Coptic versions of the Bible
Encyclopedia
There have been many Coptic versions of the Bible, including some of the earliest translations into any language. Several different versions were made in the ancient world, with different editions of the Old
and New Testament
in all four of the major dialects of Coptic
: Bohairic (northern), Fayyumic, Sahidic (southern), Akhmimic, and Mesokemic. Biblical books were translated from the Alexandrian Greek version.
The Sahidic was the leading dialect in the pre-Islam
ic period, after the 11th century Bohairic became dominant and only used dialect of the Coptic language.
Partial copies of a number of Coptic Bibles survive. A considerable number of apocryphal texts also survive in Coptic, most notably the Gnostic Nag Hammadi library
. Coptic remains the liturgical language of the Coptic Church and Coptic editions of the Bible are central to that faith.
Translators of books of the Old Testament into Egyptian dialects were naturally made from the Alexandrian Greek version (Septuagint), and there is no reason to doubt that they were translated at as early a date as the Gospels and Epistles, if not indeed before them. Portions of the Old Testament exist in each Egyptian dialects.
In Sahidic, some Biblical books survived with complete text, there is a large number of extant fragments representing most of the canonical books and certain of the deutero-canonical (the two Wisdoms, the Epistle of Jeremiah, and the Greek additions to Daniel).
Some early manuscripts:
The two main dialects, Sahidic and Bohairic, are the most important for the study of early versions of the New Testament. The Sahidic was the leading dialect in the pre-Islam
ic period. The earliest Bohairic manuscripts date to the 4th century, but most texts come from the 9th century and later.
es. The first translation into the Sahidic dialect was made at the end of the 2nd century in Upper Egypt, where Greek was less well understood. So the Sahidic is famous for being the first major literary development of the Coptic language, though literary work in the other dialects soon followed. By the ninth century, Sahidic was gradually replaced by neighbouring Bohairic, and disappeared. Knowledge of the Sahidic manuscripts was lost until they were rediscovered in the 18th century. In 1778 Woide
issued a prospectus in which he announced his intention of publishing from Oxford manuscripts the fragments of the New Testament "iuxta interpretationem dialecti Superioris Aegypti, quae Thebaidica seu Sahidica appellantur". Another fragments were published in 1884 by Émile Amélineau
. Amélineau also edited other fragments in 1886-1888.
Several years later Horner
produced a critical edition of the Sahidic New Testament over the period 1911–1924. Horner's edition containing almost every verse of the entire New Testament. The Sahidic translation is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
.
The order of books: Gospels (John, Matthew, Mark, Luke), Pauline epistles (Hebrews between 2 Corinthians and Galatians), Catholic epistles, Acts, Apocalypse.
Omitted verses:
Omitted or not included phrases:
Textual variants
In Luke 4:17 it has textual variant and opened the book together with the Greek manuscripts A
, B, L
, W
, Ξ
, 33
, 892
, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syrs, h, pal, copbo, against variant and unrolled the book supported by א, Dc, K
, Δ, Θ
, Π
, Ψ, f1, f13, 28
, 565
, 700
, 1009, 1010 and many other manuscripts.
In Luke 16:19 the version reads: "There was a rich man, with the name N[in]eue, who clothed himself", This reading has also Greek manuscript Papyrus 75
and two Greek minuscule manuscripts 36
and 37
, have a scholion of uncertain date ευρον δε τινες και του πλουσιου εν τισιν αντιγραφοις τουνομα Νινευης λεγομενον.
In Acts 27:37 it reads "seventy six" (as Codex Vaticanus) for "two hundred seventy six".
In 1 Corinthians 15:47 it reads δευτερος for δευτερος ανθρωπος (as copbo).
Some manuscripts
Some of the more notable manuscripts of the Sahidic are the following.
to Cairo
in the 11th century, Bohairic was the dominant language of the Coptic church. As the official dialect of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bohairic seems to enjoy a strong relationship with mainly the other dialects, Egyptian Arabic
and—as it was for several centuries—Greek. The text is mainly Alexandrian, somewhat influenced by the Western text-type
. The Bohairic translation is designated by copbo.
