A coptic style manuscript with green and brown ocre colored interlaces with thick black borders on the strands, which is often caracteristic of coptic knotwork.
This manuscript from the Qasr el-Wizz monastery was written in coptic which was used alongside greek as liturgical language in Makuria. Old nubian was the main civil and administrative language. Makuria was a medieval Nubian kingdom settled in the Nile valley and around its capital city, Dongola, founded in 500 A.D. The kingdom converted to christianism around 600.
It contains two short apocryphal pieces. The first is a revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostles on the Mountain of Olives. The second text is a hymn sung by Jesus whilst the apostles are dancing around the Cross. Over 200 manuscripts were found there [in this makurian monastery].
(Thanks to Isaac Samuel, who shared it on twitter, for the discovery)
Sources & links
- New Testament Apocrypha, v1 Burke & Landau
- translation: The Berlin-Strasbourg Apocryphon: A Coptic Apostolic Memoir, Alin Suciu
- Dotawo: a journal of Nubian studies
- Isaac Samuel’s blog/newsletter on african history : africanhistoryextra.com
