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Abstract
This paper examines one of the earliest surviving Coptic witnesses to the canonical Gospel according to Matthew. Although Greek manuscripts predate most Coptic translations, the Sahidic and Middle Egyptian Coptic traditions provide crucial windows into early Christian textual transmission in Egypt. Among these witnesses, Codex Schøyen 2650 has gained particular scholarly attention as a significant early Coptic witness to Matthew’s Gospel. In addition, later but still important Coptic witnesses such as Papyrus Bodmer XIX and Greek-Coptic diglots help illuminate the relationship between the Greek source text and Coptic translations, especially in the context of Egyptian Christianity of the 3rd–7th centuries CE.
1. Introduction
The Coptic versions of the New Testament represent the earliest extensive translations of Christian scripture into an Afro-Egyptian language. Coptic—written with an adapted Greek script—emerged in Egypt around the 3rd century CE and became the language of Egyptian Christianity through the early medieval period. While the canonical Gospel texts originally circulated in Greek, Coptic translations were produced early in Christian history, preserving variants and forms of the text distinct from Greek witnesses.
Among the Coptic witnesses to the Gospel of Matthew, scholars identify a range of manuscript types: fragmentary papyri, later codices, and bilingual Greek-Coptic witnesses. Of particular interest is the manuscript tradition reflected in Codex Schøyen 2650, which appears to preserve a substantial portion of the Gospel of Matthew in Middle Egyptian Coptic and stands as one of the oldest relatively complete witnesses of Matthew’s Gospel in Coptic literature.(schoyencollection.com)
2. Coptic Translations and Manuscript Traditions
2.1 Historical Background
By the late 3rd and early 4th centuries CE, the Coptic church was producing manuscript copies of the New Testament in the Sahidic and other dialects. These translations reflect early attempts to localize Christianity within Egyptian language and culture while retaining fidelity to Greek sources. Papyri and codices from this period demonstrate that Coptic textual traditions were widely used by Egyptian Christian communities. These texts are especially valuable for textual criticism, as they often preserve readings independent of the major Greek manuscripts.(Wikipedia)
3. Codex Schøyen 2650 as an Early Coptic Witness
3.1 Description of the Manuscript
Codex Schøyen 2650 has attracted scholarly attention because it contains approximately 85 % of the canonical Gospel of Matthew preserved in a Middle Egyptian Coptic dialect; this makes it one of the most extensive early witnesses to Matthew’s Gospel in Coptic.(schoyencollection.com) The manuscript has been palaeographically dated by researchers, including Schenke and Leonard, to the early 4th century CE.(schoyencollection.com)
Although parts of the manuscript are fragmentary, it significantly predates many of the standard Greek witnesses such as Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, which date to the mid-4th century CE.(schoyencollection.com) This early dating makes Codex Schøyen vital for understanding the pre-Nicene textual history of Matthew. It suggests not only an early translation of the Greek canonical text into Coptic, but also the existence of Egyptian Christian textual practices that preserved and transmitted scripture in translated form.
3.2 Linguistic and Dialectal Features
The text of Codex Schøyen indicates that it was produced in a Middle Egyptian Coptic dialect—distinct from Sahidic and Bohairic. Middle Egyptian Coptic is less commonly attested in early biblical manuscripts, making this manuscript particularly significant for linguistic and translation studies. According to scholarship, the Coptic of this codex reveals translation decisions that reflect both fidelity to its Greek source and adjustments to idiomatic Coptic syntax and vocabulary.(WorldCat)
4. Other Early Coptic and Greek-Coptic Manuscripts
4.1 Papyrus Bodmer XIX
Papyrus Bodmer XIX is a Coptic uncial manuscript dated palaeographically to the 4th or 5th century CE. It contains portions of Matthew 14:28–28:20, written in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, along with an unrelated portion of Romans.(Wikipedia) Although it is not as extensive as Codex Schøyen, its text is considered representative of the Alexandrian text-type, historically associated with a high quality Greek textual tradition also reflected in major Greek manuscripts.(Wikipedia)
4.2 Greek-Coptic Diglots
Additional witnesses such as Papyrus 96 (P96), a 6th-century Greek-Coptic diglot fragment of Matthew, show how Greek and Coptic texts could coexist in bilingual contexts. P96 preserves brief portions of Matthew 3, with the Greek and Sahidic Coptic side-by-side, highlighting textual transmission practices among multilingual Christian communities in Egypt.(Updated American Standard Version)
Similarly, manuscripts like Uncial 0204 and Uncial 0298 contain Greek and Coptic biblical fragments, though they are later (7th–9th century CE) and reflect continued use of Coptic texts in later antiquity.(Wikipedia)
5. Textual and Theological Implications
The existence of early Coptic versions of Matthew raises important questions for textual critics and historians:
Transmission History: The comparison of Coptic text forms with Greek textual witnesses allows scholars to trace how the text of Matthew was transmitted in non-Greek contexts and to explore how localized translation practices affected textual variants.
Regional Christianities: Early Egyptian Christian textual practices—reflected in Coptic manuscripts—show the diversity of early Christian communities and their engagement with scripture in native languages.
Text-Critical Utility: Although Greek manuscripts continue to be primary sources for reconstructing the earliest attainable New Testament text, Coptic witnesses like Codex Schøyen offer independent, early attestations that contribute to critical apparatus and variant readings.
6. Conclusion
The discovery and scholarly study of early Coptic manuscripts such as Codex Schøyen 2650 underscore the significance of Egyptian Christianity in the early history of the New Testament text. As one of the earliest relatively complete witnesses to the Gospel of Matthew in translation, Codex Schøyen not only enriches textual criticism but also demonstrates the complex interplay between Greek and non-Greek textual traditions. Alongside other Coptic and Greek-Coptic witnesses, it highlights the profound historical depth of biblical manuscript traditions beyond the Greek West, revealing how local languages and communities shaped the transmission and reception of Christian scripture.
Footnotes
Codex Schøyen may represent the earliest surviving extensive manuscript of the Gospel according to Matthew in Coptic; the manuscript has been palaeographically dated to the early 4th century CE and preserves about 85 % of the text.(schoyencollection.com)
The Codex also illustrates a distinct Middle Egyptian Coptic dialect and contributes to understanding early translation practices from Greek to Coptic.(WorldCat)
Papyrus Bodmer XIX is a Sahidic Coptic uncial manuscript of the Gospels, including Matthew 14:28–28:20, and is representative of the Alexandrian text-type.(Wikipedia)
Papyrus 96 (P96), a 6th-century Greek-Coptic diglot, contains fragments of the Gospel of Matthew in both languages, demonstrating bilingual textual transmission.(Updated American Standard Version)
Uncial 0204 and Uncial 0298 are examples of Greek-Coptic uncials reflecting continued manuscript activity into later centuries.(Wikipedia)
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