The order of books: Gospels (John, Matthew, Mark, Luke), Pauline epistles (Hebrews between 2 Thess and 1 Tim), Catholic epistles, Acts, and Apocalypse. The Apocalypse is preserved in relatively few manuscripts.
Omitted verses: Matthew 17:21 (some mss); 18:11 (mss); 23:14 (mss); Mark 9:44.46; 11:26 (mss); 15:28 (mss); Luke 17:36; 22:43-44; John 5:4 (mss); 7:53-8:11 (mss); Acts 8:37; 15:34 (mss); 24:7; 28:29; Romans 16:24.
It contains Matthew 12:47; Some manuscripts of the Bohairic version contains verses: 17: 21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 11:26; 15:28; John 5:4; 7:53-8:11; Acts 15:34;
In Acts 27:37 it reads "one hundred seventy six" for "two hundred seventy six".
Some manuscripts
The original {Old} Bohairic version is well represented by manuscripts. More than a hundred of manuscripts have survived. All have the last twelve verses of Mark.
The Bohairic version was employed by Mill
for his edition of 1707. It was first published in 1716 by Wilkins, who edited "Novum Testamentum Aegyptium vulgo Copticum". His edition was accompanied with a Latin translation. Horner produced a critical edition of the Bohairic New Testament in 1898-1905. Horner used more than fifty Bohairic manuscripts preserved in that time in the libraries of Europe.
In 1 John 5:6 two versions, Sahidic and Bohairic, have textual variant "through water and blood and spirit" supported by the manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus
, Codex Alexandrinus
, 104
, 424c
, 614
, 1739c
, 2412, 2495, ℓ 598m, syrh, Origen
.For another variants of this verse see: Textual variants in the First Epistle of John. Bart D. Ehrman
identified this reading as Orthodox corrupt reading.
Lectionaries 1993 and 1605 are trilingual manuscripts:
Coptic manuscripts
Other versions
Internet Archive
Sortable articles
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in all four of the major dialects of Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
: Bohairic (northern), Fayyumic, Sahidic (southern), Akhmimic, and Mesokemic. Biblical books were translated from the Alexandrian Greek version.
The Sahidic was the leading dialect in the pre-Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic period, after the 11th century Bohairic became dominant and only used dialect of the Coptic language.
Partial copies of a number of Coptic Bibles survive. A considerable number of apocryphal texts also survive in Coptic, most notably the Gnostic Nag Hammadi library
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. That year, twelve leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local peasant named Mohammed Ali Samman...
. Coptic remains the liturgical language of the Coptic Church and Coptic editions of the Bible are central to that faith.
Old Testament
In Sahidic, some Biblical books survived with complete text, there is a large number of extant fragments representing most of the canonical books and certain of the deutero-canonical (the two Wisdoms, the Epistle of Jeremiah, and the Greek additions to Daniel).
- Bodmer III — John 1:1-21:25, Genesis 1:1-4:2; 4th century; Bohairic
- Bodmer VI — Proverbs 1:1-21:4; 4th/5th century; Paleo-Theban ("Dialect P")
- Bodmer XVI — Exodus 1:1-15:21; 4th century;
- Bodmer XVIII — Deuteronomium 1:1-10:7; 4th century;
- Bodmer XXI — Joshua 6:16-25; 7:6-11:23; 22:1-2; 22:19-23:7; 23:15-24:2; 4th century;
- Bodmer XXII — Jeremiah 40:3-52:34; Lamentations; Epistle of Jeremiah; Book of Baruch; 4th/5th century;
- Bodmer XXIII — Isaiah 47:1-66:24; 4th century;
- Bodmer XL — Song of Songs
- Bodmer XLIV — Book of Daniel; Bohairic.
- Schøyen Ms 114 — Psalms; Sahidic; ca. A.D. 400.
New Testament
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic period. The earliest Bohairic manuscripts date to the 4th century, but most texts come from the 9th century and later.
