A recycled papyrus fragment believed to contain the earliest copy of the Gospel of Mark has been discovered in a mummy mask of a 1,900-year-old Egyptian mummy currently in the U.S.

Reports said the biblical text was placed on a sheet of papyrus before the document was recycled and used to create a mummy mask. Researchers used a technique based on unfastening and dissolving the glue to fix it without harming the ink on the paper.

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"The process has revealed that the papyrus fragment was written before the year 90. It was recycled and used to create a mask that was worn by a mummy of an ordinary woman," said Craig Evans, a professor of New Testament Studies at the Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia

He said the gospel fragment was dated by examining the handwriting and carbon dating.

Evans also stated they're trying to recover ancient documents dating from first, second and third centuries. Apart from Christian or biblical documents, these documents also include classical Greek texts, business papers, various mundane papers, and personal letters.

The discovery also indicates that one mask could produce up to 12 possible texts and offers a fascinating lens into the past.

Experts believe the document is going to spark its fair share of controversy, especially considering the paucity of surviving documents from the first century. Currently, it's believed existing documents date between the years 100 and 200.

The newfound gospel text will help inform modern-day Bible readers and experts as to how much, if at all, the Book of Mark changed over time.

Reports said the papyrus has not yet been published, although some of the details about the document reportedly leaked as early as 2012.

TagsMummy, Gospel of Mark, Christian document, biblical document, first century, papyrus, Bible, mummification, Ancient Egypt