DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.47598#0164
The find of MSS at the junction of the North and East Stairways indicates their deposit there to
have occurred in a time of great destruction6. Since these MSS were mainly Coptic works written
on papyrus and possibly 9th century in date or slightly earlier, it is tempting to associate time of
their deposit either in the capture of Ibrim in 956 or in the much more calamitous capture by
Shams ed-Dowlah in 1173. The possibility of an even later date cannot, however, be ruled out.
The fourth area which produced MSS was that of the open courtyard. In the final Christian Period
this had been overbuilt with a massive mudbrick complex. When the Bosnians took over the
fortress in the 16th century they filled in the standing walls of this structure with earth and rubbish
and raised on top their stone built houses. It was in this area that two sealed jars each containing
leather scrolls written in Old Nubian were found. Since a number of these scrolls contain dates it
can be stated that the last of the Christian documents from Ibrim cannot have been deposited
earlier than 1464.
The Greek MSS and the greater part of the Coptic MSS were found in the Cathedral or in its
immediate vicinity. Since all of these are ecclesiastical literary works it can be assumed with some
confidence that they once formed part of the Cathedral library. Associated with them were
a number of fragments of Old Nubian MSS written on parchment which probably also came from
the same library. It is not unlikely that some other fragments of Coptic MSS found elsewhere on
the site may have once formed part of the same collection7. In the case of the Old Nubian and the
Arabic documents which are clearly non-literary in content we are probably correct in thinking
that these originated in most instances either from the archive of the Eparch of Nubia or from the
archive of the Bishop of Ibrim, both of whom resided at the fortress8. All these MSS, with one
exception, were written on paper. The exception to the use of paper is the employment of leather
for the writing of what appear to be important official or legal documents. Papyrus which was used
on Ibrim in Meroitic times appears in the Christian period9. A few fragments are clearly parts of
Coptic letters, but literary works are also represented by some large pieces.
To turn to the nature and contents of the MSS language by language, and beginning with the Greek
documents, it is already known form the author of the Kitab al-Fihrist that “the holy books of the
Nubian Church are written in Greek, but they had versions in their own language”. Similar
statements were made by Abdu-llah Ahmed Ibn Sulaim, who visited Nubia on an embassy from the
first Fatimid Khalif Mu’izz, and by Abu Salih. If there remained any doubt about these
statements, the evidence from Ibrim alone amply confirms their veracity.
All the Greek MSS came from the Cathedral or from the second of the rock cut tombs in its
immediate vicinity. Preliminary examination of the MSS shows that they are all literary in content.
Some of the fragments are parts of the liturgy, others would appear to be parts of homilies. In all
but a few cases they are written on parchment. The few exceptions would appear to be on paper,
though further examination may demonstrate that the material used is in fact parchment.
A considerable number of the fragments show that the books from which they originated were
small in size. In this respect they differ from the remains of the Coptic books which generally
present large pages with wide margins.
The handwriting of the Greek MSS approximates more towards the style associated with Old
Nubian hands. One may perhaps ask if the development of the Old Nubian script owed more to
Greek examples than to Coptic. It should also be noted that in a number of MSS both Greek and
Old Nubian there occurs a very small, almost microscopic, handwriting in which a thick black ink
is employed.
Among the Greek MSS found in 1966 was part of a small parchment book, a gathering of eight
folio pages (Fig. 2). Unfortunately the state of the parchment was such that it was not possible to
6 Signs of burning were visible when the MSS were found.
7 Two folio parchment pages containing the beginning of a homily on the Four Living Creatures by St John
Chrysostom were found in the debris over the open courtyard on the west fortifications.
8 Several of the Old Nubian letters bear the title of the Eparch on the verso. A few seem to be addressed to the Bishop.
9 Cf. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, LIII (1967), p. 4; LVI (1970), p. 17.
103
have occurred in a time of great destruction6. Since these MSS were mainly Coptic works written
on papyrus and possibly 9th century in date or slightly earlier, it is tempting to associate time of
their deposit either in the capture of Ibrim in 956 or in the much more calamitous capture by
Shams ed-Dowlah in 1173. The possibility of an even later date cannot, however, be ruled out.
The fourth area which produced MSS was that of the open courtyard. In the final Christian Period
this had been overbuilt with a massive mudbrick complex. When the Bosnians took over the
fortress in the 16th century they filled in the standing walls of this structure with earth and rubbish
and raised on top their stone built houses. It was in this area that two sealed jars each containing
leather scrolls written in Old Nubian were found. Since a number of these scrolls contain dates it
can be stated that the last of the Christian documents from Ibrim cannot have been deposited
earlier than 1464.
The Greek MSS and the greater part of the Coptic MSS were found in the Cathedral or in its
immediate vicinity. Since all of these are ecclesiastical literary works it can be assumed with some
confidence that they once formed part of the Cathedral library. Associated with them were
a number of fragments of Old Nubian MSS written on parchment which probably also came from
the same library. It is not unlikely that some other fragments of Coptic MSS found elsewhere on
the site may have once formed part of the same collection7. In the case of the Old Nubian and the
Arabic documents which are clearly non-literary in content we are probably correct in thinking
that these originated in most instances either from the archive of the Eparch of Nubia or from the
archive of the Bishop of Ibrim, both of whom resided at the fortress8. All these MSS, with one
exception, were written on paper. The exception to the use of paper is the employment of leather
for the writing of what appear to be important official or legal documents. Papyrus which was used
on Ibrim in Meroitic times appears in the Christian period9. A few fragments are clearly parts of
Coptic letters, but literary works are also represented by some large pieces.
To turn to the nature and contents of the MSS language by language, and beginning with the Greek
documents, it is already known form the author of the Kitab al-Fihrist that “the holy books of the
Nubian Church are written in Greek, but they had versions in their own language”. Similar
statements were made by Abdu-llah Ahmed Ibn Sulaim, who visited Nubia on an embassy from the
first Fatimid Khalif Mu’izz, and by Abu Salih. If there remained any doubt about these
statements, the evidence from Ibrim alone amply confirms their veracity.
All the Greek MSS came from the Cathedral or from the second of the rock cut tombs in its
immediate vicinity. Preliminary examination of the MSS shows that they are all literary in content.
Some of the fragments are parts of the liturgy, others would appear to be parts of homilies. In all
but a few cases they are written on parchment. The few exceptions would appear to be on paper,
though further examination may demonstrate that the material used is in fact parchment.
A considerable number of the fragments show that the books from which they originated were
small in size. In this respect they differ from the remains of the Coptic books which generally
present large pages with wide margins.
The handwriting of the Greek MSS approximates more towards the style associated with Old
Nubian hands. One may perhaps ask if the development of the Old Nubian script owed more to
Greek examples than to Coptic. It should also be noted that in a number of MSS both Greek and
Old Nubian there occurs a very small, almost microscopic, handwriting in which a thick black ink
is employed.
Among the Greek MSS found in 1966 was part of a small parchment book, a gathering of eight
folio pages (Fig. 2). Unfortunately the state of the parchment was such that it was not possible to
6 Signs of burning were visible when the MSS were found.
7 Two folio parchment pages containing the beginning of a homily on the Four Living Creatures by St John
Chrysostom were found in the debris over the open courtyard on the west fortifications.
8 Several of the Old Nubian letters bear the title of the Eparch on the verso. A few seem to be addressed to the Bishop.
9 Cf. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, LIII (1967), p. 4; LVI (1970), p. 17.
103