|
Sisters of SinaiAdmirable eccentricsSISTERS OF SINAI Victorian women don’t always live up to their stereotypes. Agnes and Margaret Smith, born in 1843, the twin daughters of a Scottish lawyer, had a huge passion for travel and adventure, especially in Bible lands. They were also quite extraordinary in their literary and linguistic ability, mostly self-taught and pursued with dogged determination. They were able to speak Aramaic, Greek, Arabic, and other languages as well. In the course of their journeys they came to a monastery in the Sinai desert and were, remarkably, allowed access to ancient texts there. Even more remarkable was their ability to discern that beneath the first layer of writing on the manuscript there was one of the earliest copies of the Gospels written in ancient Syriac. Their story is one of courage and resolve, but also of heartbreak and setbacks. These two Christian believers were exemplary in their ability to make relationships with Arabs, Jews and believers from other Christian heritages yet still be very clear about their Christian principles. This is a well-researched book, quoting many first sources, and is an absorbing story of two admirable Victorian eccentrics. Ann Benton,
|