Textual Criticism of New Testament Manuscripts 

Codex Sinaiticus

Last week we looked at two important very early fragments of the New Testament – P52 and P46 (also known as the Chester Beatty Papyrus II). As you may have noticed, these documents are titled with the prefix ‘P’ which indicates that they are papyrus fragments. In this post and the next, we will look at another two documents, both of which are known as a Codex. This was essentially an early form of a bound book, though it usually used animal skins known as vellum rather than paper. The codex was apparently first used in the 1st century, and became very popular with the spread of Christianity, replacing the early form of the scroll.

The first important codex we will look at is the Codex Sinaiticus. It was named this when it came to the attention of scholars in the 19th century at Saint Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. This also explains why it is often referred to by scholars with the Hebrew letter known as a or aleph. Codex Sinaiticus is written in 4 columns on each page and entirely in upper case Greek (also known as uncial or majuscule). Below are two images of Codex Sinaiticus – a full page on the left and a close-in picture of Luke 11:2, the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, on the right.

Codex Sinaiticus is considered very important for several reasons. First, it has been dated to around 350 AD, which is very close to the date of the original documents for an ancient manuscript. Second, it contains the majority of the Old Testament, along with some apocryphal books. And finally, and perhaps most important, it contains the entire New Testament. (It should be noted that it also has the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas, two early Christian writings that were not included in the Canon of Scripture.) This is important because it is the oldest complete copy of the New Testament found to date. As such, it is considered one of the most important copies of the New Testament in existence. It is an incredible treasure God has preserved for His Church, and it is very important for use in scholarly research. Once again, I hope this causes praise to arise in your heart!

In Christ,

Bret