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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaOldest Christian book goes on salePublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, The Crosby-Schoyen Codex is part of the Bodmer Papyri – a collection of texts discovered in the 1950sBy Ruth ComerfordBBC NewsChristianity’s oldest religious book, according to auction house Christie’s, is going on sale in June.The Crosby-Schøyen Codex, written in Coptic script on papyrus in Egypt, dates to between 250-350AD.It is also thought to be one of the oldest books in existence and could sell for up to $3.8m (£3m).The liturgical book was produced in one of the first Christian monasteries and contains the complete texts of two Bible books. The text is of “monumental importance as a witness to the earliest spread of Christianity around the Mediterranean,” said Eugenio Donadoni, senior specialist for books and manuscripts at Christies.”The earliest monks in Upper Egypt in the earliest Christian monastery were using this very book to celebrate the earliest Easter celebrations, only a few hundred years after Christ and only a hundred or so years after the last Gospel was written.”The book is part of the Bodmer Papyri, a collection of several texts which were discovered in the 1950s, and include Christian writings, Biblical extracts and pagan literature.Image source, ReutersImage caption, The codex was written in Coptic on papyrus around 250-350 ADThe manuscript itself contains texts including the first complete epistle of Peter, the Book of Jonah, and an Easter homily.The 104 pages, or 52 leaves were written by one scribe at the dawn of Christianity, over a period of 40 years. The book is one of the oldest texts in the world, the auction house says.Its remarkable preservation has been attributed to Egypt’s arid climate, Mr Donadoni said.The codex was bought by the University of Mississippi where it remained until 1981, and was acquired several times before being purchased by Norwegian manuscript collector Dr Martin Schøyen in 1988. Dr Schøyen is auctioning the manuscript alongside other pieces from his collection, which is one of the largest manuscript archives in the world. The codex is on display at Christie’s New York and will remain there until 9 April. It will be auctioned on 11 June in London, with an estimated sale price of between $2.6m and $3.8m (£2m to £3m).Related TopicsEgyptAuctionsChristianityMore on this storyBible becomes world’s most valuable manuscriptPublished18 May 2023Falklands War photographer to auction medalPublished2 days agoTop StoriesLive. Biden tells Netanyahu US support to depend on Israel easing Gaza sufferingGPS disabled as Israel raises alert over Iran threatPublished2 minutes agoRobbery ringleader guilty of PC Sharon Beshenivsky’s murderPublished3 hours agoFeaturesDetective’s promise to murdered PC’s husbandFears for Gazans as aid groups halt work over air strike’The walls were crumbling’ – escaping Taiwan’s earthquakeIn pictures: Beautiful displays as spring bloomsListen: Americast – Could the Israel-Gaza war cost Biden the election?AttributionSoundsTrain strikes: How will you be affected?Russia’s neighbours urge Nato allies to bring back military serviceUS visa costs ‘impossible’ to afford, say bandsSchool shooting brings up tough questions for FinlandElsewhere on the BBCIs mushroom coffee better for you than a regular brew?Greg Foot speaks to a fungi expert to find out what the potential benefits areAttributionSoundsOne of the most talented bands to never make it…Why did trailblazers Microdisney fail to achieve the commercial success they deserved?AttributioniPlayerFrom Eurovision to conquering the worldABBA’s current manager, Görel Hanser, looks back at the group’s meteoric rise to stardomAttributionSoundsRobin Williams: from iconic shots to private snapsTen defining pictures throw a unique lens onto an extraordinary lifeAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Denmark shuts shipping strait over missile failure2GPS disabled as Israel raises alert over Iran threat3Victoria actor Adrian Schiller dies aged 604Robbery ringleader guilty of PC’s murder5Not possible to identify cremated ashes, say police6Rock band Kiss sells brand and songs for $300m7Russia trying to undermine Paris Olympics, says Macron8No boots on the ground in Ukraine, says Cameron9Mum says employment tribunal win was ‘bittersweet’10Detective’s promise to murdered PC’s husband
[ad_1] One of the oldest books in existence, according to auction house Christie’s, could sell for $3.8m (£3m) in June.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaUkraine Russia war: US warns Avdiivka could fallPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, “I will die here”: Evacuation “angels” help front-line town’s last residents fleeBy Jaroslav LukivBBC NewsThe US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka – the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months. “Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine’s ammunition shortages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything to “save as many Ukrainian lives as possible”.Russian troops have made gains in Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.The town – which has been almost completely destroyed – is seen as a gateway to nearby Donetsk, the regional Ukrainian capital seized by Russian-backed fighters in 2014 and later illegitimately annexed by Moscow.Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.Ukraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined town Nothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaAt Thursday’s briefing in Washington, Mr Kirby said Avdiivka could fall largely “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition”.”Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions,” he said. “And because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults.”Russian forces are now reaching Ukrainian trenches in Avdiivka, and they’re beginning to overwhelm Ukrainian defences.”Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package – including $60bn for Ukraine – after months of political wrangling, but it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to be able to continue fighting Russia – a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.Nato Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine was already having an impact on the battlefield.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Smoke rises over an industrial site in Avdiivka on ThursdayIn his video address late on Thursday, President Zelensky said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that our warriors have enough managerial and technological capabilities to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible.”On Friday, Mr Zelensky is visiting Berlin and Paris where is expected to sign security pacts with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.A similar agreement on security co-operation was signed between Ukraine and the UK in January.Late on Thursday, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky admitted that “fierce battles” were taking place “within” Avdiivka.”We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the highest value and priority for us is the preservation of the life of a Ukrainian soldier,” he said.Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy acknowledged that Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka were being forced to “sometimes move to more advantageous positions… in some places leaving positions”.Some Ukrainian soldiers have privately admitted the town could fall at any moment.”We’re upset,” Ukrainian officer Oleksii, from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade in the Avdiivka area, told the BBC earlier this week, standing beside a huge mobile artillery piece as Russian guns boomed in the distance.”Currently we have two shells, but we have no [explosive] charges for them… so we can’t fire them. As of now, we have run out of shells,” said Oleksii. He suggested that the shortages were widespread and having a dramatic impact on the fighting in Avdiivka.”We feel a very strong responsibility for our guys fighting right now in the town, armed only with assault rifles.”Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited the frontline in the Avdiivka area this week, acknowledging that the situation there was “difficult”.He said the Russian military did not “count losses”, using its troops as cannon fodder.Kyiv says an elite Ukrainian brigade has now been sent to Avdiivka and reserve artillery has been deployed.In unverified reports, Russian military bloggers said on Thursday that a key Ukrainian defence position in southern Avdiivka – known as Zenit – was now under Moscow’s control.Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaUkraineMore on this storyUkraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined townPublished15 hours agoNothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaPublished30 JanuaryFull cemeteries and empty homes: Ukrainians struggle to endurePublished1 day agoThe Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsPublished6 days agoTop StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaTrinidad and Tobago Carnival: Blue devils breathe fire into eventPublished4 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, The blue devils’ antics have been delighting Carnival revellers for a long timeBy Anselm GibbsParamin, Trinidad and TobagoThey are easy to spot among the rush of colour of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, their bodies covered in blue and their screams and antics somehow both frightening and fun. They are blue devil masqueraders and they are fighting to keep a tradition alive.It is a winding – and for visitors, at times, nerve-wracking – drive up steep hills to get to the remote village of Paramin, located in the north-western part of Trinidad. Paramin is the home of the blue devil, a traditional Carnival character, according to local man Curdell Gibbs.Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Curdell Gibbs (left) says it is harder to find people willing to portray a blue devil”The only place in Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the world, where you can find blue devils come Carnival Monday, is Paramin,” Curdell says.The Caribbean nation celebrates Carnival annually on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. Costumed revellers participate in street parades and there is also competition among different masquerade groups or bands.This year, Carnival organisers are expecting a high level of participation, but there is some concern.”A lot of the traditional characters appear in mini-bands and small bands, but there has been a decrease in the number of those,” the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association, Mark Ayen, tells BBC News. “They seem to be far fewer than what they have been before.”Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Fewer people are portraying the traditional characters of CarnivalMark Ayen finds this alarming. He says that while the twin-island republic aims to develop its culture and Carnival, there must also be preservation.On Carnival Monday night, when the hills of Paramin come alive with the annual blue devil masquerade competition, rhythms ring out from villagers with wooden sticks beating discarded metal biscuit tins. It’s called “knocking a pan” and provides the soundtrack for masqueraders. Curdell says the energy provided by those rhythms is unmatched and describes how it can sometimes have unexpected effects on those visiting.”A lady from Germany held a banana tree and pulled it straight out of the ground and ran through the streets with it,” he recounts.But Curdell warns that even in Paramin, where villagers say the heartbeat of the blue devil resides, fewer people are taking on the role. He believes it is because traditional Carnival elements are not as accessible as before. He wants to see more young people involved and says more exposure will help.The origins of the devil masquerade – or “mas” for short – date all the way back to the days of slavery. The original term for devil mas is “Jab Molassie,” which is French patois for “Molasses Devil”.The name describes “the sticky black substance the character was covered in, which in the old days was molasses”, explains researcher, author and cultural activist Dr Rudolph Ottley. “Nowadays he could be covered in pitch oil [kerosene], mud, cocoa and come in a variety of colours like blue, red, green, silver etc,” he adds.Freed slaves chose the devil to portray how they viewed slave owners, according to Mr Gibbs, who made his first appearance as a blue devil when he was just six years old.Eighteen years later, Curdell and a group of friends are part of a masquerade group called Next Generation Underworld Creepers.The shiny blue coat covering their bodies is not paint. Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Those who portray the blue devils cover themselves in a thick layer of specially made pasteThe colour actually comes from a process that starts with boiling water and grinding laundry bluing cubes, which are usually used to wash white clothes.”Put it in a bucket, pour the water and then you mash some lard into it,” explains Leonardo Joseph, another member of Next Generation Underworld Creepers. “You let it cool, let it sit for a little while, so it turns into a paste.”Mixing this blue concoction begins as early as two days before it is rubbed on to the skin, according to Leonardo Joseph.For him, there is a bit of irony involved, as he is an altar server in the Roman Catholic church, yet he portrays the devil.”You have your faith, but you are portraying the culture you love,” Leonardo muses.Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Leonardo Joseph is an altar server, but also likes to portray the devilLeonardo and Curdell are trying to instil a love for that culture in the new generation. Their group has organised workshops, where youngsters can come to learn about blue devils and other aspects of Carnival, including wire-bending to make costumes.It is part of their preservation push to save the traditional elements of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival.”They’re really interested, and if they can do it, it will carry on,” said Daron Felician, the group’s expert wire-bender.These cultural crusaders have their work cut out for them. “The mas has been slowly but surely dying, it’s sad to see,” Curdell says. “I really feel the initiatives that we’re taking now, to bring the community together, will increase the traffic we have with blue devils.”And the blue characters are something to behold: Accessories for devil mas include horns, wings, a fork, a tail and anything else the masquerader wishes to add.Probably the most outstanding trick a blue devil has up his or her sleeve is fire-breathing. It involves filling your mouth with kerosene.”Everything you imagine the devil would do, we try to incorporate,” Curdell says.Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Masks and horns are often used to portray the blue devilsBorn and raised in the usually peaceful Paramin community, Curdell says he began fire-breathing when he was 12 years old.”You tighten your lips and blow a mist, you’ll get a small flame; if you tighten your lips and try to get a round opening, you’ll get a long flame, but still close to your mouth. “If you breathe in through your nose properly and you blow out as hard as possible, with tight lips as well, you’ll get a big ball of fire.” Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Fire breathing is one of the blue devils’ showpiece tricks – but Samuel Thomas, who is pictured here, has had expert guidance to learn how to do it safelyRelated TopicsTrinidad and TobagoMore on this story’Our costumes are an empowerment tool’Published28 August 2023Top StoriesIsrael rescues two hostages in Rafah as strikes reportedPublished1 hour agoWater bosses’ bonuses could be blocked for sewage spillsPublished6 hours agoMarathon world record holder dies in Kenya crashPublished4 hours agoFeaturesWegovy, the weight-loss drug flying off the shelvesShapps’ war on ‘woke’ Army and King’s wave of hopeScherzinger leads winners at WhatsOnStage AwardsHow Carey Mulligan stamped feminist mark on MaestroCrime to buses: Wellingborough by-election in chartsXi Jinping’s never-ending hunt for corruptionThe fighter pilots hunting Houthi drones over the Red SeaDeath and Israel’s search for ‘total victory’ in GazaThe blue devils breathing fire into Trinidad CarnivalElsewhere on the BBCThe real, untold story of the Jack the Ripper victimsTold by historian Hallie RubenholdAttributionSoundsHair-pulling, wrestling and kicking!Watch the moment a violent brawl unfolded in the Maldives ParliamentAttributioniPlayerCan you sniff out the fib among the facts?Put your knowledge to the test…AttributionBitesizeSwapping balls for bricks…Ex-Premier League star Darren Ambrose shares his love for LegoAttributionSoundsMost Read1Marathon record holder Kiptum dies in road accident2Shapps’ war on ‘woke’ Army and King’s wave of hope3Sealed with a kiss – the Taylor Swift Super Bowl lives up to hypeAttributionSport4Aircraft carrier fails to depart for Nato exercises5Schools in budget crisis as PFI charges soar6Four boys aged 12-14 arrested on suspicion of rape7Chiefs beat 49ers in overtime to defend Super Bowl titleAttributionSport8Israel rescues two hostages in Rafah as strikes reported9Inside Ukraine’s struggle to find new men to fight10Short-changed postmasters to get full compensation](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/10374/production/_132602466_samuelthomasperforms.jpg)
