Our Greek Sources
Our translation primarily relies on two of the oldest and most complete Greek manuscripts:
- The Codex Vaticanus
- The Codex Sinaiticus
These remarkable documents, dating from the 300s (the 4th century AD), represent our earliest complete copies of most New Testament books, plus the Greek Septuagint for the Old Testament.
Our Primary Greek Sources
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus is our star player! Why? Because:
- It contains the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible).
- It’s one of the oldest complete manuscripts (around AD 325-350).
- It’s generally considered a reliable Greek text.
- It is free from many later alterations found in younger manuscripts.
- While it’s missing Revelation and parts of Hebrews, that’s okay as we’ve got backups!
Codex Sinaiticus
The Sinaiticus is a remarkable manuscript:
- Dates to a very early period (AD 330-360).
- Contains all New Testament books.
- Shows some corrections and proofreading by various ancient scribes.
Timeline of Our Greek Manuscripts
Ancient History (300s AD)
- Around AD 325-350: Codex Vaticanus is produced, possibly in Alexandria, Egypt.
- Around AD 330-360: Codex Sinaiticus is created, possibly at Caesarea Maritima.
- Both codices are written on high-quality vellum in a professional scriptorial setting.
- They represent some of the earliest examples of complete codex format books.
The Journey of Vaticanus
- 300s: First created, possibly in Alexandria, Egypt.
- 300s-1400s: History is unknown.
- 1475: First documented appearance in Vatican Library catalog.
- 1669: First scholarly reference by Bartolocci.
- 1809: Brought to Paris by Napoleon’s forces.
- 1815: Returned to Vatican after Napoleon’s defeat.
- 1889-1890: First complete photographic facsimile published.
- 1999: High-resolution digital images made available online.
The Journey of Sinaiticus
- 300s: First created, possibly in Caesarea Maritima.
- 300s-1800s: Unknown history, but it made its way to the monastery of St. Catherine’s.
- 1844: Tischendorf discovers 43 leaves at St. Catherine’s Monastery.
- 1853: Second visit yields no new findings.
- 1859: During third visit, discovers main portion of the manuscript.
- 1862: Presented to Russian Tsar Alexander II.
- 1933: Purchased by Britain from Soviet Union for £100,000.
- 1938: Placed in British Museum.
- 2009: Digital Sinaiticus Project launches complete online version.
- Today: Portions held in four countries (Britain, Germany, Russia, and Egypt).
What’s in a Name?
You might be wondering about the names of these manuscripts.
Why ‘Vaticanus’?
The Codex Vaticanus gets its name simply from where it was found in modern times: the Vatican Library.
It was just sitting there in their catalog since at least 1475, but largely ignored. It wasn’t produced by Vatican, they just happened to have it in their collection. In fact, nobody knows exactly how it got there.
Why ‘Sinaiticus’?
The Sinaiticus has an even more interesting story. It’s named after where it was discovered, at what is traditionally believed to be the site of Mount Sinai. The manuscript was found by scholar Constantin von Tischendorf in 1844, with parts of it literally rescued from a basket of papers that were going to be burned for heating!
These names are only about location; it’s like finding an ancient book in New York and calling it the ‘New York Manuscript.’ It’s got nothing to do with who originally created these texts or their early history.
Why These Sources?
You might be wondering: ‘Why these manuscripts when there are thousands of others?’ Here’s our reasoning:
Age Matters!
These codices are the oldest complete copies we have. Like time machines, they take us back to a period before many later changes crept into the text. The older the manuscript, the fewer copies stand between it and the original, meaning that there were fewer opportunities for errors to slip in.
Quality Counts
Both manuscripts show signs of being copied from even earlier, high-quality sources. Their careful production and preservation suggest they were considered authoritative texts in their time.
Simplicity and Transparency
Other Bibles are usually based on ‘recensions’. What’s that? It’s a text made by a scholar who attempts to recreate the original text from combining different sources; they basically compare documents and make educated guesses as to what they think is likely the original text.
These are usually high-quality works that are well made. However,it also means that ordinary readers don’t really know which manuscript they used in what place, and it’s hard to find out why the scholars chose one over the other.
There is also a concern about bias. A scholar could have been biased, either consciously or unconsciously, in their choices of which manuscripts to use and which readings to keep. Did they really have good reasons? If not, then we could be misled.
That’s why we keep it simple. Our aim is to use real sources that are accessible and easy to understand and double-check. This way, you always know which manuscript we used in what place.
- For the Old Testament: The Codex Vaticanus is our primary source for the Old Testament books, with gaps completed by the Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus.
- For the New Testament: The Codex Sinaiticus is our new primary source for the New Testament books. Our proofreading project will make our New Testament texts purely based on the Sinaiticus.
- In many books, where the Aramaic sources disagree with the Greek, we use the Aramaic readings (learn why), but these will always be marked and documented.
Now everybody knows exactly what sources we used, and why.