Here’s good news on the feast of a great Egyptian saint.

Egyptology Blog alerts us to the recent discovery of a cache of seventh- or eighth-century Coptic manuscripts in Egypt. Since these texts didn’t rehabilitate traitors — or portray the Messiah as an itinerant organ grinder who was married to the Venus de Milo — they were ignored by the media. Instead of novelties, these books just repeated, like most ancient Christian manuscripts, the same old (sigh) orthodoxy.

Those of you who are interested in such things may read on.

A team of Polish researchers found the leather-bound papyrus books in the trash heap of an ancient monastery in the village of Gourna near Luxor. The manuscripts contain the oldest known complete Coptic translation of the biblical Book of Isaiah. Other texts in the collection are the “Code of Pseudo-Basili,” a collection of rules governing Church discipline; a life of St. Pistentios the bishop; and the apocryphal “Passion of St. Peter.”

The archeological team has posted a news release in English.