(CP) An ancient manuscript containing the oldest complete versions of two significant Biblical texts — the book of Jonah and 1 Peter — is being auctioned at Christie’s in London, with an expected price of as much as $3.8 million.
Known because the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, this rare artifact dates back to the third and fourth centuries and originates from Egypt, according to Christie’s.
It’s part of a bigger auction by Christie’s that includes a number of essential manuscripts spanning 1,300 years of cultural history. Among the opposite notable items are the Codex Sinaiticus Rescriptus and the Geraardsbergen Bible, which together trace significant periods of non secular and cultural transformation.
Eugenio Donadoni, a senior specialist in books and manuscripts at Christie’s, described the Crosby-Schøyen Codex as a cornerstone of early Christian faith, emphasizing its value in understanding the spread of Christianity across the Mediterranean. Donadoni noted, “This codex is a self-consciously assembled compilation of texts, particularly significant for celebrating one in all the earliest Easters and for its connection to monastic communities in Upper Egypt,” The Telegraph quoted Donadoni as saying.
The manuscript was written by a single scribe over a period of 40 years and was initially within the possession of the University of Mississippi after being discovered undisturbed for about 1,500 years. Dr. Martin Schøyen, a Norwegian manuscript collector, later acquired it in 1988, and it has since been recognized because the oldest book in private hands, according to The Times.
Experts have placed the creation of the Crosby-Schøyen Codex at a time when Christians were still defining their identity, heavily influenced by Jewish traditions. This period marks a big chapter in religious history, occurring before the official recognition of Christianity inside the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine in 312 AD.
“It’s one in all the three major finds of the twentieth century that revolutionized the study of Christianity. We’re talking about early Christians finding their feet as Christians, still steeped in Jewish traditions,” Donadoni was quoted as saying.
Donadoni explained that the codex was likely produced as a liturgical book intended for religious celebrations reminiscent of Easter, making it a useful resource for understanding early Christian rituals and beliefs.
“In that point and place, the monk and the manuscript were each latest categories on the planet,” says Christie’s. “The modern thing about his planned anthology was its physical form. This was not a scroll — which for hundreds of years had been the usual medium for writing within the Graeco-Roman world. It was a codex. It consisted of rectangles of papyrus stitched together to make a sort of pamphlet, 136 pages long. This was, in other words, an early exemplar of the book as we now realize it.”
It adds that the monk likely belonged to the initial cohort of people who embraced monastic life, committing to austerity and devout worship. This movement had just began to evolve, inspired by Pachomius, commonly considered the pioneer of Christian monasticism. It is feasible that the scribe was one in all Pachomius’ followers.
The preservation of the Crosby-Schøyen Codex is attributed to Egypt’s dry climate, which has played an important role within the survival of many ancient manuscripts.
The auction is scheduled for Tuesday.
