The Crosby–Schøyen Codex
Summary
One of the oldest bound books in the world — an Egyptian Christian's reader, in Coptic, with 1 Peter and Jonah inside.
- Copied c. AD 250–350 (some assessments run earlier, into the third century).
- Written in coptic (sahidic dialect) on papyrus.
- Kept at Private collection (sold at auction in 2024).
- Contains 1 Peter, Jonah, 2 Maccabees 5:27–7:41.
Sources (2)
- The Schøyen Collection, record for MS 193 (the Crosby–Schøyen Codex) · accessed 2026-08-06The former owner's own catalogue record.
- "Crosby-Schøyen Codex… gives a glimpse into the history of early Christianity", The Conversation · accessed 2026-08-06Academic commentary on the 2024 sale.
What it is
It holds five texts: the whole of 1 Peter, the whole of Jonah, part of 2 Maccabees, Melito of Sardis's homily on the Passover, and an unidentified sermon. Together they look like a book assembled for a single occasion — the Passover season.
It is a codex, not a scroll: pages, sewn and bound, in the form every book has taken since. Very few survive from this early.
In 2024 it was sold at auction for about 3.9 million dollars. It is now in private hands, so it can be cited but not visited.
Manuscript details
- Date
- c. AD 250–350 (some assessments run earlier, into the third century)
- Language
- Coptic (Sahidic dialect)
- Script
- Coptic
- Material
- Papyrus
- Held at
- Private collection (sold at auction in 2024)
- Found at
- Egypt; part of the material associated with the Bodmer papyri
- Contains
- 1 Peter · Jonah · 2 Maccabees 5:27–7:41 · Melito, On the Passover · an unidentified homily
Why it matters
The passages the manuscripts argue over
The words used here: codex
- codex
- a book with leaves and a spine, the form that replaced the scroll.
The places where the manuscripts differ, the ending of Mark, the woman caught in adultery, the three heavenly witnesses, with the case each way.