Codex Sinaiticus (Codex Aleph)

CODEX SINAITICUS (CODEX ALEPH)
This Codex is made up of the entire New Testament and most of the Old Testament Septuagint. It is written in uncial script.

1. Tischendorf.
In the spring of 1844, a young German scholar named Count Konstantin von Tischendorf was traveling through the Middle East. During his travels, he came upon an old Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Russian monks who lived there invited him to spend the night.

2. Discovery.
When the desert night became cold, the monks brought out a large waste basket of old vellum which it was their practice to burn in the fireplace. Tischendorf glanced at the vellum and then did a double take, for here was an ancient manuscript with Greek writing on it! His face must have lit up as he asked if more of this vellum could be brought to him. Tischendorf spent several days digging through piles of old vellum and, during that time, found 129 pages of the New Testament manuscript known as Codex Sinaiticus. From his reaction, the monks could tell that Tischendorf had discovered something important. When he asked to have the manuscript, they allowed him to take only 43 of 129 pages.

3. Russia.
Ultimately, the text, along with other documents, was moved to Russia where Tischendorf was permitted to study it at length.

4. England.
It was not until 1933 that the Russian Communists, having no need of old copies of the Bible, agreed to sell Codex Sinaiticus to Great Britain for 100,000 pounds. It resides today in the British Museum and has been dated at 375 A.D.