World's Oldest Bible Online
July 23, 2008 | by Christopher Nickson
The British Library is going to put what remains of the world's oldest Bible online for all to see and study.
The world’s oldest Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus, was written in Greek more than 1,600 years ago. It’s always been a controversial book, containing pieces not in the “standard” Bible, like the Epistle of Barnabas and definitely not containing the resurrection of Jesus. It was discovered in 1844 in St. Catherine’s Monastery close to Mt. Sinai, and parts of it are still there.
The other remaining fragments are in Russia, Germany, and in Britain - at the British Library.
Now, according to Reuters, the British Library will put all the remains of the bible online for free viewing.
Ulrich Johannes Schneider, director of Leipzig University Library, which owns part of the manuscript, told the news agency:
"I think it's just fantastic that thanks to technology we can now make the oldest cultural artifacts -- ones that were once so precious you couldn't show them to anyone -- accessible to everyone, in really high quality."
The Gospel of Mark and the Book of Psalms will go online tomorrow, and the complete text is expected to be available by July next year.
Post Your Comment...Comments
Kevin on Jul 24th, 2008 at 8:17 AM:
Hehe, modern dogma or not, I think this is pretty interesting/cool. I'd love to see new translators take a stab at the original and see what they come up with.
Sheila Joyce Gibbs on Jul 24th, 2008 at 11:59 AM:
Wow, this is absolutely wonderful !!!
Is it possible, please, to request a copy of this oldest portion of our Bible, and again, if possible, to received it by e-mail ???
Many thanks.
/sjg
Sheila Joyce Gibbs on Jul 24th, 2008 at 12:01 PM:
Yes, that's my e-mail right above this.
It's okay to show/post whatever.
But can you reply by telling me if I can get a copy sent or whatever?
Many thanks.
Boy, you guys are sure fast !!!
That's more than I can say for many other places!
Good Work folks !!!
gillian wilkinson on Jul 25th, 2008 at 4:52 PM:
does anyone knows the website for this information ?
Jason Hostler on Jul 28th, 2008 at 10:12 AM:
The British Library (linked in the the story already) will have it:
http://www.bl.uk/
Marie Devine on Aug 1st, 2008 at 3:02 PM:
The oldest Bible should be helpful for Muslims whose prophet's message to Christians and Jews etc. was to follow the whole Bible, the religion of Moses and Jesus, be not divided therein, and to follow the Torah, Gospels, and whatever God has sent down. Qur'an Ahmad #s: 5:68, 69; 42:14-16.
They have refused to follow the Christian Bible, saying that it has been changed. This will show stability in the Bible message.
If the resurrection of Jesus is not in the oldest Bible, it simply means that the parts that are covered did not deal with that area. It does not mean the resurrection did not happen.
Muhammad and other prophets were told that parts of the Bible had been taken out. It will be interesting to see if items the prophet Joseph Smith was commanded to restore to the Bible are mentioned in this oldest Bible.
The oldest Qur'an (written in gold) has also come forward recently and could serve the same purpose of seeing what was told to the prophet and what may have been added by others. If we look for the truth of God, He will provide us ample evidence to dispel our fears. There is already plenty of evidence for the truth of scriptures if we listen to the testimony of people who spend time looking for the power of God in their lives. The promise of God is that the whole world will be full of the glory of God.
Zouhair Stitou on Aug 21st, 2008 at 10:18 AM:
Here is a great evidence that the bible is being falsified throughout the history.
And and still there is no original and no one will find one.
For your info Marie, Quran is been kept in the chests as expressed in Arabic, meaning memorized in the heads following the same rule of tajweed, what is written is mos7af. and you will never find any written Quran that i something else than the Quran that s continually trans missed from mouth to mouth from group to group of the strongest memorizers, whom impossible to agree on falsifying it what is called Tawator.
PS. i invite everybody with love to read about islam and hope finally to become moslims and find out the real christ, our beloved prophet that every moslim must follow and love or he is no moslim.
Salaamo alaikom (peace be with you)
Zouhair
Zouhair Stitou on Aug 21st, 2008 at 10:18 AM:
Here is a great evidence that the bible is being falsified throughout the history.
