JOHN THE PRESBYTER, author, also known as John the elder, said
by some to have written some of the Johannine books of the
Bible. To him also is attributed a Coptic version of the life of
Saint PISENTIUS, bishop of Qift (Coptos), dating from the mid-
seventh century. The text has reached us in only one codex
(British Museum, London, Or. 7026, Budge, 1910, pp. 75-127). The
Life of Pisentius is made up of miraculous episodes; these do
not always appear in the same order in the different versions
and may sometimes have additions or omissions—in some cases
homiletic passages. De L. O'Leary (1930) identifies four
versions: one in Sahidic Coptic, attributed to John the
Presbyter; one in Bohairic Coptic, attributed to MOSES OF QIFT;
and two in Arabic, one shorter than the other. O'Leary also
gives a careful summary of the versions. The text is clearly
based on a preexisting collection of episodes, so that it is
later than the version attributed to Moses of Qift. The main
feature of the version attributed to John the P