The oldest codex containing all the works in the NT (plus Barnabas & the Shepherd of Hermas) dates to the mid-4th c. CE. This sizeable volume (346+ vellum sheets) originally contained the OT as well, most of which is now lost. Since its discovery in 1859 by Count Konstantin von Tischendorf at St. Catherine's monastery on Mt. Sinai it has been regarded by biblical scholars as the most important NT ms. The text contains many "corrections" inserted by later scribes. Since these alterations tend to bring the text in line with later mss., scholars & translators generally favor the original "uncorrected" readings, especially those supported by earlier papyri & Vaticanus. The first 43 sheets that Count von Tischendorf brought back are in the Court Library at Leipzig, Germany. The remainder were originally presented to the Russian czar, but were purchased by the British Museum from the Soviet government in 1933.

[For von Tischendorf's own account of his ventures to retrieve this ms., see The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible vol. 4 (NY/Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), pp. 378-79].

Other On-line Resources:

• Codex Sinaiticus - description of 4th c. biblical codex, details of its discovery & assessment by modern scholars (posted by W. E. Scott).

• Codex Sinaiticus: photos & paleographical notes on John 1:3-4 posted by Timothy W. Seid (Interpreting Ancient Manuscripts).

• Codex Sinaiticus - Michael Marlowe's notes with photos & transcription of Jeremiah 52 & Lamentations 1 (Bible Research).

• Using Codex Sinaiticus as an Alternative to a Modern Eclectic Text: discussion of a scholar's proposal to create a critical edition of the NT based on codex Sinaiticus (posted by Open Text project).