And and still there is no original and no one will find one.
For your info Marie, Quran is been kept in the chests as expressed in Arabic, meaning memorized in the heads following the same rule of tajweed, what is written is mos7af. and you will never find any written Quran that i something else than the Quran that s continually trans missed from mouth to mouth from group to group of the strongest memorizers, whom impossible to agree on falsifying it what is called Tawator.
PS. i invite everybody with love to read about islam and hope finally to become moslims and find out the real christ, our beloved prophet that every moslim must follow and love or he is no moslim.
Salaamo alaikom (peace be with you)
Zouhair
N.Noman on Oct 4th, 2008 at 9:32 PM:
Answering Marie Devine
You said: The oldest Bible should be helpful for Muslims whose prophet's message to Christians and Jews etc. was to follow the whole Bible, the religion of Moses and Jesus, be not divided therein, and to follow the Torah, Gospels, and whatever God has sent down. Qur'an Ahmad
Answer: the revelation sent to Mohamad (P.B.U.H) is for all mankind, to replace and unite the people of the book with the moslims, and the whole people of the earth under the unity of the FINAL revelation, ISLAM, regardless, whether or not the revelation of the previous prophets (P.B.U.T)were tampered with. Knowing that all prophets (P.B.U.T) had the same message.
You said:They have refused to follow the Christian Bible, saying that it has been changed. This will show stability in the Bible message.
I say: Although the christian bible is changed, and continuously being tampered with, this is not the only reason people are becoming moslims. The main reason is, ISLAM is the only, and strictly monotheist religion, and it is the final revelation, and also, it is the only religion which make all people equal regardless of their color or sex and take the people from worshiping creations, to worshiping the creator.
You said:If the resurrection of Jesus is not in the oldest Bible, it simply means that the parts that are covered did not deal with that area. It does not mean the resurrection did not happen.
I say: Why should any one believe your conclusion???? People should deal with facts, not made up conclusions. you brought it out of your pocket to protect the fictitious resurrection story. It is more logical to say,if the story of the resurrection was not their, it never happened. Moslims know that it is a fabrication, also if you read your bible objectively, you will find beyond any doubt that it has no bases.
You said:Muhammad and other prophets were told that parts of the Bible had been taken out. It will be interesting to see if items the prophet Joseph Smith was commanded to restore to the Bible are mentioned in this oldest Bible.
I say: It was said to Prophet mohamad (P.B.U.H)
that the bible was tampered with.
Joseph Smith is not a prophet. THe final prophet is MOHAMAD (P.B.U.H) and no true prophet is after him. I invite you to visit the web site Jews For Allah, and read through the songs of soliman. I believe this could help you to know more.
You said: The oldest Qur'an (written in gold) has also come forward recently and could serve the same purpose of seeing what was told to the prophet and what may have been added by others. If we look for the truth of God, He will provide us ample evidence to dispel our fears. There is already plenty of evidence for the truth of scriptures if we listen to the testimony of people who spend time looking for the power of God in their lives. The promise of God is that the whole world will be full of the glory of God.
I say: I dont know where you got that from??
The QURAN never came down as a book. It came down as verses or parts of verses over 23 years. It was memorized by the people around the prophet (P.B.U.H), and also written on peaces of leather or bones, or paper, whatever available, and it was written with ink, no gold. Immediately after the death of Mohamad (P.B.U.H)his companions collected the QURAN and put it in a single book.then 4 copies of the Quran where made to send to the other provinces after the defeat of the ROMANS and the Persians. We still have theses copies until today, and it matches every single copy of the quran around the world at all times and all countries. Also more the 300 million people today memories the entire quran, from beginning to end. That is to say, if we lose all the copies of the quran around the world, we can re-write the quran correctly again in less than one second.
Therefore, their is now golden quran, and it would make any diffrance whether or not it is written in gold or ink, we only value the contents.
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Matt on Jul 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 PM:
I wonder if this will challenge modern Dogma. Oh-Wait, this IS modern Dogma. Never mind.