The Codex Sinaiticus – and its online publication – are important because, first of all, the codex is a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century and it includes, hand written in Greek, the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. Codex Sinaiticus is named after the Monastery of Saint Catherine, Mount Sinai, where it was preserved for many centuries. Put simply, it is one of the most important books in the world.
An interesting history, starting back in the nineteenth century, has seen the codex split up, with parts of it still at St Catherine’s, some in St Petersburg, some in Leipzig and some in the British Library in London. Following agreement in 2005, there was a commitment by the four ‘partners’ to work together and now the fruits of that labour are being seen, principally in the publication online of the whole codex.
The first thing to note about the site is that it’s available not only in English but also in German, in Greek, and in Russian – each language accessed by a tab on the right hand side of the page.
There’s quite a wide margin on each side of the page, and a shot of pages of the codex is the main illustration on the page, with the menu links just above.
On the home page is basic information about the codex and about the partner institutions. The design of the site is what I’d call subdued, and for me it hints at the quiet and subdued lighting in which you’d expect to find the codex displayed. The predominant shades are of grey and sepia.
Menu items are ‘About Codex Sinaiticus’, ‘About the Project’ and, most importantly, ‘See the Manuscript’. A search facility in the top right of the screen enables you to access a particular book of the Bible from the home page.
Going to ‘See the Manuscript’ lets you enter the details of the book, chapter and verse you’d like to see and then it is displayed not only in a digitised image of the original page of the codex but also in a transliteration and, in some cases, in translation as well.
I have to say that this has been a massive undertaking and, whilst I suspect that not too many people will use it all that frequently, as a way of taking a look at a fascinating piece of Christian and Bible history, it’s an amazing way of taking a peek into the past.
www.codex-sinaiticus.net
