D.C. Bible Museum displays text with oldest complete copies of Jonah, 1 Peter

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. announced a new exhibit on Tuesday, putting an ancient Christian text on public display for the first time in over 35 years, according to a Tuesday release. The museum’s exhibit, which opened in June, features the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, an ancient Christian text that includes the oldest complete copies of the Old Testament book of Jonah and the First Epistle of Peter. The codex may be the oldest liturgical book ever discovered, handwritten in Egyptian Coptic between 250 AD and 350 AD. The nearly 1,800-year-old codex is a papyrus volume composed of Biblical texts and ancient sermons, according to the museum’s chief curator, Dr. Bobby Duke. The texts offer great insight into the early, persecuted church, he added.

What all is on display? The full display includes seven original pages from the codex, each from one of the five ancient texts preserved in the manuscript. Beyond the oldest complete copies of Jonah and 1 Peter, the manuscript includes a passage from 2 Maccabees about Jews martyred under King Antiochus. The codex also included copies of two of the earliest surviving Christian sermons. The codex exhibit opened several months after the museum debuted another new exhibit on the life of C.S. Lewis.

Dig Deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on another new exhibit on the life of C.S. Lewis.