Sahidic
The collection of manuscripts of Sahidic translations is often designated by copsa in academic writing and critical apparatusCritical apparatus
The critical apparatus is the critical and primary source material that accompanies an edition of a text. A critical apparatus is often a by-product of textual criticism....
es. The first translation into the Sahidic dialect was made at the end of the 2nd century in Upper Egypt, where Greek was less well understood. So the Sahidic is famous for being the first major literary development of the Coptic language, though literary work in the other dialects soon followed. By the ninth century, Sahidic was gradually replaced by neighbouring Bohairic, and disappeared. Knowledge of the Sahidic manuscripts was lost until they were rediscovered in the 18th century. In 1778 Woide
Carl Gottfried Woide
Carl Gottfried Woide , also known in England as Charles Godfrey Woide, was an Orientalist.Born to a German family in the Polish city of Leszno, he was a pastor of the Reformed church there till 1768. Woide lived in Britain from 1768 to 1790 and worked in the British Museum as a librarian. He was...
issued a prospectus in which he announced his intention of publishing from Oxford manuscripts the fragments of the New Testament "iuxta interpretationem dialecti Superioris Aegypti, quae Thebaidica seu Sahidica appellantur". Another fragments were published in 1884 by Émile Amélineau
Émile Amélineau
Émile Amélineau was a French Coptologist, archaeologist and Egyptologist. His scholarly reputation was established as an editor of previously unpublished Coptic texts...
. Amélineau also edited other fragments in 1886-1888.
Several years later Horner
George William Horner
George William Horner , was a biblical scholar, editor of the text of the New Testament in dialects of Coptic language.Bohairic version Horner edited in 4 volumes from 1898 to 1905, Sahidic version edited in 7 volumes from 1911 to 1924....
produced a critical edition of the Sahidic New Testament over the period 1911–1924. Horner's edition containing almost every verse of the entire New Testament. The Sahidic translation is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
.
The order of books: Gospels (John, Matthew, Mark, Luke), Pauline epistles (Hebrews between 2 Corinthians and Galatians), Catholic epistles, Acts, Apocalypse.
Omitted verses:
- Matthew 12:47; Matthew 16:2b-3Matthew 16:2b-3Gospel of Matthew 16:2b–3 , the passage describes a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees and Sadducees over their demand for a sign from heaven. It is one of several passages of the New Testament that are absent from many early manuscripts...
; 17:21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 9:44.46; 11:26; 15:28; Luke 17:36; 22:43-44Christ's agony at GethsemaneChrist's agony at Gethsemane is a passage in the Gospel of Luke , describing a prayer of Jesus, after which he receives strength from an angel, on the Mount of Olives prior to his betrayal and arrest...
; John 5:4; 7:53-8:11; Acts 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:29; Romans 16:24.
Omitted or not included phrases:
- Matthew 15:6 or (his) mother not included;
- Luke 11:4 phrase "but deliver us from evil" is omitted. This omission is supported by the Greek manuscripts: Codex SinaiticusCodex SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, Codex Vaticanus, Codex RegiusCodex Regius (New Testament)Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
, f1Family 1Family 1 is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the group Ih...
, 700, and some early versions vg, syrs, copbo, arm, geo.
Textual variants
In Luke 4:17 it has textual variant and opened the book together with the Greek manuscripts A
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, B, L
Codex Regius (New Testament)
Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
, W
Codex Washingtonianus
The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the fourth or fifth century...
, Ξ
Codex Zacynthius
Codex Zacynthius, designated by siglum Ξ or 040 , A1 , is a Greek New Testament codex, dated paleographically to the 6th century. Formerly it was dated to the 8th century . It is a palimpsest, a former text had been washed off its vellum pages...
, 33
Minuscule 33
Minuscule 33 , δ 48 , formerly it was called Codex Colbertinus 2844, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia...
, 892
Minuscule 892
Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.- Description :...
, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syrs, h, pal, copbo, against variant and unrolled the book supported by א, Dc, K
Codex Cyprius
Codex Cyprius, designated by Ke or 017 , ε 71 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, on parchment. It was variously dated in the past , currently it is dated to the 9th century. It was brought from Cyprus to Paris...
