![]() “Paper was expensive … so you don’t take brand new papyrus … and make a paper mache mask out of brand new paper. Those on the lower rungs of the social order, however, made their masks from paper mache containing papyrus fragments. Pharaohs and the wealthy elite could afford to have their masks made out of gold and jewels. How the gospel fragment ended up in an Egyptian funeral mask has everything to do with class distinctions in ancient Nile Delta society. The discovery was trending on social media sites this week. Researchers have said the text could provide historians with an idea of how the Gospel of Mark changed over time. The mask and text were discovered several years ago, but the publication of the team’s findings was delayed and won’t be available until sometime this year, although it’s unclear exactly when. The scriptural fragment, from the Gospel of Mark, was inscribed on a piece of papyrus used in the mask’s construction and dates back to the first century A.D., according to a team of researchers from Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. What archaeologists believe may be the oldest copy of a gospel in existence was found inside the funeral mask of an ancient Egyptian mummy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |