THE COPTIC MUSEUM ARCHIVES in Cario are undergoing a much needed renovation:

Working on Coptic archives

(Al-Ashram)

Nevine El-Aref reports on the completion of the first inventory to assess the current condition of manuscripts stored for almost a century in the Coptic Museum archives

The Coptic Museum archives, considered to be the world's most important Coptic library and containing more than 5,000 manuscripts and books, are being given a facelift.

Serenity, peace and complete quiet are the overwhelming sensations in the museum library, despite the presence of two dozen experts and restorers who have spread themselves to each corner of the reading room. Since January, the library has been converted into a scientific laboratory so that a comprehensive survey to assess the current conditions of its treasured manuscripts and books can be carried out. Armed with white gowns, masks, small brushes, glass plaques, small pieces of cottonwool and special liquids, junior and professional restorers sit in front of their improvised desks examining the piece of manuscript win their hands. They are looking for parts of each manuscript that show signs of being infected, and then they will identify its causes, take notes and rescue the pieces that are in need of attention.

I wish the article had said more about the contents of the library, but in any case this is a very exciting project. For my part, I hope their new cataloguing project comes up with some new manuscripts of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. There are many Coptic fragments of major Pseudepigrapha, usually from Greek translation and often early copies. These include (off the top of my head) fragments of The Life of Adam and Eve, The Testament of Job, The Testament of Abraham, some Enochic apocrypha, and, of course, most recently discovered, 2 Enoch.