History of the Bible 2 studies
Historical notes 5 studies
History of the Bible
-
BIB004
The Translation of the Septuagint
The article deals with the translation of the Septuagint, a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible made in the 3rd century BC for Greek-speaking Jews. Produced in Alexandria, the Septuagint greatly influenced the first Christians. It includes various biblical books and was initiated by King Ptolemy II.
-
BIB005
The Search for Manuscripts
The article explores biblical codices, key manuscripts in the preservation of the biblical texts. It reviews important examples of codices, their impact on the transmission of the Scriptures, and the absence of historical information about the earliest manuscripts.
Historical notes
-
INF029
The Apocryphal Writings
The apocryphal books are religious writings excluded from the official biblical canon. A distinction is made between the Old Testament apocrypha (Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Sirach…), recognized as deuterocanonical by Catholics and Orthodox, and those of the New Testament (the Gospels of Thomas, Philip, Mary Magdalene…), often with a Gnostic coloring. Their study sheds light on the religious history and debates of the first Christian centuries, without placing them on the level of the canonical Scriptures.
-
INF048
The Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus is a Greek biblical manuscript dating from the 4th century, discovered at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai by Tischendorf in 1844. It contains the entire New Testament, a large part of the Old Testament in Greek (Septuagint), as well as the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. An Alexandrian-type text, it is crucial for textual criticism. Divided among the British Library, Saint Petersburg, Leipzig and Sinai, it is fully digitized and can be consulted online.
-
INF050
The Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus, dated between AD 300 and 325, is one of the oldest complete biblical manuscripts in Greek. Held in the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome, it contains the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. Of the Alexandrian type, it is very close to the original texts and is a major reference for textual criticism. Digitized in 2019, it is now accessible online to all researchers.
-
INF060
The Nash Papyrus
The Nash Papyrus is a set of four Hebrew papyrus fragments dating from about 150 to 100 BC, acquired in Egypt in 1898 and kept in Cambridge. It contains the Ten Commandments, combining Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, as well as the beginning of the Shema Israel. Before the Qumran manuscripts, it was the oldest known Hebrew biblical manuscript, and it remains a valuable witness to the transmission of the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy 6.4-5 (King James Version) :Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:Noteteach: Heb. whet, or, sharpenNotebondage: Heb. bondmen or, servantsAnd thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF068
The Vulgate
The Vulgate is a Latin translation of the Bible made by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century at the request of Pope Damasus I. Translated mainly from the Hebrew for the Old Testament and revised from the Greek for the New Testament, it became the standard version of the Roman Catholic Church for more than a thousand years. The Council of Trent officially made it the authentic edition in the 16th century. Its influence on Western culture, theology and liturgy is considerable.