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"B."
CODEX VATICANUS (Vatican Library). This manuscripts is considered to be the
most ancient and most valuable of all. Dean Burgon and others are of a contrary
opinion, but this will be discussed later. It was written in the fourth century and is
nearly complete. There are 617 pages devoted to the O.T., but the first 31 leaves are
lost, the book beginning at Gen. 46: 28. There are also other lacunae.
"ALEPH."
CODEX SINAITICUS (Leipzig and Leningrad). The story of the romantic
discovery of this manuscript we have told in an earlier article. We must be content
here with more prosaic details. The manuscript was written in the fourth century.
The parts of the O.T. and Apocrypha now in existence are Gen. 23:, 24:;
Numb. 5:, 6:, 7:; I Chron. 9: 27 - 19: 17; II Esdras (i.e. Ezra) 9: 9 to the end;
Neh.; Esther;
Tobit; Judith; I Macc., IV Macc.;
Isaiah;
Jeremiah;
Lam. 1: 1 - 2: 20; Joel; Obadiah; Jonah;
Nahum to Malachi; Psalms;
Proverbs; Eccles.; Song of Sol.; Wisdom; Ecclesiasticus and Job.
Four
different hands are discernible in the writing, and Tischendorf tabulated the work of
five different correctors.
"C."
CODEX EPHRAEMI (National Library, Paris). The folio consists of 209 leaves, of
which 64 contain portions of the O.T. It contains parts of Job, Proverbs, Eccles.,
Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and Song of Sol. It dates from the fifth century.
"The copy of the Greek Bible of which these fragments have survived
unfortunately fell, during the middle ages, into the hands of a scribe in want of
writing material . . . . . this once noble MS was written in single columns from 40 to
46 lines in length."
"N."
CODEX BASILIANO-VATICANUS (Vatican Library).
"V."
CODEX VENETUS (St. Mark's Library, Venice). These two much-mutilated
volumes are now considered as part of one whole. The Venice MS contains 164
leaves, the Vatican 132.
"D."
CODEX COTTONIANUS (British Museum, London). "One of the most lamentable
sights in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum is that of the charred
remains of many manuscripts of the greatest value which were burned in the fire
among Sir R. Cotton's books in 1731" (F. G. Kenyon).
"The existing remains at the British Museum, though collected with scrupulous
care, consist only of 150 mutilated fragments."
We have, however, the means of ascertaining the text of this codex, as it was
collated by Patrick Young, by Ussher, by Gale, and by Crusuis and Grabe.
Grabe's collation is preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and was published by
Dr. Owen.
"E."
CODEX BODLEIANUS (Bodleian Library, Oxford). This manuscript dates from
the eighth to the tenth century. It is of the book of Genesis only, and there are a few
lacunae owing to mutilation of the manuscript.
"F."
CODEX AMBROSIANUS (Ambrosia Library, Milan). Written in the fifth century
on the finest and whitest of vellum. It contains punctuation marks, accent and
breathings--a feature which makes it unique among ancient uncials. It contains
parts of the O.T. from Genesis to Joshua, and fragments of Isaiah and Malachi.
"Its evidence is valuable, and where A and B differ it generally agrees with A"
(F. G. Kenyon).