A remarkable hidden chapter of the Bible was uncovered, shedding new light on ancient scripture after remaining concealed for 1,500 years. The discovery was made by medievalist Grigory Kessel, who investigated the Vatican Library and made the unexpected find.
Using ultraviolet (UV) photography, Kessel revealed a lost Bible chapter hidden beneath layers of writing in an ancient manuscript. This practice of reusing parchment was common in medieval times due to the scarcity of writing materials, particularly parchment made from animal skins. Scribes often scraped off existing text to overwrite new content, resulting in palimpsests—manuscripts bearing traces of previous writings.
The hidden text is a fragment of the Old Syriac version of the Gospels, dating back to approximately the sixth century. This makes it one of only four known manuscripts containing parts of the Old Syriac translation. The Old Syriac version was originally translated around 1,750 years ago, and this manuscript offers greater depth and details compared to the standard Gospel text used today.
“This discovery demonstrates the relevance and potential of the interaction between contemporary digital technologies and fundamental research in the field of medieval manuscripts,” said Claudia Rapp, director of the Medieval Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The text was found hidden behind two layers of writing. Initially, it was a manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew, written in Old Syriac. Later, a scribe in Palestine removed the original text to reuse the parchment, overwriting it with Greek text. Eventually, another layer of Georgian text was added on top, making the manuscript particularly challenging to decipher.
One aspect of the discovery is the notable differences in translation between the Old Syriac text and the standard versions of the Bible. For instance, while modern translations mention disciples picking grain, the Old Syriac text specifies them “rubbing it in their hands,” which shows nuances that can affect the interpretation of the scripture.
“Few manuscripts have survived from the early centuries; each new finding is valuable for reconstructing the complex puzzle of the history of the text,” commented Professor Hugh Houghton from the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham.
The newly found fragment has now been incorporated into the Vatican Library.
The state of the manuscript raises questions about its history. Scholars believe the book may have been cut into two when it was being reused. Additionally, the writing seems to come from a well-known scribe of the time, Iovane Zosime.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
