A team of scientists has managed to uncover a historical enigma. The “secret chapter” of the Biblelost for nearly 1,500 years. The surprise came when the police intervened. ultraviolet lightenabled us to discover this precious piece of one of humanity’s most influential scriptures under three layers of writing. magazine New Testament Studies It was the framework chosen to disseminate this incredible finding that provided one of the first translations of the Gospels.
researcher Grigory KessellHe led the team responsible for this discovery, from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Dr. “Until recently, only two manuscripts were known that contained the Old Syriac translation of the gospels,” says Kessel. These manuscripts are kept in the British Library in London and in the Convent of Santa Catalina on Mount Sinai.
What makes this discovery particularly exciting is that the newly emerged text is a Interpretation of Matthew chapter 12 The Bible originally appeared in Old Syriac translations 1500 years ago. By its appearance, scholars say they have found the only known remnant of the fourth manuscript, which is invaluable proof of the Old Syriac version of the Gospels.
Pages reused due to parchment shortage
This version provides a “unique gateway” to the first phase of the history of the textual transmission of the Gospels, allowing for a more detailed consideration of the Gospels. differences in translations. So, for example, the original Greek of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, verse 1 says: “At that time Jesus was passing through the fields on the Sabbath and his disciples were hungry and they began to pluck ears of corn”, in the Syriac version it reads: “…corn they began to pluck the ears, rub them on their hands and eat them.”
Researchers claim that the Bible book belongs to the sixth century at the latest. due to frequent reuse of pages, parchment shortage 1,300 years ago, these texts, which were often deleted to make room for new writings, posed a challenge in preserving.
This finding assumes a milestone in the study of medieval manuscripts and emphasizes the power of digital technology in this field. Claudia RappDirector of the Institute for Medieval Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, “this discovery shows how fruitful and important the interaction between modern digital technologies and basic research on medieval manuscripts can be.”