Dating back hundreds to thousands of years, codices can reveal much about an ancient culture, that is, if you can decipher the text. Often written in an outdated language with unfamiliar grammar, these codices take careful analysis to crack their meanings. Some continue to completely baffle archaeologists and other scientists, while others have divulged just enough of their meaning to intrigue.A good photo essay. Some of the manuscripts have come up, sometimes frequently, at PaleoJudaica. For the Gospel of the Lots of Mary, see here and here. Background on the Gospel of Judas is here with many links (note especially here). Background on the Copper Scroll is here with many links. For that Coptic handbook of ritual power, see here and here. The Treatise of the Vessels is also featured, and both I and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, volume 1, get a mention. Background on this text is here, again with many links.
From an Egyptian book full of magic spells to a text written in an unknown language, Live Science takes a look at 10 of the most mysterious ancient manuscripts.
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Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Mysterious manuscripts
SOME ARE ANCIENT AND SOME ARE JUST OLD, BUT THEY'RE ALL INTERESTING: Cracking Codices: 10 of the Most Mysterious Ancient Manuscripts (Owen Jarus, Live Science).