Sisters of Sinai

This book tells an extraordinary tale of nineteenth century exploration; how two Scottish sisters made one of the most important manuscript finds of the age. Hidden in a cupboard beneath the monastic library at St. Catherine’s in the Sinai desert the twins discovered what looked like a palimpsest: one text written over another. It was Agnes who recognised the obscured text for what it was – one of the earliest copies of the Gospels written in ancient Syriac. Once they had overcome the stubborn reluctance of Cambridge scholars to authenticate the find and had led an expedition of quarrelsome academics back to Sinai to copy it, Agnes Gibson and Margaret Lewis - in middle age and without any university qualifications – embarked on a life of demanding scholarship and bold travel.