Academy of Finland funding for research on compassion, borders and Coptic Christians

The Academy of Finland has granted funding to twenty University of Helsinki research projects studying culture and society. The topics range from brain imaging to early Christian manuscripts.

The research projects funded by the Academy examine culture and society in a broad sense. , professor of gnostic studies at the University of Helsinki's , was one of those granted funding. The research project led by Professor Marjanen seeks to publish a selection of Coptic manuscripts.

More information about Coptic Christians

Professor Marjanen has received a collection of Coptic texts, which its owner has dubbed the “Lynx collection".

“A collector of old Finnish manuscripts contacted me some years ago and showed me this collection of Coptic manuscripts in the hopes that their contents could be published and thus released to researchers. The collection includes approximately 200 manuscripts, ranging from tiny fragments to entire liturgical codices, or books.”

But why the “Lynx collection”? Professor Marjanen does not want to delve further into the name:

“I can tell you that the name does not refer to the owner, or the Finnish ice hockey or football teams bearing the animal as an insignia. The manuscripts in the collection were of course originally copied in Egypt.”

During the research project, the intention is to conserve, catalogue, edit, translate and interpret the manuscripts.

Professor Marjanen is realistic in terms of the significance of the material to the study of coptology or early Christianity.

“We are unlikely to make any sensational finds, but this resource can surely increase our understanding of the Coptic language, biblical Coptic manuscripts, the history of early Christianity as well as religious beliefs and practices. The collection also sheds light on early and Mediaeval Egyptian Christianity and culture.”

The Copts are one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East, a large ethno-religious group which hails from antiquity. Copts were the Egyptians who adopted the Christian faith during its first centuries. The Coptic language is the final form of the Egyptian language, formerly written in hieroglyphics, which was largely transcribed into the Greek alphabet and with a vocabulary heavily influenced by Greek.

Diverse material a challenge for researchers

So far researchers have been able to determine that the collection features manuscripts written in at least two different Coptic dialects. The types of texts range from Old and New Testament texts as well as manuscripts of early Christian texts, prayers and magical texts to letters and other documentary material.

Professor Marjanen has presented two small manuscript fragments from the collection in Chicago. According to him, these fragments are probably from the oldest known manuscript of an early Christian text known as the Revelation of Paul.

As the collection features material of different ages and types, the manuscripts in it cannot be interpreted from solely one perspective.

“For this reason it is important to both date the manuscripts and the texts which they copy as well as to identify the genres they represent. They must then be placed in their original context,” Professor Marjanen explains.

And what is the situation of the Copts in the Middle East today?

As Professor Marjanen explains, “The Copts are a minority in Egypt, but they still number approximately 7–10 million. Their relationship with the government and the Muslim majority has fluctuated over the centuries. The past decades have not been easy, and as a result, many Copts have migrated to western Europe and the United States. Nevertheless, Coptic Christianity remains socially and culturally significant in Egypt.”

Topics of the University of Helsinki research projects funded by the Academy of Finland:

Professor , Faculty of Behavioural Sciences:

Professor , Faculty of Social Sciences:

Docent , Faculty of Behavioural Sciences:

Director , Consumer Society Research Centre: Politics, practices and the transformative potential of sustainable diet. Consortium:

Academy Researcher , Faculty of Arts:

Docent , Faculty of Arts:

Professor , Faculty of Behavioural Sciences:

Researcher , Ruralia Institute: Enabling the potentials of green growth: Stigma removal from proenvironmental business and consumer behaviour. Consortium:

Professor , Faculty of Theology:

Professor , Faculty of Arts:

Professor , Faculty of Social Sciences:

Professor , Faculty of Arts: Democratization, Mediatization and Language Practices in Britain, 1700–1950. Consortium:

University Lecturer , Faculty of Social Sciences: Racisms and public communications in the hybrid media environment. Consortium:

University Lecturer , Faculty of Social Sciences:

Professor , Faculty of Behavioural Sciences: Engaging in disciplinary thinking: historical literacy practices in Finnish general upper secondary schools. Consortium:

Docent , Faculty of Social Sciences:

Academy Researcher , Faculty of Arts:

Professor , Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry:

University Lecturer , Faculty of Social Sciences:

More information:

has granted funding to 48 new Academy projects, 20 of which come from the University of Helsinki. Among the recipients are eight consortia, which conduct research in cooperation between several organisations. A total of 61 research groups received funding.

The Research Council received 415 applications, of which 11.6% were successful. In total, the Research Council provides nearly €24.5 million in funding to Academy of Finland projects.