A papyrus fragment found in Egypt preserves the oldest known surviving prayer to the Virgin Mary.
Known as Sub Tuum Praesidium, the prayer reads:
“Beneath your compassion we take refuge, O Theotokos. Do not despise our petitions in time of trouble, but deliver us from dangers.”
The fragment, catalogued as Rylands Papyrus 470 and now held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, has traditionally been dated as early as the 3rd century, although scholars have proposed later dates as well.
What makes it remarkable is the use of the title “Theotokos” — Mother of God — for Mary centuries before the Council of Ephesus formally affirmed the title in AD 431.
The surviving papyrus is ancient, but the prayer itself may be older than the manuscript that preserves it.
One of the earliest surviving witnesses to Christians asking for the intercession and protection of the Virgin Mary. ✝️
Credit: SacredChad
On the bright side, all of these Muslim immigrant families will eventually degenerate completely and become sterile/impotent due to rampant inbreeding.
"Evil destroys even itself"
-Aristotle