundred pages, it preserves the Greek translation of the Book of Daniel (including the story of Susanna and the story of Bel and the Dragon), the Book of Esther – which narrates the salvation of the Jewish people in Persia – and the Book of Ezekiel, which contains prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem and the restoration of Israel.
A relic present in five collections around the world.
The entire document is divided among five collections around the world: the Kölner Papyrussammlung (Cologne), the John H. Scheide (Princeton), the Chester Beatty (Dublin), the Roca-Puig of the Abbey of Montserrat (Barcelona) and the Pastor de Estudios Clásicos in the capital. For this reason, the BN only has ten sheets of the papyrus written on both sides.
However, in order to guarantee a unique experience for visitors to the exhibition, the Biblioteca Nacional has ensured that high-quality images of the parts of the papyrus held in the other collections have been brought together to show them together in a circular tour that reveals the history of the codex, from its discovery in Egypt to the present day.
In addition to taking a close look at the 10 sheets of the PastorCollection of Classical Studies, visitors will be able to enjoy a virtual reconstruction of the papyrus, assessing how the passage of time has affected the document (among other challenges).
Exhibition schedule
You can visit the exhibition from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm Monday to Friday and from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm on Saturdays. Closing days are available on the BN website.