, Δ, Θ
Codex Koridethi
The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page...
, Π
Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament)
Codex Petropolitanus, designated by Π or 041 , ε 73 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...
, Ψ, f1, f13, 28
Minuscule 28
Minuscule 28 , ε 168 , formerly known as Colbertinus 4705, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has marginalia. It is lacunose.- Description :The codex contains the text of the four Gospels on 292...
, 565
Minuscule 565
Minuscule 565 , ε 93 , also known as the Empress Theodora's Codex. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on purple parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...
, 700
Minuscule 700
Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the Gospels. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogues , Gregory gave it the number 700....
, 1009, 1010 and many other manuscripts.
In Luke 16:19 the version reads: "There was a rich man, with the name N[in]eue, who clothed himself", This reading has also Greek manuscript Papyrus 75
Papyrus 75
Papyrus 75 is an early Greek New Testament papyrus.- Description :Originally '[it] contained about 144 pages ... of which 102 have survived, either in whole or in part.' It 'contains about half the text of ... two Gospels' – Luke and John in Greek...
and two Greek minuscule manuscripts 36
Minuscule 36
Minuscule 36 , A20 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. It has complex contents and full marginalia.- Description :...
and 37
Minuscule 37
Minuscule 37 , A154 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.- Description :...
, have a scholion of uncertain date ευρον δε τινες και του πλουσιου εν τισιν αντιγραφοις τουνομα Νινευης λεγομενον.
In Acts 27:37 it reads "seventy six" (as Codex Vaticanus) for "two hundred seventy six".
In 1 Corinthians 15:47 it reads δευτερος for δευτερος ανθρωπος (as copbo).
Some manuscripts
Some of the more notable manuscripts of the Sahidic are the following.
- The Crosby-Schøyen Codex is a papyrus manuscript of 52 leaves (12x12 cm). It contains the complete text of Book of JonahBook of JonahThe Book of Jonah is a book in the Hebrew Bible. It tells the story of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah ben Amittai who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission...
and 1 PeterFirst Epistle of PeterThe First Epistle of Peter, usually referred to simply as First Peter and often written 1 Peter, is a book of the New Testament. The author claims to be Saint Peter the apostle, and the epistle was traditionally held to have been written during his time as bishop of Rome or Bishop of Antioch,...
(2 Maccabees 5:27-8:41, Melito of SardisMelito of SardisMelito of Sardis was the bishop of Sardis near Smyrna in western Anatolia, and a great authority in Early Christianity: Jerome, speaking of the Old Testament canon established by Melito, quotes Tertullian to the effect that he was esteemed a prophet by many of the faithful...
, Peri Pascha 47-105, unidentified Homily). It is dated to the 3rd or 4th centuries and is held at the University of MississippiUniversity of MississippiThe University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
. - British Library MS. Oriental 7594 contains an unusual combination of books: Deuteronomy, Jonah, and Acts. It is dated paleographically to the late 3rd or early 4th century.
- Michigan MS. Inv 3992, a papyrus codex, has 42 folios (14 by 15 cm). It contains 1 Corinthians, Titus, and the Book of Psalms. It is dated to the 4th century.
- Berlin MS. Or. 408 and British Museum Or. 3518, being parts of the same original document. The Berlin portion contains the Book of Revelation, 1 John, and Philemon (in this order). It is dated to the 4th century.
- Bodmer XIXPapyrus Bodmer XIXCodex Bodmer XIX, is a Coptic uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 4th century . It contains the text of the Gospel of Matthew 14:28-28:20; Epistle to the Romans 1:1-2:3. It is written in Sahidic dialect of Coptic language.The two books are paginated separately in...
