James M. Robinson is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, where he was founder and Director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. As permanent secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi Codices, he edited 'The Coptic Gnostic Library', reprinted in five volumes (2000); among his many other publications is 'Language, Hermeneutic, and History'.

Only James M. Robinson - based largely on first-hand experience - could recall, review, and evaluate the intricate details of the discovery and collection of the Dishna papers, which became part of the 'Bodmer Papyri'. In a detective-like fashion, he traces the complex history of this sizable collection, utilizing conversations, letters, and reports from native discoverers, Egyptian antiquities dealers, collectors of manuscripts, museum curators and conservators, as well as papyrologists, Coptologists, and editors of Greek, Latin, and Coptic texts. This history can never again be retrieved, and Robinson's account will serve all future generations.

• Preface Part One Introduction 1 The Bodmer Papyri 2 Bodmer Papyri in the Chester Beatty Library Part Two 3 Mississippi, Cologne, Barcelona 4 The Dishna Papers 5 The Pachomian Library Appendix 1: The Pachomian Monastic Library at the Chester Beatty Library and the Bibliothèque Bodmer Appendix 2: List of Papyrus Bodmer Publications Collectors, Dealers, Scholars, and Institutes Glossary of Technical Terms Bibliography Index of Names

James M. Robinson is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, where he was founder and Director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. As permanent secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi Codices, he edited 'The Coptic Gnostic Library', reprinted in five volumes (2000); among his many other publications is 'Language, Hermeneutic, and History'.

Only James M. Robinson - based largely on first-hand experience - could recall, review, and evaluate the intricate details of the discovery and collection of the Dishna papers, which became part of the 'Bodmer Papyri'. In a detective-like fashion, he traces the complex history of this sizable collection, utilizing conversations, letters, and reports from native discoverers, Egyptian antiquities dealers, collectors of manuscripts, museum curators and conservators, as well as papyrologists, Coptologists, and editors of Greek, Latin, and Coptic texts. This history can never again be retrieved, and Robinson's account will serve all future generations.

• Preface Part One Introduction 1 The Bodmer Papyri 2 Bodmer Papyri in the Chester Beatty Library Part Two 3 Mississippi, Cologne, Barcelona 4 The Dishna Papers 5 The Pachomian Library Appendix 1: The Pachomian Monastic Library at the Chester Beatty Library and the Bibliothèque Bodmer Appendix 2: List of Papyrus Bodmer Publications Collectors, Dealers, Scholars, and Institutes Glossary of Technical Terms Bibliography Index of Names