Codex Sinaiticus online

One of the most ancient bible codices is now available online after 4 years of painstaking work and collaboration between institutes in Great Britain, Russia, Germany and Egypt. 

The Codex Sinaiticus, so named because it was discovered in 1844 in St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai, is considered one of the most important manuscripts of Christianity. It is however not as ancient as the Codex Vaticanus preserved in the Vatican library. 

Containing both Old and New Testaments, the 800 pages on digital display are only part of a total 1,460 pages – some of which are now missing or destroyed. The pages are made from vellum (sheep skin) and the text is written in Greek in the Septuagint tradition. It  

While the preservation of such an ancient text is almost miraculous in itself, what is even more significant is the collaboration of the 4 institutions – the British Library, the National Library of Russia, St Catherine’s Monastery and Leipzig University Library – each holding parts of this codex; a collaboration that was not possible just several years ago. 

Now with the digitalized version, scholars and bible students can study the texts and the history of early christianity 

Visit http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/