What is the oldest survving Christian document?

Answer 1

A tiny papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John is currently the oldest known "manuscript" of the New Testament. This manuscript (P52, also known as the John Rylands Fragment) has generally been dated to ca. A.D. 125. Today it is physically located at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England. It contains the verses John 18:31-33, 37-38. It's an important document because it proves that the Gospel of John was written earlier than some scholars had thought (as late as A.D. 200). The fragment was found in Africa, near the Nile River.

Answer 2

The earliest documents that mention Jesus are Hebrews and Paul's epistles, all written by the middle of the first century. Mark's Gospel was written approximately 70 CE, and the other New Testament gospels and epistles some decades later. The non-canonical First Epistle of Clement is generally dated around 100 CE and the Epistle of Barnabas a little later, as is the Didache.

The oldest surviving gospel manuscript is a copy of John's Gospel, that is dated on the basis of handwriting style to perhaps 125 CE, but with more certainly simply to the second century.

Answer 3

The Vedas of the Hindu Dharma and the Gathas of Zoroastrianism are probably the oldest. The Vedas are dated as being written down somewhere in the 1500-500 BCE period. The Gathas are dated from around the same time.