Ancient Coptic Texts Discovered

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CAIRO*–* Polish experts excavating in the southern city of Luxor have discovered three ancient Coptic manuscripts in a Pharaonic tomb, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said on Saturday.
****The find was the single most important Coptic discovery since 1945 when a pair of bedouins stumbled onto the Coptic codices in Nag Hammadi in Egypt’s western desert, it said.
****The manuscripts date to the sixth century and were concealed in a Middle Kingdom (2000 to 1800 BC) tomb in Luxor, about 710 kilometers (440 miles) south of Cairo, the council said.
****The texts may have been hidden there by Christians who were being persecuted at the time by the Romans, it said.

metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050221-053902-8382r
 
The dates are wrong for it to be Christians hiding works from the Romans. It could be native Copts trying to hide books from Orthodox Byzantine troops (though this doesn’t seem likely). It could also be Chrisitans hiding old manuscripts from Egypt’s new Muslim conquerors. Or the article could have the dates completely garbled and meant 3rd century instead of 6th.

Irenicist
 
## Coptic developed only after the Pharaonic period had ended (that happened in 342 BC) - so how do such MSS. come to be present in a Middle Kingdom tomb ? ##
 
Gottle of Geer said:
## Coptic developed only after the Pharaonic period had ended (that happened in 342 BC) - so how do such MSS. come to be present in a Middle Kingdom tomb ? ##
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According to the article they date from the 6th century and were hidden in the tomb
 
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Irenicist:
The dates are wrong for it to be Christians hiding works from the Romans. It could be native Copts trying to hide books from Orthodox Byzantine troops (though this doesn’t seem likely). It could also be Chrisitans hiding old manuscripts from Egypt’s new Muslim conquerors. Or the article could have the dates completely garbled and meant 3rd century instead of 6th.

Irenicist
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They would not have been hiding their manuscripts from the Romans. I agree with Irenicist that it is more than likely that they were hiding them from the Muslim conquerors.

MaggieOH
 
I love the Coptic language, the hymns that we sing in my church are beautiful. I just recently downloaded a Coptic font on my computer so I can learn how to write and read it.

Is there any information regarding the content of these manuscripts?

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
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MaggieOH:
They would not have been hiding their manuscripts from the Romans. I agree with Irenicist that it is more than likely that they were hiding them from the Muslim conquerors.

MaggieOH
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**## If they are of the 6th century, they are pre-Muslim. (Alexandria, the foremost Egyptian city, surrendered to the Muslims only in 640 or so.) **
Hagia: TY 🙂 :o ##
 
The manuscripts could have been from before the muslim conquests but have been around for years.

Also, I wander if who the manuscripts were hidden from was changed b/c it is a Middle Eastern site/article, know what I mean??

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
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Coptic:
Is there any information regarding the content of these manuscripts?
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The only thing I have been able to find on it is the article I quoted from - I hope we hear more - I think it will be wonderful to find out what they say…the never-ending story of faith…complemented by the artifacts of historical discovery.
 
LOL…sorry for being vague.

My point was that most everything in the Middle East is operated by Muslims–especially in Egypt. So I was wandering if Muslims would realistically post an article that says the Coptic manuscripts were being hid from them because it may depict a negative view of them.

I dunno, maybe I’m just being silly…

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
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Coptic:
LOL…sorry for being vague.

My point was that most everything in the Middle East is operated by Muslims–especially in Egypt. So I was wandering if Muslims would realistically post an article that says the Coptic manuscripts were being hid from them because it may depict a negative view of them.

I dunno, maybe I’m just being silly…

God Bless,
Elizabeth
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LOL - Well it’s so new IMO we are just getting the “raw intial report” I assume clarifications will be made after a variety of scholars examine them. However I do understand your speculations - myself, I don’t believe much that comes from the head of the Antiquities in Egypt - he is something else and frankly is proving a stumbling block to finding out more about many historical sites and archaelogical digs than the public generally is aware of. He insists on controlling access to EVERYTHING and uses as his excuse that people are prone to attribute great works of culture to people other than Egyptian nationals - well heaven forbid, anyone look into things.
 
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