The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels

My grandmother always used to say that "truth is stranger than fiction." It took me many years to appreciate that statement. And Janet Soskice has certainly provided strong evidence for that with this well-written biography. She has written a multi-layered book that becomes more and more fascinating as each section unfolds. This is not only a book about how an ancient manuscript of the Gospels was discovered, although that would have been interesting alone. Janet Soskice manages to intertwine the story of two sisters, twins whose circumstances were so unusual that their Presbyterian belief in Providence would be difficult to dispute, with attitudes toward women in the 19th Century, the excitement of the Academy during the Victorian era, and a travelogue of the Middle East. The book is rich, complex, exciting and sometimes extremely frustrating, as various characters render their judgments about gender, religion and values. It is very real and very genuine. The author treats her subjects with the respect they clearly deserve, while not glossing over their bigotry and eccentricities. She is, likewise, very clear in revealing the bigotry that the sisters received at the hands of the Academy, especially Cambridge. As the sisters launch on their search for manuscripts, the book can read as well as any good detective story. And the conflicts between the sisters and the more established members of academia bring some high drama and tension to the book. So the story itself is well written and quite fascinating. What I found so incredible about the book, however, was the sisters themselves. This is a story of overcoming incredible obstacles, of digging in and getting things done when, objectively, one's goals seem daunting at best and impossible at worst. In short, Janet Soskice has written the story of two absolutely amazing women who traveled through the Sinai desert without husbands when that was unheard of; befriended some wonderful Greek Orthodox monks even though they were staunch Presbyterians; discovered obscure documents written in Syriac (not exactly the ligua franca of the day); and became two of the top Orientalists in their era - and in middle age yet! It is the story of relationships developed (I just loved their relationship with Solomon Schechter!) with others who were as excited about religion, God and scholarship as they were. All in all, it was a pleasure reading of how their lives so beautifully and brilliantly unfolded, and how scholarship, religion, and their own natures grew and expanded as a result of their adventures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of religion, the Victorian era, women's studies, archeology, or anyone who just enjoys settling down to a great read.

This excellent, well written book, gives us an insight into the late Victorian era in England and the improving recognition of women and their capabilities. The two extremely wealthy twin sisters with a yen to travel and a deeply religious bent travel extensively in Egypt and then the Holy land, before getting a notion to visit the isolated monastery of St. Catherine's in the Sinai desert to look at old manuscripts. They come across a palimpsest whose bottom text appears to be an ancient Gospel in Syriac. Two amateurs making such an important discovery led to an extraordinary interest on the part of orientalist scholars. A subsequent expedition with a number of well established scholars led to better understanding of what they had and a bitter dispute over who should get credit for the find. The end result was that the sisters studied intensively to become recognized experts in the field and collectors of ancient manuscripts which they translated and published over the rest of their lifetime getting much recognition and rarely (to women) conferred honorary degrees. This was an excellent read.

Ms.Soskice has writtena very enjoyable book. It is all possible because of the accomplishment of these wonderful ladies , Smith. There are times when one recognizes the uses talent and wealth can accomplish. In this story it took both. Their scholorship is impressive and I lookfoward to learning more. I plan to visit the college they built. I can suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading about extraordinary people.

I thought that this book was a highly readable, fascinating account of Gibson and Lewis. These two women were among the most important scholars of Syriac (among other things) in the 19th century. They discovered important manuscripts of the Syriac Gospels in Sinai, and much of this book discusses their various trips to Sinai to work in the Monastery of St. Catherine. But readers also learn a lot about Cambridge life, their travels to other places, and the history of biblical scholarship. Quite enjoyable.