The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels,   ISBN:9781400041336

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This was a great, easy read full of so many vivid images it seemed almost like a novel. Truly inspiring were the lives of these two women-sisters who never stopped even into their 70's in their pursuit of knowledge. Their faith, determination and willingness to persevere in the face of unfamiliar circumstances make for fascinating reading. The wonderful visuals and descriptions of exotic places make me wish to see a movie version made.

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This was a Christmas gift from my daughter, chosen from Christianity Today's Books and Culture best books of 2009. She couldn't have picked better. Nineteenth century twins, Agnes and Margaret Smith were strong, intelligent, adventurous Scotswomen in an era that didn't know what to do with such people. Their travels in the Middle East are a window into history, culture, and Biblical studies.

Soskice draws heavily on the sisters' diaries and published accounts of their travels to make a story that is far more than a recitation of dates and places. I was disgusted with the conflict and academic competition that followed their greatest find, and with the unwillingness of Cambridge University to grant degrees to women, even those with the scholarly credentials of Agnes and Margaret. My own travels in the Sinai and visit to St. Catherine's monastery made the account all the more vivid to me.

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If either of these Scottish twins had given birth to a son, he would have grown up to be Indiana Jones or his rival. Riveting true tale of exotic travel and academic acrimony from the age when new Biblical finds made headlines as they challenged established doctrine. Yet, as Agnes Smith Lewis -- ever the devoted Presbyterian -- wrote, "the very variants that frighten the weak-minded amongst us act as a stimulant to others, inciting them to search the Scriptures more diligently." She and her sister, Margaret Smith Gibson, stand as fine role models for today's women over 50 who wonder if their passion is sufficient to carry them into a new field of interest.

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This story of two Victorian sisters who defied contemporary stereotypes by traveling, discovering and adding to Biblical scholarship was well-written and interesting. The work was well-researched and easy to read. I would have appreciated more details of the significance of their discoveries, in the context of Biblical studies.

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My grandmother always used to say that "truth is stranger than fiction." It took me many years to appreciate that statement. And Janet Soskice has certainly provided strong evidence for that with this well-written biography. She has written a multi-layered book that becomes more and more fascinating as each section unfolds. This is not only a book about how an ancient manuscript of the Gospels was discovered, although that would have been interesting alone. Janet Soskice manages to intertwine the story of two sisters, twins whose circumstances were so unusual that their Presbyterian belief in Providence would be difficult to dispute, with attitudes toward women in the 19th Century, the excitement of the Academy during the Victorian era, and a travelogue of the Middle East. The book is rich, complex, exciting and sometimes extremely frustrating, as various characters render their judgments about gender, religion and values. It is very real and very genuine. The author treats her subjects with the respect they clearly deserve, while not glossing over their bigotry and eccentricities. She is, likewise, very clear in revealing the bigotry that the sisters received at the hands of the Academy, especially Cambridge. As the sisters launch on their search for manuscripts, the book can read as well as any good detective story. And the conflicts between the sisters and the more established members of academia bring some high drama and tension to the book. So the story itself is well written and quite fascinating. What I found so incredible about the book, however, was the sisters themselves. This is a story of overcoming incredible obstacles, of digging in and getting things done when, objectively, one's goals seem daunting at best and impossible at worst. In short, Janet Soskice has written the story of two absolutely amazing women who traveled through the Sinai desert without husbands when that was unheard of; befriended some wonderful Greek Orthodox monks even though they were staunch Presbyterians; discovered obscure documents written in Syriac (not exactly the ligua franca of the day); and became two of the top Orientalists in their era - and in middle age yet! It is the story of relationships developed (I just loved their relationship with Solomon Schechter!) with others who were as excited about religion, God and scholarship as they were. All in all, it was a pleasure reading of how their lives so beautifully and brilliantly unfolded, and how scholarship, religion, and their own natures grew and expanded as a result of their adventures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of religion, the Victorian era, women's studies, archeology, or anyone who just enjoys settling down to a great read.