Abstract
1.1.1.1. The popularity of the Psalms (continued)
(5) The Psalms and schools
The widespread success of the Psalms is also confirmed in the world of schools, where they follow the recommendation of Saint Jerome, who made the Psalms one of the first texts to be taught to children.
1.1.1.2. Genesis andExodus
It's hardly surprising that, after the Psalms, Genesis andExodus are the two most widely read Old Testament books. The three books form two complementary groups that form a system : while the historical books(Genesis and Exodus) recount events that place Christianity within a long history, which the Gospels conclude with an anticipatory and teleological conception, the Psalms offer a poetic meditation and doxology on these events.
1.1.2. The New Testament
Less represented in terms of the number of papyri than those of theOld Testament - unless we exclude the Psalms -, the books of the New Testament appear to be relatively the most widely read of the two testaments if we compare the two together in proportion to the books that make them up. While the preponderance of papyrus copies ofJohn's Gospel has long been the subject of speculation, statistical data reveals that Matthew's Gospel was in the majority in the 4th and 7th centuries : these Gospels, both written by privileged witnesses to Christ, could form a harmonious counterpoint, one narrative and historical, the other spiritual or mystical. As for the Acts of the Apostles, also present in some evangeliary papyri, they constitute a complementary counterpart to the Gospels in that they relate the beginnings of the Christian community.
1.1.3. Apocrypha
Condemned readings, not recommended or reserved for private use, apocryphal texts have always formed a significant part of Christian readings. Some of them are appearing with increasing frequency : here we present, in succession, the Old Testament and New Testament apocrypha (Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Apocalypses), focusing in particular on the apocalyptic genre around the Shepherd of Hermas, the most popular apocrypha according to the papyri.
