Sisters Of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Found the Hidden Gospels

(Paperback)

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Description

An exciting, fascinating and thought-provoking book about the discovery of an early New Testament manuscript on Mount Sinai by two audacious Victorian ladies. 'The hunt for early Bible manuscripts was among the most romantic of all the 19th century's grand quests...At the heart of this lively, inspiring double biography is the story of how a pair of spirited Presbyterian women made their own extraordinary discovery' Sunday Times Sisters of Sinai is the story of how Scottish twin sisters made one of the most important manuscript finds of the nineteenth century - an early copy of the gospels which lay hidden in the Sinai desert. We trace the footsteps of the intrepid pair from the Ayrshire of their childhood, as they voyage to Egypt, Sinai and beyond, coping with camels, unscrupulous dragomen, and unpredictable welcomes, not least from the academics of their adopted home in Cambridge. Fast-paced, informative and written with dry wit, this is a story of two remarkable women, undeterred in their spirit of adventure, who overcame insuperable odds to claim a place in history.

Reviews

The hunt for early Bible manuscripts was among the most romantic of all the 19th century's grand quests... At the heart of this lively, inspiring double biography is the story of how a pair of spirited Presbyterian women made their own extraordinary discovery * Sunday Times *
A bracing and moving book...a reminder of the ardour, hardship and energy invested in the pursuit of knowledge and that endlessly inquiring and industrious Victorian age * New York Times *
This pacy tale involves not only an Indiana Jones-like quest, but camel rides across the Sinai desert, trips up the Nile, bickerings, misunderstandings and confusions... A cracking tale of two irresistible characters * Herald *
[A] luminous new study... Sisters of Sinai is by turns a rattling adventure yarn - thick with roving Bedouin and ancient tombs - and a testament to the power of perseverance * Washington Post *
Marvellous... A fine, fascinating account * Los Angeles Times *

Author Bio

Janet Soskice grew up in Canada and has lived for some years in England where she is Reader in Philosophical Theology at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. As well as lecturing around the world, she writes for the Times and The Times Literary Supplement, and is a frequent contributor to radio and television.