— Matthew 14:28-28:20; Romans 1:1-2:3; 4th or 5th century. - Bodmer XLII — 2 Corinthians; dialect unknown; Wolf-Peter Funk suggest Sahidic;
Bohairic
The Bohairic (dialect of Lower Egypt) translation was made a little later, as the Greek language was more influential in lower (northern) Egypt. Probably, it was made in the beginning of the 3rd century. It was a very literal translation; many Greek words, and even some grammatical forms (e.g. syntactic construction μεν — δε) were incorporated to this translation. For this reason, the Bohairic translation is more helpful in the reconstruction of the early Greek text than any other ancient translation. It should also be noted that the Bohairic translation was influenced by several variables, including the other dialects, primarily Sahidic and Fayyumic. When the patriarchate moved from AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in the 11th century, Bohairic was the dominant language of the Coptic church. As the official dialect of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bohairic seems to enjoy a strong relationship with mainly the other dialects, Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
and—as it was for several centuries—Greek. The text is mainly Alexandrian, somewhat influenced by the Western text-type
Western text-type
The Western text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts...
. The Bohairic translation is designated by copbo.
The order of books: Gospels (John, Matthew, Mark, Luke), Pauline epistles (Hebrews between 2 Thess and 1 Tim), Catholic epistles, Acts, and Apocalypse. The Apocalypse is preserved in relatively few manuscripts.
Omitted verses: Matthew 17:21 (some mss); 18:11 (mss); 23:14 (mss); Mark 9:44.46; 11:26 (mss); 15:28 (mss); Luke 17:36; 22:43-44; John 5:4 (mss); 7:53-8:11 (mss); Acts 8:37; 15:34 (mss); 24:7; 28:29; Romans 16:24.
It contains Matthew 12:47; Some manuscripts of the Bohairic version contains verses: 17: 21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 11:26; 15:28; John 5:4; 7:53-8:11; Acts 15:34;
In Acts 27:37 it reads "one hundred seventy six" for "two hundred seventy six".
Some manuscripts
The original {Old} Bohairic version is well represented by manuscripts. More than a hundred of manuscripts have survived. All have the last twelve verses of Mark.
- The earliest surviving manuscript of the four Gospels is dated A.D. 889. It is not complete.
- Papyrus Bodmer IIIPapyrus Bodmer IIICodex Bodmer III, is a Coptic uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 4th century. It contains the text of the Gospel of John with some lacunae. It is written in Bohairic dialect of Coptic language....
is the oldest manuscript of the Bohairic version. It was discovered by John M. Bodmer of Geneva in Upper Egypt. It contains the Gospel of John, dated palaeographically to the 4th century. It contains 239 pages, but the first 22 are damaged. - Huntington MS 17Huntington MS 17Huntington 17, bilinguical Bohairic-Arabic, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on a paper. It is dated by a colophon to the year 1174. It is the oldest manuscript with complete text of the four Gospels in Bohairic.- Description :...
, bilinguical Bohairic-Arabic, dated to 1174, the oldest manuscript with complete text of the four Gospels in Bohairic. - Huntington MS 20Huntington MS 20Huntington 20, is a Bohairic-Greek, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century.- Description :...
, bilinguical Bohairic-Greek, with complete text of the four Gospels. - Oriental MS 424Oriental MS 424Codex Oriental Ms. 424, designated by siglum A1 , t , is written in two languages Bohairic-Arabic, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on paper...
, bilinguical Bohairic-Arabic, dated to 1308, with complete text of the Pauline epistles, Catholic epistles, and the Acts. - Codex Marshall Or. 5Codex Marshall Or. 5Codex Marshall Or. 5, is a Bohairic-Greek, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on a paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 14th century.- Description :...
.
The Bohairic version was employed by Mill
John Mill
John Mill was an English theologian. He is noted for his critical edition of the Greek New Testament which included notes on many variant readings.-Biography:...
for his edition of 1707. It was first published in 1716 by Wilkins, who edited "Novum Testamentum Aegyptium vulgo Copticum". His edition was accompanied with a Latin translation. Horner produced a critical edition of the Bohairic New Testament in 1898-1905. Horner used more than fifty Bohairic manuscripts preserved in that time in the libraries of Europe.
