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

4.2.2.2  Codex Sinaiticus

 

In 1844 The German Biblical scholar Konstantin von Tischendorf discovered 43 leaves of a fourth-century Greek manuscript of the Old Testament in a wastebasket in Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. He returned in 1859 to find another fourth-century Greek manuscript that contained the only complete New Testament in uncial now called Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph, the first letter in the Hebrew Alphabet). The text of Sinaiticus was taken from St. Catherine's monastery to the Russian Tsar by Constantin von Tischendorf and never returned. However, the Tsar sent 9000 roubles to the monastery as a compensation. The Codex was then purchased by the  British Library in 1933 from the Soviet Union  for £100,000. It is now in the British Museum in its manuscript department. In May 1975 during restoration work, the monks of St. Catherine's monastery at Sinai discovered a room under the St. George chapel which contained many parchment fragments. Among these fragments, thirteen missing pages from the Sinaiticus were found.

The text of Sinaiticus (written in four columns to the page) contains an unusually high number of readings which have clearly arisen by transcriptional error probably by careless omissions. Aside from these, however, the text closely resembles that of Codex Vaticanus, and so the discovery of Sinaiticus indicated that the origin of these codices was the same. Sinaiticus has both the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament contains Four Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles and Pauline Epistles (including Hebrews), Apocalypse, the Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas. Total number of leaves is 346.5 of which 199 are of the Old Testament (including the apocryphal books) and 147.5 leaves in the New Testament part (including Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas). The words are written continuously without separation. Accents and breathing are absent. Written on vellum, 38.1 cm. x 33.7-35.6 cm. There are four columns and 48 lines per column. The ink is pale brown.

Unfortunately, so much of the Old Testament has been lost in this codex. The parts which survive include fragments of Gen. xxiii., xxiv., and of Num. v., vi., vii.; 1 Chron. ix.27-xix.1-7; 2 Esdras (i.e., canonical Ezra-Nehemiah) ix.9 to end; Esther, Tobit, Judith, 1 Macc., 4 Macc., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lament.i.1-ii.20, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum to Malachi, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Job.

The codex is probably the work of three scribes, who are frequently called as A, B and D. A wrote the entire New Testament with the exception of six whole leaves and a small part of another leaf, which were copied by D apparently. It appears that nine correctors, ranging in date from the fourth century to the twelfth century, have made corrections in the manuscripts.

 

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. was marked as fake by the first corrector, but these signs were canceled by the third corrector. John 5:4 and the Pericope de adultera are omitted. The doxology of Romans comes after 16:23, verse 24 being omitted, and Hebrews follow immediately after II Thessalonians.

 

The text of Sinaiticus is often defective, omitting a large number of texts. However, it may be possible to use a manuscript with discernment, making allowances for its characteristic errors. Most of the omissions in Codex Sinaiticus have occurred by reason of a common mistake of copyists because of a similar ending, which the scribe of Sinaiticus was especially prone to make. These omissions are readily recognized. The following passages are examples where the italicized words are omitted in Sinaiticus.

 

1 Cor. 13:1-2. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Here the scribe had copied the verse up to the end of the first "and have not charity," but when he looked up to his example again to continue copying, his eye fell upon the second occurrence of the phrase, from which he continued, omitting all of those words between the two occurrences of the phrase.

1 Cor. 15:25-27. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet.

This is a more complicated example. Here it is not immediately clear what has happened. But when it is known that in some early manuscripts the order of clauses is as shown below, once again we see that the scribe's eye has jumped from the first occurrence of a phrase to the second occurrence:

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. For he hath put all things under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

 

Other omissions are taken more seriously, however, especially when they are confirmed by  Codex Vaticanus  and other manuscripts of better quality. Sinaiticus is also regarded more highly as a good example in the case of substitutions and additions. The scribe of Sinaiticus was not suggested to making erratic substitutions and additions, but deliberate additions or omissions to reinforce their doctrine.

Other "inspired" modification of the Church to Codex Sinaiticus and our modern Bibles are:

• In Matthew 5:22, the words "without cause" are missing in both the codex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus.
• The words of Matthew 6:13 "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." Do not exist in these two most ancient manuscripts as well as many others. The parallel passages in Luke are also defective.
• The original text of Matthew 8:2 as found in Codex Sinaiticus tells us that a leper asked Jesus to heal him and Jesus "angrily put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean." In our modern Bibles, the word "angrily" is strangely absent.
• Matthew 17:21 is missing in Codex Sinaiticus.
• Matthew 21:7 in our modern Bibles reads "And [the disciples] brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set [Jesus] thereon." In the original manuscripts, this verse read "and they set [Jesus] upon them," However, the picture of Jesus being placed upon two animals at the same time and being asked to ride them at once was objectionable to some, so this verse was changed to "and they set [Jesus] upon him" (which "him"?). Soon after, the English translation completely avoided this problem by translating it as "thereon."
• Matthew 27:35 in our modern Bibles contains the words "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots." This passage, once again, is not found according to Rev. Merrill in any Biblical uncial manuscript dating before the ninth century.
• In our modern Bibles, Mark 1:1 reads "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;" however, in this most ancient of all Christian manuscripts, this verse only reads "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" Strangely, the very words which are most grating to the Quran, "the Son of God," are completely missing. Isn't that interesting?
• In Mark 6:11, our modern Bibles contain the words "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city." However, these words are not to be found in either of these two most ancient of Christian Biblical manuscripts, having been introduced into the text centuries later.
• In Mark chapter 9, the words "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." are again missing.
• The words of Jesus in Luke 9:55-56 are missing.
• Luke 22:44 in Codex Sinaiticus and our modern Bibles claim that an angel appeared before Jesus, strengthening him. In Codex Vaticanus, this angel is strangely absent. If Jesus was the "Son of God" then obviously it would be highly inappropriate for him to need an angel to strengthen him. This verse, then, must have been a scribal mistake. Right?
• The alleged words of Jesus on the cross "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) were originally present in the Codex Sinaiticus but was later erased from the text by another editor. Bearing in mind how the Church regarded and treated the Jews in the Middle Ages, can we think of any reason why this verse might have stood in the way of official Church policy and their "inquisitions"?
• John 5:4 is missing from Codex Sinaiticus.
• 1 Timothy 3:16 originally read "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: which was manifest in the flesh.." This was then later ever so subtly changed to "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…." Thus, the doctrine of the "incarnation" was born.