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This book has it all

This book has it all: action, adventure, romance, drama, history, culture, scholarship and wit. It is thoroughly researched and eminently readable.

Twins Agnes and Margaret Smith were born in Scotland in the mid-1800s to a Scottish lawyer of considerable financial means. His wife died soon after the girls' birth and John Smith resolved to bring the girls up himself. So begins the unconventional upbringing and education of the girls who will grow up to be among the first - and the finest - of female scholars in Europe. Against the common practice at the time of only educating girls so far as necessary to manage married life, John Smith made sure his girls had the finest possible education, especially encouraging their interests in languages and travel. From an early age, he promised to take them anywhere, so long as they learned the language first. Having a twin to practice with made this challenge a bit easier.

Unfortunately, John Smith died an unexpected death just as the twins were on the verge of young womanhood. Also unfortunately, the universities and the trades were closed to women. A woman's work was considered to be raising her children and assisting her husband with his work - the only access women of the day had to the life of the mind. And, again, unfortunately, neither Agnes nor Margaret secured a marriage at this point.

The only fortunate thing at this point was that their father's wealth allowed them to travel, one of the few diversions available to unmarried women. Relying on a travel guide, they make a number of mistakes, but the trip provides them the experience they will need to travel freely and comfortably in the Middle East in their ensuing quest for early Biblical manuscripts.

Both Agnes and Margaret eventually make suitable and satisfactory marriages, albeit much later in life than most women of the time. It is through their husbands that they are able to legitimately enter the world of scholarship for which their intellect and experiences make them so well equipped. But in yet another stroke of misfortune, both marriages are short, due to the early and unexpected deaths of their husbands.

The twins again turn to the solace of travel to ease their grief, but by this time they have accumulated significantly more knowledge and expertise, as well as additional languages, including, for Agnes at least, ancient Syriac, the language the Jesus spoke. They set off for the monastery of St. Catherine's in the Sinai desert specifically because of the likelihood of finding Syriac manuscripts in a reported "dark closet". As the saying goes, luck favors those who are well-prepared. Agnes finds and photographs a palimpsest, a parchment containing a Syriac martyrology written on a much older parchment containing portions of the Gospels in Syriac. Although Agnes did not know precisely what she had found - exactly how old it was or exactly which texts it contained, for instance, she did recognize the palimpsest as an early Syriac version of the Gospels and knew that it was important.

Upon returning home, the twins immediately submit their find to well-known professors. Skeptical and rather uninterested at first, they soon realize the significance and importance of the find and another trip to Sinai is hastily arranged, with the help of the twins' travel experience and their good graces with the Greek Orthodox Church, to set about transcribing the palimpsest.

The remainder of the book mostly covers the struggles in getting the book transcribed and ready for publication, along with the political maneuverings necessary for two "lady adventurers" to be accepted in the academic world. The twins had already made inroads into the academic world through their assistance with their husbands' work, but they still faced an extraordinarily steep learning curve in order to put out a credible scholarly work starting so late into middle age. Nevertheless, the twins, with their Scottish Presbyterian determination, rise to the task and their work is very well received.

"The Sisters of Sinai" is a fascinating portrayal of two brilliant and determined women who, through extraordinary circumstances and events, were uniquely poised to find and bring to light ancient manuscripts, especially Biblical texts, to advance the nascent "science" of Biblical scholarship, despite living in a time when women had such little access to academic pursuits.

Janet Soskice has diligently researched not only her two primary subjects, but scores of other people, events and history related to her subjects. Through this book, we get fascinating glimpses into the history Bible scholarship, theology, Presbyterianism, the culture, history and geography of the Middle East, European social life, the politics of universities and many other aspects of the rich and full lives of Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Smith Gibson.

Make no mistake, however, this book is primarily about the lives of the twins, not about their find specifically. If you are looking for a work dedicated to the palimpsest specifically or Bible scholarship generally, you will be disappointed.

Ms. Soskice is fair almost to a fault in her portrayal of not only the Smith twins, but all the characters in the book. Agnes and Margaret, though identical twins, emerge as distinct individuals each with her own personalities. We also get an excellent sense of the personalities and motivations of the other characters such as Rendel Harris, Professor and Mrs. Bensly, Mr. and Mrs. Burkitt, and the monks and dragomen encountered along the way. Like the twins themselves, Ms. Soskice mentions but does not dwell on the tragedies, difficulties and injustices the twins faced, but on the monumental works which they achieved.

Ms. Soskice's intellect is also equal to the task of presenting such intellectual ladies. Her language is rich and descriptive, without being overbearing or difficult to read. I personally added a number of new words to my vocabulary, but Ms. Soskice wields such vocabulary not as one pretentiously trying to show off, but as one comfortable with the evocative use of language.

Finally, the book offers many pictures of Agnes and Margaret, along with their friends and collegues and the places they travel. These pictures help to orient the reader in time and place and bring out the personalities of the subjects.

Altogether, this book is a gripping narrative that offers something for nearly everyone. My only regret is that I finished it. I will miss traveling with such formidable ladies.

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.

Amazing story of two very adventurous ladies that made some invaluable discoveries.
Even more impressive when you realize they did it in an era when women weren't particularly viewed as expert in business and adventure.
The Sisters accomplished much more than many of the men who failed to show them the respect they earned.
A detailed view of a piece of history many might never have seen/known if it weren't for these ladies.