The journey of the Holy Family to the land of Egypt, according to some historical estimates, took three years and more than half a year.
In the memo of Pope Theophilus, the Syriac text and the Arabic text (according to the Arabic manuscript of the Vatican MS698, copies of 1371 CE) mention that the period of residence of the Holy Family in the land of Egypt is three and a half years.
In the fifteenth century, Al-Maqrizi (1364 -1442 AD) talks about how long the Holy Family has set up in the land of Egypt. Until they came to the land of Egypt, they inhabited it for four years, then returned, and the age of Christ is six years.
According to the papyrus published by the German University of Cologne in 1997, the Holy Family remained in the land of Egypt for about three years and eleven months.
This papyrus is two papyrus strips, in the Coptic language in the Fayumian dialect, one of which is written on both sides, and the other is written on one side only, and dates back to the fourth and fifth centuries AD, was found in the Fayoum region, and is preserved in one of the libraries of the University of Cologne in Germany, and was published by a researcher The Coptic language, Geza Schenke, entitled: “On describing Egypt as the greatest land in the world”
The papyrus comes in a prophetic form, as if it were prophecies on the land of Egypt, and some blessings are recorded in the form of prophecies, including (you will make me a foothold for my feet on the day of your inheritance in Bashans) .. (My son’s childhood will be in your land for three years and eleven months when the enemies chase him)
HG Bishop Demetrius, Bishop of Mallawi, Anssena and Al-Ashmounin, and head of the Coptic Language Department at the Coptic Studies Institute, translated the papyrus from the Fayumian dialect of the Coptic language to the Bahri dialect and to the Arabic language, realizing it, and its interpretation.
