One of the oldest surviving books is set to go up for auction.
The Crosby-Schoyen Codex, a collection of early Christian documents that renowned papyrologist William Willis estimated using carbon dating to date to the third century A.D., is going up for auction on Tuesday.
“These pages are in better readable condition than the Dead Sea scrolls.”
Christie’s, the London-based auction house, is handling the transaction.
According to Eugenio Donadoni, Christie’s senior specialist in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, the ancient artifacts are particularly “unique.”
“It is the oldest book in private ownership and one of the oldest surviving,” Donadoni says. explanation.
The Crosby-Scoyen Codex was discovered in a jar buried in the sand in Egypt in 1952, not far from the famous Nag Hammadi library.
The manuscript (the book’s ancient source) has been preserved in surprisingly good condition given its age thanks to Egypt’s desert climate, and scholars believe it was written by an Egyptian monk.
Written in Sahidic Coptic, a type of ancient Egyptian language, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex contains what scholars believe to be the oldest complete copy of the New Testament letter known as 1 Peter and the Hebrew Bible book known as the Book of Jonah.
It also includes a section of Book 2 Maccabees, a homily from Melito of Sardis, a 2nd century bishop, entitled “Concerning the Passover”, and an unidentified Easter homily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqqonc6090
The importance of the Crosby-Scoyen Codex, especially for the study of the New Testament, cannot be overstated.
For example, some scholars believe that the Greek text used by the Crosby-Schoyen author for his Coptic translation is older than Papyrus 72, the oldest surviving Greek manuscript containing 1 Peter.
Because there are no extant autographs (or original manuscripts) of the New Testament, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex provides an important link in the chain of manuscript history of 1 Peter.
Equally important, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex attests to the growing influence of Christianity in pre-Constantine Rome, a period of persecution and failed attempts to eradicate Christian influence in the empire.
Amazingly, scholars believe that Crosby-Scoyen’s Codex may yet hold new, undiscovered insights.
Because it’s the same technology that allowed scholars Gaining new insights into the Dead Sea Scrolls Not used in the Crosby-Schøyen Codex.
“Researchers will have a field day [with the codex] “if there is a chance” Said Jordan Jones, an expert on biblical archaeology;
Crosby-Skoyen Codex at auction It is scheduled to be sold Up to $3.8 million.
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