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New Testament Text in Coptic
Beginning in the fourth century CE, Egyptian was written regularly in an alphabet consisting of 24 Greek characters and 6 Demotic signs that expressed phonetic values of the Egyptian language that were not present in Greek. This is known as Coptic and it was the most simplified form of Egyptian writing. Coptic differs from other forms of Egyptian writing in that it expresses vowels and is read from left to right. This ostracon is inscribed with a list of the 12 apostles in Coptic.
Name: New Testament Text in Coptic
Material: Baked clay with pigment
Size:
Height: 18 cm (7 in)
Width: 10 cm (4 in)
Date: 6th–8th centuries CE
Place of Origin: Unknown
Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois
Source and Registration#: Oriental Institute Museum 193553
Christopher Woods
Associate Professor of Sumerology, University of Chicago
