Egypt Exploration Fund [Hrsg.]: Archaeological report: comprising the work of the Egypt Exploration Fund and the progress of egyptology during the year ... (1906-1907)

Christian Egypt,

67

C—CHRISTIAN EGYPT *

1. Biblical.—Fragments of the Sa'idic Pentateuch, in the Paris collec-
tion, but omitted in Maspero's publication, are printed by Beooke.1

Wessely, who hitherto had not concerned himself with the Coptic
portion of the Earner collection, now elaborately edits its Psalter frag-
ments (already arranged by Krall).2 The most important are the ' early
6th century' papyrus, photographed in the Fuhrer, and a still older piece,
with parallel Greek text. Fragments from 9 vellum MSS. are also
published, 2 being bilingual and, W. holds, of the 5th century—if so, the
oldest bilingual extant.

The Egyptian Psalter versions take a prominent place in Bahles's
important study of that book.3 The result of his investigation is that the
whole evidence, text and versions together, indicates three groups: the
Egyptian (Upper and Lower), the Western, and the Common. The Upper
Egyptian is represented by the Sa'idic and the London (U) and Leipzig
papyri; the Lower by Codex B and the Bohairic. The Sa'idic and Bohairic
influenced each other at various periods, though of course the latter is far
younger. Cyril clearly favours the Lower Egyptian type, which should
imply that this represents the Hesychian recension ; while much earlier
Fathers testify to the antiquity of the Upper Egyptian version, which is
indeed apparently preorigenistic. Many of its peculiarities are arbitrary
and independent of the Greek: some even postchristian (Heinrici).

The Hesychian type of text is evidently represented, according to
Deissmann, by the Heidelberg fragment of the Prophets, which he
recently edited and which he describes as the remnant of a; Bible from
an Upper Egyptian village church.4

Crum's Ostraca and some published byLefebvre (v. Report 1904-05, 73),
contain a number of Greek New Testament texts, which Bludau critically
re-edits.6 L.'s series, with Luke xxii, he, like Lefebvre, takes to represent
a poor man's lectionary.

In Leipoldt's 'History of the New Testament Canon'6 there are, as
might be expected, much information and many interesting suggestions
regarding the history of the Bible in Egypt, especially as to the use there
of the older apocryphal books. AVe may note his observations on the
probable Egyptian origin of 2 Clement, also of the Codex Sinaiticus and the
Catal. Claromontanus; on the popularity there of Hennas, though no
longer canonically accepted; on the influence of Shenoute in securing the

* I have, as usual, to thank Professor L. Soherman for some references.