Bentley Layton—pre-eminent historian of early Christianity and expert in the ancient Egyptian language of Coptic—died on March 26 at his home in New Haven from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 83.

Layton was the Goff Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University. He earned his B.A. and Ph.D degrees from Harvard, where he became a member of the Society of Fellows. He taught early Christian literature for five years at the École biblique et archéologique française in Jerusalem before joining the Yale faculty in 1976.

Bentley Layton grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. His father, Reber B. Layton served as a principal and curriculum director in the Jackson Public Schools during the system's first years of integration. His mother, Nellie Gray Oldman Layton, was a fine artist.

Layton was a loyal parishioner at Christ Church, New Haven. A Solemn Requiem Mass and burial will be held there at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26, followed by a reception. His ashes will be buried alongside his parents' ashes in the Christ Church garden.