page_title: Coptic versions of the Bible
section_title: New Testament
hierarchical_section_title: Coptic versions of the Bible / New Testament
caption_attribution_description: Sample text of Coptic script. Text Ϧⲉⲛ ⲧⲁⲣⲭⲏ ⲛⲉ ⲡⲓⲥⲁϫⲓ ⲡⲉ. ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲡⲓⲥⲁϫⲓ ⲛⲁϥⲭⲏ ϧⲁⲧⲉⲛ ⲫϯ. ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲛⲉ ⲟⲩⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲥⲁϫⲓ. ⲫⲁⲓ ⲉⲛⲁϥⲭⲏ ⲓⲥϫⲉⲛϩⲏ ϧⲁⲧⲉⲛ ⲫϯ. ϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ ⲁⲩ ϣⲱⲡⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲓⲧⲟⲧϥ. ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁⲧϭⲛⲟⲩϥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉ ϩⲗⲓ ϣⲱⲡⲓ ϧⲉⲛ ⲫⲏ ⲥⲧⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲓ. ⲛⲉ ⲡⲱⲛϧ ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲛϧⲏⲧϥ. Font New Athena Unicode ver. 3[1], regular.
context_page_description: There have been many Coptic versions of the Bible, including some of the earliest translations into any language. Several different versions were made in the ancient world, with different editions of the Old and New Testament in five of the dialects of Coptic: Bohairic, Fayyumic, Sahidic, Akhmimic and Mesokemic. Biblical books were translated from the Alexandrian Greek version.
  The Sahidic was the leading dialect in the pre-Islamic period, after the 11th century Bohairic became dominant and the only used dialect of the Coptic language.
  Partial copies of a number of Coptic Bibles survive. A considerable number of apocryphal texts also survive in Coptic, most notably the Gnostic Nag Hammadi library. Coptic remains the liturgical language of the Coptic Church and Coptic editions of the Bible are central to that faith.
context_section_description: The two main dialects, Sahidic and Bohairic, are the most important for the study of early versions of the New Testament. The Sahidic was the leading dialect in the pre-Islamic period. The earliest Bohairic manuscripts date to the 4th century 
  , but most texts come from the 9th century and later.
caption: John 1:1-4
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