Middle Egypt
The only survived witnesses of an Akhmimic, and an Fayyumic Versions are in a fragmentary pieces (designated by copakh, and copfay).- The Schøyen Codex, a papyrus manuscript. It contains Gospel of Matthew. Dated to the early 4th century. It is the earliest Matthew in any Coptic dialect.
- Codex GlazierCodex GlazierCodex Glazier, designated by siglum copG67, is a Coptic uncial manuscript of the New Testament on parchment. It is dated palaeographically to the 4th or 5th century. Textually it is very close to Greek Codex Bezae.- Description :...
, contains Acts 1:1-15:3, housed at the Pierpont Morgan Library. - P. Mich. inv. 3521, Gospel of John in Fayyumic, ca. A.D. 325.
Textual features
Mark 8:15- the Herodians — p45Papyrus 45Papyrus 45 is an early New Testament manuscript which is a part of the Chester Beatty Papyri. It was probably created around 250 in Egypt. It contains the texts of Matthew 20-21 and 25-26; Mark 4-9 and 11-12; Luke 6-7 and 9-14; John 4-5 and 10-11; and Acts 4-17...
, WCodex WashingtonianusThe Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the fourth or fifth century...
, ΘCodex KoridethiThe Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page...
, f1Family 1Family 1 is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the group Ih...
, f13Family 13Family 13, also known Ferrar Group , is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings — especially in placing the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of Luke, rather than in...
, 28Minuscule 28Minuscule 28 , ε 168 , formerly known as Colbertinus 4705, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has marginalia. It is lacunose.- Description :The codex contains the text of the four Gospels on 292...
, 565Minuscule 565Minuscule 565 , ε 93 , also known as the Empress Theodora's Codex. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on purple parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...
, 1365, itiCodex Vindobonensis Lat. 1235The Codex Vindobonensis Lat. 1235, designated by i or 17 , is a 6th century Latin Gospel Book. The manuscript contains 142 folios . The text, written on purple dyed vellum in silver ink , is a version of the old Latin. The Gospels follow in the Western order.It has numerous lacunae...
, itkCodex BobiensisCodex Bobiensis is a fragmentary Latin manuscript of the bible. Specifically, it is an example of a Vetus Latina bible, which were used from the 2nd century until Jerome's Latin translation, the Vulgate, was written in the 5th century. The text contains parts of the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of...
, copsa, arm, geo - Herod — copbo majority of Greek mss
In 1 John 5:6 two versions, Sahidic and Bohairic, have textual variant "through water and blood and spirit" supported by the manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, Codex Alexandrinus
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, 104
Minuscule 104
Minuscule 104 , α 103 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.Formerly it was labelled by 25a, 31p, and 7r....
, 424c
Minuscule 424
Minuscule 424 , Ο12 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.Formerly it was designated by 66a and 67p....
, 614
Minuscule 614
Minuscule 614 , α 364 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century. The manuscript is lacunose...
, 1739c
Minuscule 1739
Minuscule 1739 ; α 78 per is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 102 parchment leaves . It is dated paleographically to the 10th century.- Description :...
, 2412, 2495, ℓ 598m, syrh, Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
.For another variants of this verse see: Textual variants in the First Epistle of John. Bart D. Ehrman
Bart D. Ehrman
Bart D. Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar, currently the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....
identified this reading as Orthodox corrupt reading.
Greek-Coptic diglot manuscripts
More than forty Greek-Coptic diglot manuscripts of the New Testament have survived to the present day.Lectionaries 1993 and 1605 are trilingual manuscripts:
- Lectionary 1993 – Coptic, Greek, and Arabic
- Lectionary 1605 – Greek, Coptic, and Arabic
See also
- Coptic (disambiguation)
- Coptic languageCoptic languageCoptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
- Coptic literatureCoptic literatureCoptic literature is the body of writings in the Coptic language of Egypt, the last stage of the indigenous Egyptian language. It comprises mostly Christian texts dating after the 2nd century AD, but also includes Old Coptic writings that predate the Christian era.There have been only a few...
