Bibliorum Codex Sinaiticus. 



231 



The next day he begged the consent of the brethren to 

 his carrying the manuscript with him to Cairo, where he 

 might transcribe it more at his leisure. They were willing 

 to grant this request provided he could obtain the consent 

 of their ecclesiastical superiors. Accordingly on the 7th 

 of February, 1859, he left Mount Sinai carrying with him 

 an official letter from Cyril, the old librarian of the monas- 

 tery, to Agathangelus, the chief of their ecclesiastical 

 order, residing at Cairo. Agathangelus proved true to 

 his name, " Good Angel," and despatched immediately upon 

 a dromedary a courier sheikh to Sinai, who returning 

 delivered the long sought for manuscript into Dr. Tisch- 

 endorf's hands, within nine days after the doctor's arrival 

 in Cairo. 



Immediately Dr. Tischendorf commenced the work of 

 transcribing it, which with the assistance of two of his 

 countrymen he accomplished in the course of two months, 

 and to iusure accuracy he compared the copy as it was 

 made, with the original, letter by letter. During which 

 labor Dr. Tischendorf resolved that the manuscript must 

 be brought within the reach and the permanent possession 

 of the learned of Europe, and he commenced treating with 

 the Sinai monks for the transfer of their precious heir- 

 loom to the czar, the acknowledged head of their own 

 Greek church. 



After many perplexing difficulties embarrassing the 

 course of the negotiations, Dr. Tischendorf was finally suc- 

 cessful, and on the 28th of September, 1859, the Codex 

 was placed in his hands at Cairo, to be carried by him to 

 St. Petersburgh for the purpose of publication, and to 

 remain in the keeping of the czar of Russia, until the 

 archbishop, by his official sanction, should constitute it 

 the czar's property forever. 



In the middle of October, 1859, Dr. Tischendorf had 

 the honor of placing his Sinai Codex in the hands of the 



