Ancient Manuscripts John Stevenson 2013 Original Manuscript Copy

Ancient Manuscripts © John Stevenson, 2013

Original Manuscript Copy Copy Copy Copy Copy

• Their name: Masorah (“tradition”). • Jewish community of Tiberius.

• • • Their name: Masorah (“tradition”). Jewish community of Tiberius. Vowel points ( ) versus ( ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> ~yhla hwhy )

• • Their name: Masorah (“tradition”). Jewish community of Tiberius. Vowel points. Careful rules regarding the copying of the Scriptures

Textual Family Description Dates Proto Alexandrian Siniaticus, Vaticanus 2 nd – 4 th Century Alexandrian Ephraemi Rescriptus 3 rd – 12 th Century Latin 3 rd – 13 th Century Western Byzantine Textus Receptus, 5 th – 10 th KJV Century

• Written 450 A. D. • Septuagint & New Testament • Kept in Alexandria • Patriarch of Constantinople presented to England in 1627.

Codex B • Septuagint and New Testament. • Dated to 350 A. D. • Missing 71 pages. • Napoleon took the Vatican Library to Paris in 1809. • Codex returned to Vatican in 1815.

Codex B • Samuel Tregelles permitted to examine it in 1843. • The entire manuscript was photographed and published in 1890.

• Greek translations of sermons of Father Ephraem the Syrian (306 -373). • A Palimpsest: “Scraped again. ” These sermons copied in 12 th century.

• Protestant pastor Pierre Allix discovered the writing underneath the palimpsest in late 1600’s. • Dated to early 5 th Century. • Contains some of the Septuagint, but most surviving pages are from the New Testament. • Contains the long ending of Mark.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844. • 129 pages initially discovered. • Written around 350 A. D.

• Count Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St Katherine’s Monastery in 1844. • 129 pages initially discovered. • Written around 350 A. D. • Tischendorf permitted to take 43 pages. • The manuscript was eventually given to Czar Nicholas of Russia.

• The U. S. S. R. sold the codex to the British Museum in 1933 for 100, 000 pounds. • A forgotten room was discovered in 1975 containing more ancient manuscript fragments. • Another page was found in 2009.

• Grenfell & Hunt were doing an excavation south of the Faiyum Oasis in Egypt.

• Grenfell & Hunt were doing an excavation south of the Faiyum Oasis in Egypt. • Stuffed crocodiles. • Portions of New Testament.

• Purchased from an antiquities dealer by American millionaire Chester Beatty.

• Purchased from an antiquities dealer by American millionaire Chester Beatty. • Epistles of Paul dated to 2 nd Century. • Now at University of Pennsylvania.

• Purchased from an antiquities dealer by American millionaire Chester Beatty. • Epistles of Paul dated to 2 nd Century.

Palestine 1947

Qumran

ISAIAH SCROLL

Jerusalem Bethlehem Qumran

Jerusalem Bethlehem Qumran

Jerusalem Bethlehem Qumran

Hebrew University of Jerusalem • Incomplete manuscript of Isaiah reflecting old Hebrew • Thanksgiving Hymns • War Scroll

Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem • Isaiah Scroll reflecting editorial changes • Community Rule • Pesher Habakkuk • Genesis Apocryphon

• Moved to the United States • Put the scrolls up for sale in a newspaper advertisement

• Son of Eleazar Sukenik • General in Israeli army • Purchased through an intermediary the four scrolls for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Languages Represented – Mostly Hebrew text – Few Aramaic – Even fewer Greek

• Languages Represented • Writing Materials – Mostly Parchment – Few Papyri – One Copper Scroll

• Languages Represented • Writing Materials • Subject Matter – Biblical texts (Old Testament) – Jewish books – Books used of a unique Jewish sect