New Manuscript Discovery Shakes Christianity to the Core
Christopher Bailey on a Third-Century Find That Could Challenge Even The Da Vinci Code
The ruins of ancient Colocyntopolis (near modern al-q’Kh) went largely unnoticed until last year, when an itinerant spoon-sharpener fell through a hole in the ground and found himself in a third-century chamber or apartment, its furnishings preserved to a remarkable degree by the desert climate.
Since then, excavations made under the auspices of the Weekly World News have turned up a large number of fascinating objects. But of all the artifacts, none drew more attention than a nearly intact third-century birdcage. Upon examination, it was found to contain a nearly intact third-century bird and, lining the floor, the first few columns of a well-known Gnostic writing called the Pistis Sophia. You may recall the buzz of scholarly anticipation when it was announced that this manuscript differed in several significant details from the other known sources.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Christopher Bailey , a Lutheran, writes about everything from Arthurian mythology to wireless networking. He spent a decade on the Upward Path in corporate America, but now must be counted among the backsliders.
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
27.2—March/April 2014
on C. S. Lewis & the New State Paganism by W. E. Knickerbocker
30.3—May/June 2017
Insider Attempts to Disorient the Orthodox by Alexander F. C. Webster
30.5—Sept/Oct 2017
The Christian Cure for What Ails Modern Politics by David Bradshaw
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
Support Touchstone
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
