textual criticism

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.

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In 1844, Constantin von Tischendorf discovered ancient parchments at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai that were destined to be burned. After three journeys, in 1859 he identified and recovered the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest complete manuscripts of the Greek Bible (4th century), containing the Old and New Testaments as well as the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. This major discovery profoundly influenced biblical textual criticism.

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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.

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The Codex Alexandrinus is a Greek biblical manuscript of the fifth century, made up of 773 leaves of vellum and containing most of the Old and New Testaments. Originating in Alexandria, it was presented to King Charles I of England in 1628 by Patriarch Cyril Lucaris. Today held in the British Library in London, it belongs to the Byzantine family of the text and is a major witness for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.

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The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus is a palimpsest manuscript of the 5th century (AD 400-440), discovered by Tischendorf in 1840 and held in the National Library of France. Written in Greek uncial script, it contains portions of the Old and New Testaments and belongs to the Alexandrian family of the biblical text, regarded as close to the originals. It is fundamental for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.

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The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis is a bilingual Greek-Latin manuscript of the New Testament, dated to around AD 400-420. Named after Theodore Beza, who presented it to Cambridge in 1581, it contains the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in about 406 folios. Its unusual order of the Gospels (Matthew, John, Luke, Mark) and its place within the Western text make it an exceptional witness for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.

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The Codex Claromontanus (Codex Dp or 06) is a bilingual Greek-Latin manuscript of the 6th century containing the epistles of Paul and a stichometric catalogue. Discovered at Clermont-en-Beauvaisis by Theodore Beza, it is held in the National Library of France. Made up of 533 folios, it belongs to the Western text family and is an exceptional witness for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.

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The Codex Gigas, or 'Devil's Bible', is the largest known medieval manuscript, written around 1200 in a Benedictine monastery in Bohemia. It contains the complete Bible in Latin, texts by Flavius Josephus and Isidore of Seville, and medical treatises. Belonging to the Western text, it is valuable for textual criticism. A medieval legend attributes its writing in a single night to the monk Herman the Recluse, helped by the devil.

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The Masoretes were Jewish scholars active from the 1st century BC to the 10th century, charged with preserving the Hebrew biblical text. They developed the Masorah, a system of diacritical marks to fix the vocalization and pronunciation of the Scriptures. Their work resulted in the Masoretic Text, a fundamental reference for modern Bible translations and textual criticism.

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Critical editions of the biblical texts are scholarly versions that aim to reconstruct the original texts from ancient manuscripts. They analyze textual variants and include a detailed critical apparatus. The best known are the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia for the Hebrew Old Testament, the Nestle-Aland for the Greek New Testament, and the Septuaginta for the Greek version of the Old Testament. These tools are indispensable for researchers, theologians and translators.

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The Textus Receptus is a compilation of the Greek text of the New Testament first published by Erasmus in 1516. Revised by Estienne, Beza and the Elzevir brothers, it served as the basis for major translations such as the King James Bible and Luther's Bible. In the 19th century, the discovery of older manuscripts such as Codex Sinaiticus revealed its limitations. Modern critical editions (Nestle-Aland, UBS) have since replaced it, although it remains an essential historical reference.

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This article explains the advantages of a revision over a new Bible translation. A revision ensures continuity for familiar readers, improves accuracy thanks to new manuscript discoveries, adapts the text to modern linguistic change, reduces costs and preserves the authority of the original version. It is a balanced approach combining tradition and modernity.

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