In the valley of the Upper Nile, on the bank of the river, is the town of Akhmim, once called Panopolis. In ancient times, Panopolis was the capital of the district. In the town stood remnants of a monastery. The ruins of the temple marked the intellectual life of ancient days. On the lands of the monastery was a graveyard wherein were interred the monks and priests who served there long ago.
In 1868, a French archaeologist and his team were excavating this same cemetery in Egypt when they came upon a certain tomb from the eighth century. In the tomb was a monk, reclining peacefully with hands folded on his breast. His reverent hands clasped a small book, which he believed to be sacred, holy, and inspired. The book was an anthology containing three books the monk held most precious. One of these texts was the Gospel of Peter.
Six years later, a translation was published in the memoirs of the French Archaeological Mission at Cairo. It was then that scholars realized a discovery of importance had been made. A portion of The Gospel According to Peter had been restored to the Christian community after having been lost over a thousand years.
