Sisters of Sinai: How two lady adventurers found the hidden gospels [Import] [Hardcover]

Janet Soskice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009

Narrative non-fiction at its fascinating best: to the astonishment of the academic world, two audacious Scottish Victorian ladies make an exciting discovery of an early New Testament manuscript on Mount Sinai.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"* 'In Sisters of Sinai Janet Soskice has achieved the impossible - she has brought biblical scholarship to life. A gripping story of two spirited women determined to pursue the truth whatever the cost, with camels to boot. Wonderful.' - Sara Wheeler"

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Chatto & Windus (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0701173416
• ISBN-13: 978-0701173418
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.2 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > History > Middle East > Syria

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising and Exciting, January 3, 2011

By 

Richard Kew - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sisters Of Sinai (Kindle Edition)

Each morning on my way to work I drive past the gates of Westminster College,Cambridge, England, founded in 1899 as the Presbyterian (now United Reformed Church) seminary in this great center of British learning. These days when I go by I find myself thinking of the twin sisters whose generosity paid for the theological college, and who are the subject of this delightful book by Janet Soskice, Canadian-born Professor of Philosophical Theology at Cambridge.

These two ladies, Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson, were formidable both as travellers and as intellects. From a small town in western Scotland where their shrewd father was a lawyer, they eventually as middle-aged widows established themselves in Cambridge and became self-taught scholars, collecting, collating, and translating early Christian manuscripts -- biblical scholars of the highest order.

Re-reading my words I realize I have made them sound incredibly boring, but they were not, and neither did they sit at home by a warm fire doing needlepoint. At a time when women from their background were likely to be cosseted, they thought nothing of criss-crossing the Middle East looking for lost manuscripts -- a passion that was ignited when they turned up a very early manuscript of the gospels in the chaotically organized library at St. Catherine's Convent in the Sinai Peninsular. After it was confirmed that this was a winner they were hooked. Not only did St. Catherine's become a regular stopping-off point, but they even went scampering around the oldest monasteries in Egypt that had been established by the Desert Fathers in search of texts -- often being welcomed with open arms by monks whose attitudes until that point had certainly not been female friendly.

I can promise a reader that this fabulously written book will neither certainly bore you or nor send you off to sleep. Page-turners are seldom written by Cambridge academics and about those fascinated by ancient Syriac manuscripts -- but this book shatters forever such stereotypes! Agnes and Margaret were obviously both brilliant and memorable characters, to be both admired and of whom to be just a teeny bit frightened. It helped that they inherited from their father the substantial fortune that he had amassed through careful business dealing, but they used their wealth wisely and well -- paying for the building the Presbyterian seminary in Cambridge was just one small part of their generosity.

I am the father of two grown daughters, but if we were out to start our family over again and I had known about this dynamic little pair I would have been very tempted to try to persuade my wife that we should call them Agnes and Margaret after these two fascinating beings. Read this book: it will be good for your heart and good for your soul.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope this get's made into a film!, December 16, 2009

By 

Clarinia "Clarinia" (West Village, New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sisters of Sinai: How two lady adventurers found the hidden gospels (Hardcover)

I read the review in the NYT ([...]) and thought this book sounded so unusual.
I love tales of adventure, intrigue, and women with courage - I was tempted to write this review as I am picking up a couple copies for some family members for the holidays- it's a page turner and I wanted to hop on a plane to go back in time and to Egypt after finishing it!