Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Fragment from World's Oldest Bible Found Hidden in Egyptian Monastery

THE INDEPENDENT: Academic stumbles upon previously unseen section of Codex Sinaiticus dating back to 4th century

A British-based academic has uncovered a fragment of the world's oldest Bible hiding underneath the binding of an 18th-century book.

Nikolas Sarris spotted a previously unseen section of the Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from about AD350, as he was trawling through photographs of manuscripts in the library of St Catherine's Monastery in Egypt.

The Codex, handwritten in Greek on animal skin, is the earliest known version of the Bible. Leaves from the priceless tome are divided between four institutions, including St Catherine's Monastery and the British Library, which has held the largest section of the ancient Bible since the Soviet Union sold its collection to Britain in 1933.

Academics from Britain, America, Egypt and Russia collaborated to put the entire Codex online this year but new fragments of the book are occasionally rediscovered. >>> Jerome Taylor, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Related:
World's Oldest Bible Published in Full Online >>> Chris Irvine | Monday, July 06, 2009