By Joe Dana
Drawing from two decades of experience in the dirt of ancient Egypt, a BYU professor said the puzzle of ancient Christianity is continually being pieced together, dig by dig.
“We are assisting in the process of enhancing and understanding the past,” said C. Wilfred Griggs, professor of Ancient Scripture.
Griggs drew from Biblical texts and ancient artifacts to back the belief held by Latter-day Saints that the New Testament only gives a part of the Christian gospel presented by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago.
Griggs also said there is evidence that the missionary force of the early Christian church was stronger than many believe.
“The earliest known New Testament papyri which date from the second century come from Upper Egypt and show that Christianity had penetrated into the Nile valley earlier than had been considered,” Griggs said.
Twenty years ago, at the beginning of what has become the signature of his work, Griggs discovered what nobody knew before: that Christianity took root near Cairo, Egypt as early as the second half of the first century.
While prodding in a cemetery that ages back to the birth of Christ, Griggs noticed signs of post-Apostolic conversions of Egyptian inhabitants. The burial positions, clothing patterns and symbols found in the tombs suggested Christian missionary work.
“The fact that we found this stuff to be Christianity was a surprise to me,” Griggs said.
Since his discovery, Griggs has gained the affirmation of scholars around the world that his Christian hypothesis is right.
“In the world of Egyptian archeology, he”s carved out a respectable niche,” said Kent Brown, professor of Ancient Scripture and director of Ancient Studies.
Griggs now spends two months out of the year digging side by side with Egyptian workers and BYU archaeologists.
“The stuff doesn”t come out of the ground tagged, identified and interpreted,” Griggs said of the digs.
Griggs has led or participated in archaeological teams at sites in Egypt, Italy, Greece, Palestine and Ukraine.
Griggs said he believes while the New Testamant offers “many writings of surpassing interest and spiritual value,” it nonetheless, according to Griggs, does not explain doctrines like baptism on behalf of the dead and annointings of the early Saints.
Griggs believes restricted knowledge is “a well-attested phenomenon” in the New Testament and discoveries in both archaeology and ancient scriptures can help develop a more complete “framework for Christianity.”
However, Griggs believes the research should not go without faith.
“Latter-day Saints have an obligation to look and use as a standard two guides: the scriptures and the Holy Spirit,” Griggs said.
