Researchers discover Bible’s long-lost ‘hidden chapter’ nearly 1,500 years after it’s original composition

In a recent study published in the journal New Testament Studies, researchers have discovered a long-lost ‘hidden chapter’ of the Bible that had been buried beneath three layers of text. The lost portion is believed to be one of the oldest translations of the Gospels, dating back nearly 1,500 years. Using ultraviolet photography, researchers including Grigory Kessel from the Austrian Academy of Sciences were able to uncover the text, which is an interpretation of Matthew chapter 12 and was initially translated as part of the Old Syriac translations.

According to the study, the newly discovered text provides a ‘unique gateway’ to the earliest phase in the history of the textual transmission of the Gospels, as it is the only known piece of the fourth manuscript that attests to the Old Syriac version. It also sheds new light on how translations of the same text may differ. For example, the original Greek of Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 says, ‘At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat,’ while the Syriac translation says, ‘…began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.’

The study also notes that the discovery proves how productive and important the interplay between modern digital technologies and basic research can be when dealing with medieval manuscripts. Despite a limited number of dated manuscripts from this period, comparison with dated Syriac manuscripts allows researchers to narrow down a possible time frame to the first half of the sixth century. The pages were frequently reused due to a lack of paper in the area 1,300 years ago, primarily by removing the earlier Biblical text.

Dr. Kessel, who was part of the team that made the discovery, said that until recently, only two manuscripts were known to contain the Old Syriac translation of the gospels, one at the British Library in London and the other at St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai. The newly discovered text, he added, constitutes a significant find and provides valuable insights into the earliest translations of the Gospels. Scientists who worked on the study also noted that there can be no doubt that the Gospel book was produced no later than the sixth century.