- Coptic Orthodox Church
Coptic manuscripts
- List of the Coptic New Testament manuscripts
- Old Testament fragment (Naples, Biblioteca Vittorio Emanuele III, 1 B 18)Old Testament fragment (Naples, Biblioteca Vittorio Emanuele III, 1 B 18)Naples, Biblioteca Vittorio Emanuele III, MS 1 B 18 is a fragment of 5th century manuscript of the Old Testament written in uncials in the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic language. The manuscript has only 8 surviving folios and includes the text from Job 40:8 to Proverbs 3:19.On folio 4 verso there...
Other versions
- Syriac versions of the BibleSyriac versions of the BibleSyria played an important or even predominant role in the beginning of Christianity. Here were written the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Luke, the Didache, Ignatiana, and the Gospel of Thomas. Syria was the country in which the Greek language intersected with the Syriac, which was closely...
- Slavic translations of the BibleSlavic translations of the BibleThis article deals with the history of translation of the Bible into Slavic languages, beginning in the second half of the 9th century....
Further reading
- Kurt AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, 1995, Grand Rapids, Michigan. - Bruce M. Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1977, pp. 99–152.
- Bruce M. Metzger, Bart D. EhrmanBart D. EhrmanBart D. Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar, currently the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....
, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration, Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 110–115. - "Translations" The Oxford Companion to the Bible.
- Franz-Jürgen Schmitz, Gerd Mink, Liste der Koptischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments. I, Die sahidischen Handschriften der Evangelien (Berlin and New York: Walter de GruyterWalter de GruyterWalter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG is a scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. Its origins date back to 1749 when it was given the right to print books by King Frederick II of Prussia. -De Gruyter Mouton:...
, 1991), vol. 1, part 1. - Franz-Jürgen Schmitz, Gerd Mink, Liste der koptischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments, Walter de GruyterWalter de GruyterWalter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG is a scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. Its origins date back to 1749 when it was given the right to print books by King Frederick II of Prussia. -De Gruyter Mouton:...
, 1991, vol. 1, part 2, (pp. 1279) ISBN 3110130157, 9783110130157 - Frederic Wisse, The Coptic Versions of the New Testament, in. The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research, ed. Bart D. EhrmanBart D. EhrmanBart D. Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar, currently the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....
and Michael W. Holmes, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids 1995, pp. 131–141. - Henri Munier, Manuscrits coptes 1916.
- W. E. Crum, Catalogue of the Coptic manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1905.
- Augustini Ciasca, Sacrorum Bibliorum Fragmenta Copto-Sahidica Romae 1885.
- Alla Ivanovna Elanskai︠a︡, http://books.google.pl/books?id=U_z0L0dM-AoC&pg=PA397&lpg=PA397&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false The Literary Coptic manuscripts in the A.S. Pushkin State Fine Arts Museum in Moscow], BRILL, 1994, pp. 397-472.
External links
Online Coptic Version of The New Testament- The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Northern Dialect, Otherwise Called Memphitic and Bohairic.
- The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Southern Dialect, Otherwise Called Sahidic and Thebaic. Oxford 1922
Internet Archive
- Catalogue of the Coptic manuscripts in the British Museum. By W.E. Crum (1905)
- The Coptic (Sahidic) version of certain Books of the Old Testament: from a papyrus in the British Museum (1908)
- The new biblical papyrus, a Sahidic version of Deuteronomy, Jonah, and Acts of the Apostles from MS.Or. 7594 of the British Museum: notes and a collation (1913)
- Coptic Papyri at the Heidelberger Papyrussammlung
Sortable articles
- Coptic Wikisource (⳿ⲪⲂⲓⲕⲓⲡⲏ̇ⲅⲏ) Proposal
- ⳿ⲪⲂⲓⲕⲓⲡⲏ̇ⲅⲏ (Coptic Wikisource) Development Project, currently in the Multilingual Wikisource.
- A Few Notes Concerning Mr. Joseph Warren Wells' Edition of the Sahidic and Bohairic Texts of the New Testament