Ancient Coptic text revealed to be divination tool for predicting the future.
The 1,500-year-old tome, measuring less than three inches (7.5 centimeters) in height, has been translated from Coptic, an Egyptian language, and has surprised experts who initially presumed it was a typical gospel as understood in the traditional sense – a recounting of the life and death of Jesus.
However, despite being titled “The Gospel of the Lots of Mary”, the miniature codex is not about Christian figures, but instead a book of guidance and reassurance, to be used as a resource for those seeking help for life’s problems.
Divination is from the Latin ‘to foresee’ or ‘to be inspired by god’. The idea of gaining insight into the future, or learning the answers to troubling questions through occultic rituals and with sacred objects is a practice that has existed through time and across cultures around the world. Not unlike fortune cookies, horoscopes, tarot cards or other means of divination, ‘The Gospel of the Lots of Mary’ seems a tool of sortilege.
Luijendijk writes that sortilege “—the practice of casting lots to obtain an answer—was widespread in antiquity; it was a method applied in decision-making on all levels of ancient society. As a religious practice, lot divination was also highly contested, as access to these practices and thus to the divine meant control of powers, religiously and socially.”
The origins of “The Gospel of the Lots of Mary” are unknown. It was donated by Beatrice Kelekian to Harvard University’s Sackler Museum in memory of her husband, Charles. Luijendijk writes that Charles Kelekian’s father Dikran was “an influential trader of antiquaries”, but where the Keledians originally got the gospel remains a mystery.
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link to www.ancient-origins.net]
Last Edited by 0_ on 02/08/2015 08:41 PM
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