234 



• Bibliorum Codex Sinaiiicus. 



The parchment of the manuscript is rather of a light 

 yellow. The ink though usually bright has many hues, 

 from blackish to copper-tinted, and even yellowish ; pro- 

 bably owing as much to the diverse nature of the skins as 

 to any chemical difference in the composition of the ink. 

 The Codex throughout is written in uncial or capital let- 

 ters, initial letters are not used. And originally there 

 seems to have been no interpunction at all, in the manu- 

 script, or what there was occurring only seldom — whole 

 pages being pointless — vacant spaces however, being 

 used for pause signs. 



The Codex gives proof of having suffered grievous 

 mutilation, but the New Testament is perfect, baving not 

 a chasm in the text from Matthew onward, excepting the 

 book of the Shepherd, which is imperfect. 



That which renders the discovery and publication of 

 this Sinai manuscript of such great interest, is the vast- 

 ness of its age. The proof of which Dr. Tischendorf has 

 been careful to give in his prolegomena, at such length, 

 and so ample and cumulative, as to leave no opportunity 

 for scepticism, excepting with those who are determined 

 to doubt. 



The first great seal of antiquity borne by the manu- 

 script, not to speak of the texture and appearance of 

 the vellum of which it consists, is the character of its 

 writing. It is written iu Greek uncials or capitals,, which 

 at once takes us back over a long train of centuries. 

 Then these uncials are not such as are found upon parch- 

 ments of the later or even middle periods of uncial writ- 

 ing, but such as are known to be the very oldest which 

 have come down to us. Deciding by the forms and styles 

 of the uncials, which closely resemble those of the Egypt- 

 ian papyri found at Herculaneum, an experienced paleo- 

 grapher would pronounce the Sinai manuscript to belong 

 to the same cycle with the Alexandrian and Vatican 



