Copyright © By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "Please Revise the Bible, Again"

4.2.2.1    Codex Vaticanus

 

The Codex Vaticanus, so called because it is the most famous copy in the possession of the Vatican library, is probably transcribed during the first half of the fourth century. It was found over a thousand years later in 1481 in the Vatican library in Rome. No one seems interested in analyzing it, and its original has not been found. It is thought to be the oldest (nearly) complete copy of the Greek Bible in existence. The total number of leaves is 759. The Old Testament is almost complete and consists of 617 leaves. The New Testament is made up of 142 leaves. The leaves measure about 10.8 inches on each side. However, it lacks most of the book of Genesis, Hebrews 9:14 to the end, the Pastoral Epistles, and the book of Revelation. Also, Matthew 16:2 f. is omitted, Mark ends at 16:8 (Mark 16:9-20 mentions the resurrection and ascension of Jesus), Luke 22:43 f., and John 5:4 are omitted. Pages 1519-1536 that contain Hebrews 9:14 through Revelation were lost and replaced by a 15th century minuscule supplement (no. 1957). It is written on vellum, 27-28 cm. x 27-28 cm. There are three columns and 40-44 lines per column. The ink used is brown

The writing is in capital letters (called uncial script) without spaces between words, and is arranged in three columns on the page. Like other early manuscripts, its text is somewhat shorter than the later manuscripts and less harmonious in parallel passages of the Synoptic Gospels. The Old Testament quotations are indicated. It has peculiar chapter divisions in the Gospels; double chapter division in Acts; brief subscription for each of the Pauline Epistles. It is usually assumed as the best representative of the ancient "Alexandrian" form of the New Testament text.

The codex is the work of two scribes, who are frequently called as A and B. One scribe worked on the Old Testament and another on the New Testament. A corrector went through the manuscript, probably soon after its writing. Then a second corrector worked on the manuscript much later (tenth or eleventh century) and traced over the faded letters with fresh ink omitting letters and words he considered to be wrong. He also added accent and breathing marks. Punctuation is very rare and apostrophe occasionally used. The manuscript contains mysterious double dots (German "umlauts") in the margin of the New Testament, which seem to indicate positions of textual variants. The date of these is disputed among scholars. Some scholars think Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus were among the 50 copies that Emperor Constantine commissioned Eusebius to have made. However, others have argued that Constantine's manuscripts were Byzanyine, which would rule out that possibility.