| Codex Alexandrinus |
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The Codex Alexandrius (London, British Library, MS Royal 1. D. V-VIII) is a 5th Century Manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Septuagint and the New Testament . Along with the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus , it is one of the earliest and most complete manuscripts of the Bible. It derives its name from Alexandria where it is believed to have been made. CONTENTS The text in the codex is written in two columns in Uncial script, with between 46 and 52 lines per column and 20 to 25 letters per line. The beginning lines of each book are written in red ink and sections within the book are marked by a larger letter set into the margin. Words are written continuously in a large square uncial hand with no accents and only some breathings (possibly added by a later editor). It contains a complete copy of the LXX , including the Deuterocanonical books 3 and 4 Maccabees , Psalm 151 and the 14 Odes . The "Epistle to Marcellinus" attributed to Saint Athanasius and the Eusibian summary of the Psalms are inserted before the Book of Psalms. The codex also contains all of the books of the (up to 12:5a). Due to damage and lost folios, various passages are missing or have defects:
There are 773 Vellum folios (630 in the Old Testament and 143 in the New Testament). The manuscript measures 12.6 by 10.4 inches. Most of the folios were originally gathered into Quires of 8 leaves each. However, in modern times it was rebound into quires of 6 leaves each. The only decorations in the manuscript are decorative tailpieces at the end of each book (see illustration). It also shows a tendency to increase the size of the first letter of each sentence. PROVENANCE The manuscript's original provenance is unknown. A 13th or 14th century note on a flyleaf (from binding in a royal library) states that the manuscript was given to a patriarchate of Alexandria in 1098 (''donum dedit cubicuo Patriarchali anno 814 Mrtyrum''), although this may well be "merely an inaccurate attempt at deciphering the Arabic note by Athanasius."ibid. p8 The codex was brought to Constantinople in 1621 by Cyril Lucar (patriarch of Alexandria then Constantinople) who then presented it to Charles I of England in 1627 , thus becoming part of the Royal Library, British Museum and now the British Library. It was saved from the fire at Ashburnam House (the Cotton Library ) on 23 October 1731 , by the librarian, Dr Bentley. REFERENCES
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