Scrolls of Bishop Timotheos

Found in 1964 at the fortress of Qasr Ibrim in Nubia, the scrolls must be reckoned amongst the most important discoveries in that season's work by the Egypt Exploration Society. The scrolls were found in Bishop Timotheos's tomb, below his body, one of the scrolls being written in Coptic, the other in Arabic. They include one of the finest surviving examples of a medieval letter from a Patriarch of the Coptic Church to a bishop; this letter is from Gabriel IV of Alexandria, written after Timotheos's consecration and before his subsequent enthronement, explaining to the Nubians why Timotheos was chosen for the post. The other letters are from various bishops, witnesses to Timotheos's ordination and consecration. Probably their greatest importance is as evidence that the Christian Church was still surviving in Lower Nubia in the late 14th century and its adherents numerous enough to warrant their own bishop.52pp plus 24 black and white plates