Historians decipher previously unknown gospel

"The Gospel of the lots of Mary," which has never been identified before, has been deciphered from Coptic, an Egyptian language. Historians believe the text may have been used to "provide guidance or encouragement to people seeking help for their problems," LiveScience reports.

Anne Marie Luijendijk, a professor of religion at Princeton University, told LiveScience that the gospel is particularly noteworthy because it barely mentions Jesus. The gospel contains 37 oracles, so historians believe it was used for divination.

The oracles contain advice-like messages. For example, oracle 24 translates to, "Stop being of two minds, o human, whether this thing will happen or not. Yes, it will happen! Be brave and do not be of two minds. Because it will remain with you a long time and you will receive joy and happiness."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Luijendijk also noted that while modern people assume "gospel" refers to texts about the life of Jesus, the word literally means "good news," and historians should reconsider the meaning of the term in late antiquity. The gospel is now owned by Harvard University's Sackler Museum.