Dr. Christian Askeland, Senior Researcher at Museum of the Bible, is interested in the origins and diversity of early Christianity, endeavoring to reconstruct historically the movements from which the relevant texts and manuscripts arose. He has authored John’s Gospel: The Coptic Translations of its Greek Text. When reading scholarship about the NT, one frequently encounters references to the Coptic language and its texts. What is this language? When did it originate? How is it important for studying ancient texts and traditions?