Researcher finds ancient Christian parchment in amulet

Researcher finds ancient Christian parchment in amulet

(Courtesy of the University of Manchester)


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MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — It may sound like a page from an old adventure novel, but a recent discovery by a British historian is anything but fiction.

Dr. Roberta Mazza, a research fellow at the University of Manchester in the U.K., came across a remarkable piece of ancient papyrus while working at the university’s John Rylands Library. The paper, folded and stored in an amulet over 1,500 years ago, contains writing from the Old and New Testament.

“This is an important and unexpected discovery as it’s one of the first recorded documents to use magic in the Christian context and the first charm ever found to refer to the Eucharist — the last supper — as the manna of the Old Testament,” Mazza said in a statement. “The text of the amulet is an original combination of biblical passages including Psalm 78:23-24 and Matthew 26:28-30 among others.”

In part, the parchment reads:

“Our God prepared a sacred table in the desert for the people and gave manna of the new covenant to eat, the Lord’s immortal body and the blood of Christ poured for us in remission of sins.”


We can say this is an incredibly rare example of Christianity and the Bible becoming meaningful to ordinary people — not just priests and the elite.

–Mazza


What makes this discovery of particular interest is the paper on which the verses was written. It appears, Mazza said, to be an ancient tax receipt repurposed for the use of the scriptural writings.

“The amulet maker would have cut a piece of the receipt, written the charm on the other side and then he would have folded the papyrus to be kept in a locket or pendant,” Mazza said. “It is for this reason the tax receipt on the exterior was damaged and faded away.”

The parchment is thought to have come to the library in 1901, but sat undiscovered until Mazza found it in August. Mazza believes the writings date about 300 years after Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity.

“Though we know almost nothing about the owner of the charm, we think it could have been owned by a resident of the village of nearby Hermoupolis (modern-day el-Ashmunein),” Mazza said. “We can say this is an incredibly rare example of Christianity and the Bible becoming meaningful to ordinary people — not just priests and the elite.”

The back of the parchment shows faint writing.
The back of the parchment shows faint writing. (Photo: Courtesy of the University of Manchester)

The writings were meant to serve as a sort of protective charm against evil, a practice, Mazza said, that was adapted from the Egyptians.

“It’s quite exciting,” Mazza said. “Thanks to this discovery, we now think that the knowledge of the Bible was more embedded in sixth century AD Egypt than we previously realized.”

The text was scrawled in a small font, written with care but not complete accuracy, Mazza said.

“It’s doubly fascinating because the amulet maker clearly knew the Bible, but made lots of mistakes: some words are misspelled and others are in the wrong order,” Mazza said. “This suggests that he was writing by heart rather than copying it.”

Administrators at the John Rylands Library plan on using the discovery as the capstone for the library’s Special Collections Department. It’s a wonderful way to highlight the library’s extensive collection of antiquities, Rachel Beckett, head of Special Collections, said.

“This is a truly remarkable discovery,” Beckett said, “and clearly demonstrates the strength and global significance of the library’s collections.”

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