Germany, 1844: The scholar Konstantin von Tischendorf has set himself a monumental task: to unearth and rediscover ancient biblical manuscripts. He has seen, studied, and worked through all the old manuscripts available in Europe. But there must be even older manuscripts, handwritten Bibles from the early centuries of Christianity.
Why? He wants to demonstrate that the Bible has been copied correctly and without error over the centuries. So, he turns his gaze to the Orient. After all, all ancient biblical manuscripts at some point made their way from Egypt or the Near East to Europe. That’s where he needs to search. But where exactly? The old libraries have long been destroyed, the scriptoriums have fallen into ruin—only a few old monasteries still preserve remnants of that time: unnoticed, gnawed by animals, permeated by mold, covered with the dust of centuries. Yes, behind those ancient walls, there must be even older manuscripts.
Konstantin sets out. The destination: a Coptic monastery from the 4th/5th century in the Sinai Mountains. He knows that this monastery has not been destroyed since its founding. He travels to Italy, boards a ship in Livorno bound for Egypt, and arrives in Cairo in the spring of 1844.
On May 12, 1844, Konstantin von Tischendorf departs from Cairo for the Sinai Mountains. His mode of transport is the camel. In blistering heat, his journey takes him through the Egyptian desert, across a branch of the Red Sea, and along the Red Sea southward. After ten perilous days, he reaches the rugged rocky landscape of the Sinai Mountains. Finally, he stands exhausted at the foot of Mount Sinai, before the goal of his journey: the St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Where is the entrance? Tischendorf rides in vain around the massive monastery walls. Then he spots an inconspicuous hatch ten meters up. A rope is lowered. Attached to it is a crossbeam serving as a makeshift seat. He must sit on it. A hidden monk hoists him up to dizzying heights. At last, Tischendorf is inside the monastery.
He scours the library, searches the entire monastery—but finds nothing. Yet the scholar does not give up. He rummages, digs, and rearranges. Finally, he upends a huge basket made of bast. To his astonishment, 129 parchment leaves inscribed in ancient Greek, containing parts of the Greek translation of the Old Testament, suddenly lie before his eyes on the dusty floor. These are now—the year is 1844—the oldest known Bible pages—discarded for burning!
Tischendorf cannot conceal his amazement at this unique discovery. The monks become suspicious, refusing to assist him further in his search for the missing Bible pages. On the contrary, they even forbid him from taking the discovered parchment leaves. Only after lengthy negotiations does Konstantin manage to obtain 43 of the ancient Greek parchment leaves. The rest he must leave behind, though he is allowed to copy them. Then he returns to Leipzig.
But the 86 parchment pages left in the monastery waste haunt him. In 1854, he embarks on a second journey to Sinai. Nothing has changed there. Time seems to have stood still. Only the ancient Bible pages are nowhere to be found. The researcher must leave empty-handed once more.
In 1859, with the support of Russian Tsar Alexander II, he returns to St. Catherine’s Monastery for the third time. Again, it seems to Konstantin as if he has stepped back into a bygone era. But as for ancient biblical manuscripts—no, no one can or will remember them. Once more, he scours the entire monastery, and once more, his efforts seem to be in vain.
The days of meticulous investigations seem to end fruitlessly again. Then, on the eve of Tischendorf’s planned departure, the monastery’s steward casually shows him an old Greek biblical manuscript.
Konstantin von Tischendorf is speechless. What he sees before him are not only the missing leaves of the Old Testament but also the entire New Testament, complete with all 27 books—copied around 350 AD!
Every page is worth a fortune, and every page is a tangible testament to the meticulousness of the scribes, thanks to which the holy books have been preserved unaltered over millennia! Indeed: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away,” says God’s Word.
This time, however, Tischendorf keeps his emotions in check. Almost indifferently, he asks the monk if he may take this parchment manuscript to his room. He works all night with his invaluable biblical treasure. No one has yet found another copy that is older. Then it becomes clear: He must have this complete copy of the Bible.
After much effort, Konstantin von Tischendorf succeeds in having this ancient biblical manuscript brought to a monastery in Cairo, where he can copy it. St. Catherine’s Monastery lacks sufficient paper and ink. The task is enormous: a total of 110,000 lines must be copied. To assist with the copying, the researcher enlists two experts in the Greek language, a doctor and a pharmacist.
Meanwhile, he continues to negotiate with the monks over the ancient manuscript. Finally, Tischendorf achieves the nearly impossible: the parchment manuscript is presented as a gift to the Russian Tsar.
However, Russia is not to be the permanent home of the Codex. Later, in 1933, the then Russian government shows more interest in money than in a Bible. They sell the Codex Sinaiticus (Codex means book. The surname Sinaiticus indicates the place of discovery. So: Book from Sinai), as Tischendorf’s discovery is now called, for 100,000 British pounds (approximately 1,100,000 euros at the time) to England. Since then, it has been housed in the British Museum in London.
Like all ancient biblical manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus confirms the unaltered authenticity and uniqueness of the Bible. In it, God has revealed Himself to humanity for millennia. In it, God shows the way to peace with Him through faith.
- But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:25) - I rejoice in your word like one who finds great spoil.
(Psalm 119:162) - For it is not a trivial word for you, but it is your life.
(Deuteronomy 32:47) - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
(Luke 21:33) - And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
(Revelation 19:9)
Comments (0)
No comments yet.