Codex Sinaiticus
The oldest complete New Testament, rescued from St Catherine's Monastery
Found 1844 — Constantin von Tischendorf (Leipzig), at St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai; main find 1859 under Russian patronage
Where St Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai (Egypt)
Dates from c. 325–360 CE · Late Roman · Fixing of the New Testament canon
Now at British Library, London (347 leaves); Leipzig University Library (43); St Catherine's Monastery (12 leaves and fragments); National Library of Russia, St Petersburg (fragments)
How Codex Sinaiticus was found
In 1844 Tischendorf found 43 leaves in a basket of old parchment and took them to Leipzig. In 1859 the monastery steward showed him the rest; it went to Tsar Alexander II and was sold by the Soviet government to the British Museum in 1933. Twelve more leaves turned up in a walled-up room at the monastery in 1975.
What it is
A parchment codex written in four columns of Greek uncial script by three scribes, originally about 730 large leaves (38 by 34 cm). It holds most of the Septuagint, the complete New Testament, and the Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas.
Why it matters for the Bible
Sinaiticus is the earliest manuscript with the whole New Testament and the only one with the full text in a 4th-century hand. With Codex Vaticanus it forms the basis of modern Greek New Testament editions. It shows the canon as read in the age of Constantine, still with two extra books, and lacks the long ending of Mark and the story of the adulterous woman, revealing how the text was transmitted.
The Hebrew word: ke-tah-VEEM
כְּתָבִים
כְּתָבִים is pronounced ke-tah-VEEM and means writings, Scriptures (Greek graphai) (Strong's H3791 / G1124).
Places
- Sinai — סִינַי (see-NAI) — Mount Sinai, where the monastery stands
Events
Formation of the New Testament canon · Christian scriptorium activity in the 4th century
Codex Sinaiticus in Scripture
Exodus 16:1 First mention of Sinai in Scripture.
Mark 16:8 Sinaiticus ends Mark here, key evidence in the debate over the Gospel's ending.
John 21:25 Sinaiticus' scribe first omitted this closing verse, then added it — a glimpse of the copying process.
Questions people ask
What is Codex Sinaiticus?
A parchment codex written in four columns of Greek uncial script by three scribes, originally about 730 large leaves (38 by 34 cm). It holds most of the Septuagint, the complete New Testament, and the Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas.
When was Codex Sinaiticus discovered?
It was found in 1844 by Constantin von Tischendorf (Leipzig), at St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai; main find 1859 under Russian patronage, at St Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai.
Where is Codex Sinaiticus today?
British Library, London (347 leaves); Leipzig University Library (43); St Catherine's Monastery (12 leaves and fragments); National Library of Russia, St Petersburg (fragments).
Which Bible verses does Codex Sinaiticus relate to?
Exodus 16:1, Mark 16:8, John 21:25.
Related discoveries
- דַּעַתNag Hammadi LibraryThirteen Coptic codices of Gnostic and other writings — the 'other side' of early Christian debates
- סֵפֶרCodex VaticanusThe Vatican's 4th-century Bible, the finest early witness to the Greek text
- דְּבָרִיםOxyrhynchus Papyri and the Gospel of Thomas FragmentsA rubbish-heap of Roman Egypt yielding the earliest 'Sayings of Yeshua' and dozens of New Testament pieces
- אִגֶּרֶתPapyrus P46 (Chester Beatty II)The oldest collection of Paul's letters, a single codex from about 200 CE
- אֱמֶתPapyrus P52 (Rylands Greek 457)The earliest surviving scrap of the New Testament — John 18 on a card-sized fragment
- מָשִׁיחַMagdalen Papyrus P64 (with P67)Three scraps of Matthew 26 once claimed to be 'eyewitness-era' — the claim did not hold