The Alexandrinus is a Christian manuscript of the fifth century. Here are some key facts about it:
History
Date: Around AD 400-440.
Discovery: It takes its name from the city of Alexandria, where it is supposed to have been written. It was given to King Charles I of England by Patriarch Cyril Lucaris in 16282.
Current owner: It is currently held in the British Library in London.
Composition
Text: It contains most of the Old Testament and the New Testament in Greek.
Format: Written in uncials with two columns on each page, each column contains between 46 and 52 lines and each line between 20 and 25 letters.
Materials: It is made up of 773 leaves of vellum.
Importance
Text: It belongs to the Byzantine family of the text, which means that it is very close to the original versions of the Scriptures.
Condition: It is one of the few manuscripts to have been preserved in its entirety.
Study: It is of crucial importance for textual criticism and the history of the biblical texts.
The Alexandrinus is a precious witness to the history of the biblical text and the transmission of the Scriptures down the centuries.