•The number of uncial MSS. remaining. though great when compared with the ancient MSS. extent
of other writings, is inconsiderable. Tischendorf reckons forty in the Gospels. In these must be
added Cod. Sinait ., which is entire; a new MS. of Tischendorf, which is nearly entire; and Cod.
Zacynth., Which contains considerable fragments of St. Luke. In the Acts there are nine: in the
Catholic Epistles five; in the Pauline Epistles fourteen; in the Apocalypse three.
•A complete description these MSS. is given In the great critical editions of the New Testament.
Here those only can be briefly noticed which are of primary importance, the first place being given
to the latest-discovered and most complete Codex Sinaiticus—the Cod. Frid. Aug. of LXX. at St.
Petersburg, obtained by Tischendorf from the convent of St. Catherine, Mount Sinai, in 1859. The
New Testament is entire, and the Epistle of Bamabas and parts of the Shepherd of Hermas are
added. It is probably the oldest of the MSS. of the New Testament and of the fourth century. Codex
Alexandrinus (Brit. Mus.), a MS. of the entire Greek Bible, with the Epistles of Clement added.
It was given-by Cyril Lucar, patriarch of Constantinople, to Charles I. in 1628, and is now in the
British Museum. It contains the whole of the New Testament, with some chasms. It was probably
written in the first half of the fifth century. Codex Vaticanus (1209) a MS. of the entire Greek
Bible which seems to have been in the Vatican Library almost from its commencement (cir. A.D.
1450). It contains the New Testament entire to (Hebrews 9:14) katha : the rest of the Epistle to
the Hebrews, the Pastoral Epistles and the Apocalypse were added in the fifteenth century. The
MS. is assigned to the fourth century. Codex Ephraemi rescriptus (Paris, Bibl, Imp. 9), a palimpsest
MS. which contains fragments of the LXX. and of every part of the New Testament. In the twelfth
century the original writing was effaced and some Greek writings of Ephraem Syrus were written
over it. The MS was brought to Florence from the East at the beginning of the sixteenth century,
and came thence to Paris with Catherine Deuteronomy Medici. The only entire books which have
perished are 2 Thess. and 2 John.
•The number of the cursive MSS. (minuscules) in existence cannot be accurately calculated.
Tischendorf catalogues about 500 of the Gospels, 200 of the Acts and Catholic Epistles, 250 of
the Pauline Epistles, and a little less than 100 of the Apocalypse (exclusive of lectionaries); but
this enumeration can only be accepted as a rough approximation,
•Having surveyed in outline the history of the transmission of the written text and the chief
characteristics of the MSS. in which it is preserved, we are in a position to consider the extent and
nature of the variations which exist in different copies. It is impossible to estimate the number of
these exactly, but they cannot be less than 120,000 in all, though of these a very large proportion
consists of differences of spelling and isolated aberrations of scribes and of the remainder
comparatively few alterations are sufficiently well supported to create reasonable doubt as to the
final judgment. Probably there are not more than 1600-2000 places in which the true reading is a
matter of uncertainty.
•Various causes: readings are due to some arose from accidental, others from intentional alterations
of the original text.
•Other variations are due to errors of sight. Others may be described as errors of impression or
memory. The copyist, after reading a sentence from the text before him, often failed to reproduce
it exactly. Variations of order are the most frequent and very commonly the most puzzling questions
of textual criticism. Examples occur in every page, almost in every verse, of the New Testament.
•Of intentional changes some affect the expression, others the substance of the passage.
frankie
(Frankie)
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