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NOVA SCOTIA, Canada — A fragment of the “Gospel of Mark” recovered from a mummy mask may be the oldest copy discovered so far, according to researchers.
If the finding is verified, it would be the first known gospel fragment that dates back to the first century. Researchers currently believe the copy of Mark found in the Egyptian mummy mask is from around the year 80.
“In the Roman Empire, mail moved almost as quickly as it does today,” said researcher Craig Evans. “A letter put aboard a packet in Ephesus (today's Turkey) could be in Egypt within one week. Something written in Rome could be in Egypt being read within a few weeks. Mark was written in the late 60s, so finding a copy of Mark in Egypt dating to the 80s is not strange in the least.”
Mummy Mask May Reveal Oldest Known Gospel http://t.co/wG4dnUp0ESpic.twitter.com/kPEwpgzWeF
— Live Science (@LiveScience) January 20, 2015Evans, an Acadia Divinity College professor who is part of the team that interprets discoveries, said the gospel fragment was recovered about three years ago. The fragment was part of a mummy mask made out of papyrus, paint and glue when researchers found it, according to Live Science. It reported that researchers have recently found they can unglue mummy masks in a way that leaves legible text on papyrus.
There are several strategies researchers can use to date texts that have been incorporated into mummy masks, according to Evans. He said sometimes they can find dates on other documents used in the mask, like letters or business papers. They can also analyze the style of handwriting, mask features and items found in the tomb or sarcophagus, in addition to using Carbon-14 dating.
Evans was unaware of how many mummy masks are currently in the possession of scientists, but said many are in private collections or on display in museums. He estimated several thousand have been found so far.
“Many of them are of poor quality,” he said. “These are the ones that are being taken apart, in order to recover written text.”
Details about the "Gospel of Mark" fragment are currently limited due to a nondisclosure agreement the researchers said they were required to sign. The findings are expected to be published later in 2015 by E.J. Brill.
