Not Just Any Website, Significance of the Online Codex Sinaiticus

Recently on of our readers asked me for my thoughts about the fact that Codex Sinaiticus is now completely available online. In my opinion, one of my favorite New Testament scholars, Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, handled this question very well on his blog. Dr. Wallace's work in the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts of taking digital photographs of New Testament manuscripts to ensure more access for current and future generations is exceptional.

As Dr. Wallace mentions in his blog, this fourth century AD manuscript is currently located in four places: St. Catherineâ??s Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt; British Library, London; National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg; and Leipzig University, Germany. Through the advancement of the internet, scholars and laypeople alike may see the entire manuonline.

According to Wallace, this manuis significant. Here are two of the reasons he gives: Sinaiticus contains the oldest complete New Testament in the world and Sinaiticus is one of two or three of the most important manuscripts for establishing the wording of the autographic text of the NT. He also discusses some passages that Sinaiticus does not include that are found in most of our Bibles.

As I have mentioned before in a previous blog, the manuevidence is one of the strongest arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament. Codex Sinaiticus contributes to that testimony. I would encourage all of you to read Dr. Wallaceâ??s blog for more information on popular misconceptions in the media about this important manuscript.