Six hundred Coptic manuscripts in Manchester’s John Rylands Library have sat largely unstudied and disconnected from the local Coptic community that could bring them to life. The project bridges a divide between academic research on these artefacts and the British Coptic Orthodox community, who see the manuscripts as key to understanding their own religious history—specifically how authoritative practices formed between the fifth and eleventh centuries. It also investigates how the collection was assembled during the colonial era, addressing contemporary questions about the ethics of cultural heritage. If successful, the project will produce a co-created digital exhibition, a public conference, and an edited volume with translations and reflections. For academic specialists in Coptic studies, history, and theology, the detailed manuscript analysis will provide new data. For the Coptic community in Manchester, it offers direct connection to their heritage. For the wider public, it decentres the usual focus on Greek and Latin sources for late antiquity, broadening understanding of the period. The work is primarily cultural and historical, with no immediate practical application beyond scholarship and community engagement.
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This 2-year collaborative project on Coptic manuscripts in the John Rylands Research Institute and Library (JRRIL) will bridge the existing divide between traditional academic research on these artefacts and the local Coptic church, offering a radically new approach by centering Manchester in terms of both the collection and the community. Over six hundred Coptic manuscripts sit in the JRRIL, which are significant for understanding the history of the Coptic Church and for studying the religious and social history of late antique and early Islamic Egypt. Despite their importance, these manuscripts have received limited attention, and their potential to connect scholarly research with local communities has not been fully realised. A pilot project brought together researchers at the University of Manchester and key figures in the UK Coptic community, revealing that manuscripts in the JRRIL can shed light on issues of special interest to British Copts: the formation and development of authoritative practices between the fifth and eleventh century. As manuscripts do not exist in isolation, it is also vital to investigate the history of the collection. The project has three objectives: To collaborate with the local Coptic Orthodox community to identify key manuscripts in the JRRIL that can illuminate the formative period of Coptic history, followed by detailed analysis of the selected manuscripts. To investigate the history of the Coptic archive at the JRRIL, situating it within the broader narrative of colonial-era collecting practices and their contemporary legacies. To raise awareness and access to the Coptic collection in Manchester, through collection encounters, a public conference, and a co-created digital exhibition and edited volume featuring critical editions, translations, articles, and reflections. The initiative brings together specialised skills in Coptic philology and manuscripts, knowledge of colonial archives, curatorial expertise, and people of Coptic heritage and faith living in or near Manchester today. The project’s outcomes have wide-ranging applications and benefits. Building on existing relationships with the local Coptic community, the project is committed to co-creation, connecting the Coptic community to their heritage. Creating a digital exhibition and digitising manuscripts promotes digital humanities, global access, and inclusivity. For academic specialists in Coptic studies, history, theology, and manuscript studies, the detailed study of manuscripts will provide valuable new data. By addressing the history of the archive, the project will contribute to broader discussions about decolonisation and the ethics of collecting and displaying cultural heritage. By focusing primarily on the Coptic manuscripts, this project decentres the usual focus on Greek and Latin to understand late antiquity. The dissemination outputs and events will enhance awareness of the JRRIL’s collection and heritage in the city of Manchester.
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