The Codex Sinaiticus (c. 330-60) is one of the oldest Bibles in the world and has the world’s oldest complete New Testament. Much of it is at the British Library, in the room next to Codex Alexandrinus. Russia, Germany and Egypt also have parts of it. You can see the whole thing in one place at its website, codexsinaiticus.org.
It is one of the four Great Uncial Codices, the four oldest Bibles (all dates approximate):
- 325-50: Codex Vaticanus
- 330-60: Codex Sinaiticus
- 400-40: Codex Alexandrinus
- 450: Codex Ephraemi
Sinaiticus is riddled with mistakes – it has some 23,000 corrections, some of them made before it even left the workshop, some made as late as the 1200s. But it and Vaticanus are so old that wherever their text agrees, Western scholars assume that it is a correct copy of a yet older manuscript, possibly from the 100s.
Shovelware: One of the most striking things about Sinaiticus is that when you open it, the text is laid out like in an unrolled papyrus scroll. That is why it has all those columns of text (pictured above). The 300s was a period when books were changing over from the papyrus scroll to the parchment codex, the bound book. The oldest bits of the New Testament, from the 100s and 200s, are on scraps of papyrus, probably from just such scrolls as Sinaiticus seems to be copying.
Parchment: The paper is made of parchment or vellum – animals skins. In particular, the skins of some 365 calves and sheep. Not cheap! Some have argued that Sinaiticus was made for an emperor, like maybe Constantine I of Rome (r. 306-37) – or (see below) Nicholas I of Russia (r. 1825-55).
Discovery: It was discovered by Count Constantin von Tischendorf of Germany. His life’s mission was to find the world’s oldest New Testament. He found it at the convent of St Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. The convent was built in the early 500s and has been continuously occupied ever since, suffering no disasters. Kind of like the bristlecone pines of Nevada. Tischendorf found the first pages of it in 1844 and “permanently borrowed” most of the rest in the 1850s.
Possible fake: In 1862, another Constantin, Constantine Simonides, wrote to The Guardian claiming he wrote the Codex Sinaiticus! Not as a forgery, but to help his uncle in the 1840s to make an antique Bible for Tsar Nicholas. Two people backed him up, but The Guardian said it could not confirm his story. Sinaiticus does look surprisingly new. And the introductory first 16 pages are missing. Unlike the Dead Sea Scrolls, or even Codex 2427, it has not been carbon-dated.
Contents: Relative to a King James Bible with an Apocrypha:
- Old Testament: Based on the Septuagint. Half of it is gone.
- adds: 4 Maccabees.
- New Testament: in a somewhat different order.
- adds: Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermas
- missing verses:
- Matthew 12:47, 16:2b-3, 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, 24:35
- Mark 1:33, 7:16, 9:44, 9:46, 10:36, 11:26, 15:28, 16:9-20 (long ending)
- Luke 10:32, 17:36
- John 5:4, 7:53–8:11 (woman caught in adultery), 16:15, 19:20, 20:5b-6, 21:25
- Acts 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:29
- Romans 16:24
- and parts of other verses
This is a big reason why Bibles translated since 1881 have fewer verses.
– Abagond, 2021.
See also:
- External: codexsinaiticus.org
- Bible
- old books:
- Origen
- St Catherine of Alexandria – the namesake of the monastery where it was found
540
Abagond 
Most religious freaks don’t like true origin sources and prefer to stick with what they grew or was indoctrinated with as the end all version. Such stubbornness like no tomorrow on a sensitive matter.
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@ Abagond
I don’t remember which thread it was on, but sometime in the last year or so, you were trying to explain to me the problems Catholics have with the Protestant emphasis on sola scriptura. These recent posts on the various manuscripts, translations, and forgeries are shedding more light on that.
(Although I have to admit, I still don’t see how the oral tradition can be considered any more reliable…)
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@ Solitaire
You are thinking of this post:
https://abagond.wordpress.com/2019/08/28/elaine-pagels-beyond-belief/
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How much longer are you going to bore with this church stuff? Let me know so I can take a break and return after you’ve gotten it off your chest.
Are you well, health wise, all this religiosity makes me wonder if this is your preparation for crossing the river styx.
“The River of Death
Now, I further saw, that between them and the gate was a river, but there was no bridge to go over: the river was very deep. At the sight, therefore, of this river, the Pilgrims were much stunned; but the men that went in with them said, You must go through, or you cannot come at the gate.
The Pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no other way to the gate; to which they answered, Yes; but there hath not any, save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to tread that path since the foundation of the world, nor shall, until the last trumpet shall sound. The Pilgrims then, especially Christian, began to despond in their minds, and looked this way and that, but no way could be found by them by which they might escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters were all of a depth. They said: No; yet they could not help them in that case; for, said they, you shall find it deeper or shallower as you believe in the King of the place.
They then addressed themselves to the water and, entering, Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful, he said, I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head, all his waves go over me! Selah.
Then said the other, Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the bottom, and it is good. Then said Christian, Ah! my friend, the sorrows of death have compassed me about; I shall not see the land that flows with milk and honey; and with that a great darkness and horror fell upon Christian, so that he could not see before him. Also here he in great measure lost his senses, so that he could neither remember nor orderly talk of any of those sweet refreshments that he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage. But all the words that he spoke still tended to discover that he had horror of mind, and heart fears that he should die in that river, and never obtain entrance in at the gate. Here also, as they that stood by perceived, he was much in the troublesome thoughts of the sins that he had committed, both since and before he began to be a pilgrim. It was also observed that he was troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits, for ever and anon he would intimate so much by words. Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keep his brother’s head above water; yea, sometimes he would be quite gone down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up again half dead. Hopeful also would endeavor to comfort him, saying, Brother, I see the gate, and men standing by to receive us: but Christian would answer, It is you, it is you they wait for; you have been Hopeful ever since I knew you. And so have you, said he to Christian. Ah! brother! said he, surely if I was right he would now arise to help me; but for my sins he has brought me into the snare, and has left me. Then said Hopeful, My brother, you have quite forgot the text, where it is said of the wicked, “There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. These troubles and distresses that you go through in these waters are no sign that God hath forsaken you; but are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of his goodness, and live upon him in your distresses.”
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@ Abagond
Thanks, that’s the one. Yikes, it was almost exactly two years ago! How time flies.
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@ Solitaire
That is exactly what I thought.
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@ gro jo
There is only one post left in this series and it will probably not appear till sometime in October. But I will be on hiatus next week.
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it’s ok
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latin is cool, yo, i was in a 500 level class i could just read it, it’s fun and i guess western?
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