AGOSTINO CIASCA (1835-1902)

An Italian Coptologist and Orientalist. Ciasca was born at Polignano a Mare, near Bari. He became prefect of the Vatican Archives and was named a cardinal in 1899. He traveled to Egypt in 1879 and acquired manuscripts for the Borgia Museum.

He edited in two volumes Sahidic biblical fragments under the title Sacrorum bibliorum fragmenta copto- sahidica Musei Borgiani (Rome, 1885-1889; vol. 3 published by P. J. Balestri 1904, including facsimiles and atlas).

Apart from this major work, he published the papyrus fragments of the same museum under the title I papiri copti del Museo Borgiano . . . tradotti e commentati (Rome, 1881). He died in Rome.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Guidi, I. “Ciasca, Agostino.” Enciclopedia Italiana, Vol. 10, p. 193. Rome, 1935-1939.
• Kammerer, W., comp. A Coptic Bibliography. Ann Arbor, Mich., 1950; repr. New York, 1969.

AZIZ S. ATIYA