Islamic Influence in Coptic Book Culture

This article examines an overlooked Bohairic parchment codex of the Gospel of John from the White Monastery in Upper Egypt, dating to the 9th–10th century CE . Oddly enough, this manuscript was copied in an oblong, horizontal format characteristic of contemporary Abbasid Qurʾāns. By codicologically reconstructing its fragments and analyzing its script, illuminations, and textual divisions, the study situates this codex within the broader history of Coptic book culture. The article argues that the adoption of the oblong format reflects Christian engagement with Islamic manuscript aesthetics in Northern Egypt, where such interactions were more pronounced than in the south. It highlights the role of book design as a medium of interreligious contact and cultural negotiation in early Islamic Egypt

Gospel · Islam · Parchment · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Islamic Studies and History