Luke 4:14-21   ¹⁴ Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.  ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.  ¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,  ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:  ¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,  ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  ²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  ²¹ Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

            Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about some of the various manuscripts (called a codex) that scholars use in order to add footnotes, etc. to our Bibles.  A codex (Latin caudex for "trunk of a tree" or block of wood, book; plural codices) is a book.  It is in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings (sheets of paper or vellum in multiples of two which are folded and stitched through).  Codices are typically bound together and given a cover, like modern books.          

Like the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, codices are the primary source that scholars use to debate the biblical text.  While it is generally practice that Bible’s are not “corrected” these days, footnotes continue to be added (i.e. Codex A says this, Codex B says something different).  Codex Sinaiticus (c. 350) contains the oldest complete copy of the New Testament, as well as the Greek Old Testament, known as the Septuagint.  Codex Vaticanus is another famous old codex that is used alongside Sinaiticus for biblical study and argument.  Both of these are written in Greek.

As for the Hebrew (Old Testament), the Aleppo and the Leningrad (The oldest) Codices are the primary sources as well as (now) the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Codices are often named for the places that they are found and/or stored.  The Leningrad Codex is so named because it has been housed in the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). 

I am continually amazed that Codices have survived and are still being found.  Next time you look at your Bible, think about what it means to you that the book in your hand contains texts that are 2000+ years old.  They have survived, and we still continue to find more evidence that the primary text is indeed authentic and correct.  To me, that is one of the most powerful signs of God.

For more info on the codices, check the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_manuscript

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences_between_codices_Sinaiticus_and_Vaticanus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leningrad_Codex

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus_Graecus_1209

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo_Codex

In our prayers this week:  Ann, Daniel, David, Brianna, Woody, Scott S, and Anna

God’s Peace