Pistis Sophia means 'faithful wisdom'. 23 quires; the first quire has 12 leaves; the last 8; 8 leaves are missing. Scribes: Two unnamed scribes copied the text; the first scribe copied folios 1 to 29; the second scribe was responsible for copying from folio 30 to the end. The first scribe numbered the text copied by him only on the recto, whereas the second scribe numbered his on both recto and verso. In pure Sahidic dialect, i.e. the dialect of Upper Egypt; the original text must have been Greek hence the large number of Greek words found in the text. Gnostic literature.
Pistis Sophia (The Askew Codex)
This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- Reference
- GB 59 Add MS 5114
- Dates of Creation
- 301-699
- Language of Material
- Coptic
- Physical Description
- 178 folios (356 pages) Material: parchment. Dimensions: 210 mm x 165 mm. Script: Coptic. Two columns per page, with 30-34 lines per column.
Scope and Content
Access Information
Not Public Record(s)
Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
Note
Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library in 1945 (Upper Egypt), the Askew Codex together with the Bruce Codex (Bodleian Library; Bruce 96) and the Berlin Codex (Papyrus Berolinensis 8502) were the only gnostic manuscripts known to exist. The Askew Codex contains a series of dialogues between Jesus, Mary Magdalene and other disciples on topics as varied as the Bible, Egyptian magic, other gnostic texts; it constitutes a kind of revelation on the trials, tribulations and the destiny of the soul. Pistis Sophia. Exhibited: Alexandria, Martin Bodmer Foundation, Geneva, 5 April 2014 - 31 August 2014.