Codex Sinaiticus

vii

THE CORRECTION OF THE CODEX AT CAESAREA

The only point on which practical certainty can be arrived at with regard to the history of the MS. Manuscript before it was discovered by Tischendorf, is that at the time when one of the correctors belonging to the group C was working it was in the famous library at Caesarea. Palaeographical The study of ancient handwriting and historical grounds agree to fix this time as not later than the beginning of the seventh or earlier than that of the fifth century.

The library at Caesarea is one of the three great Christian libraries¹ known to have existed in the third century. It is perhaps correct to speak of Pamphilus as the founder of this library,² but the nucleus of his collection was the MSS. of Origen, who in turn probably inherited the library of Juliana which is mentioned by Eusebius (Church History vi. 17), who says, original Greek: "Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ Ὠριγένης... διαδέξασθαι" "Origen indicates that he received these, along with other interpretations of the Scriptures by Symmachus, from a certain Juliana, who he says had herself received the books from Symmachus himself." The actual words of Origen's statement are given by Palladius (Lausiac History lxiv, ed. Butler), who says, original Greek: "εὗρον δὲ ταῦτα... τῶν Ἰουδαίων αὐτὸ εἰληφέναι" "I found these things written in a very old book arranged in verses, which had been written by the hand of Origen: 'I found this book at the house of Juliana the virgin in Caesarea, when I was hiding with her; she said she had received it from Symmachus himself, the interpreter of the Jews.'" Unfortunately the copyist of this note was apparently not very accurate, and thought that Caesarea in Cappadocia was indicated, but it is probable that this is merely a mistake and that Caesarea in Palestine was really intended. In any case there is little reason to doubt that the library of Caesarea when it was organized by Pamphilus contained many MSS. of the third and second centuries, and it was certainly one of the main sources¹ of Eusebius's knowledge of Christian literature, though unfortunately the catalogue which he published in his life of Pamphilus is no longer extant.

According to Jerome (On Illustrious Men 3. 113) the library began to show signs of decay at the end of the fourth century, and Euzoius,² original Latin: "eiusdem postea urbis..." "afterwards bishop of the same city (Caesarea), attempted with great labor to restore upon parchment the library of Origen and Pamphilus which was already falling into ruin...", etc. This statement may fairly be interpreted to mean that the Papyri on which the earlier MSS. were written were wearing out, and had to be copied on parchment term: parchment (animal skin prepared for writing, which is much more durable than papyrus reed paper). Of this second foundation by Euzoius there is at least one certain trace in a MS. of the eleventh century at Vienna (MS. Theol. Gr. 29) which contains (f. 146ᵛ) the cruciform note, copied no doubt from its archetype, original Greek: "εὐζόιος ἐπίσκοπος ἐν σωματίοις ἀνενεώσατο" "Bishop Euzoius renewed [this] in parchment volumes."³ It was much used by Jerome, who frequently refers to it, and at the beginning of the seventh century the copy of the Hexapla term: Hexapla (Origen's massive edition of the Old Testament featuring six parallel columns of different versions) of Origen in the library at Caesarea was used by Paul of Tella for the Syriac Hexapla, as is stated in the subscriptions to the various books of the Old Testament;⁴ but after this there is no proof of the continued existence of the library. Its fate is unknown; but Caesarea was taken by the Arabs in 638, and we may guess with much probability that the library was dispersed or destroyed.

The evidence that the Codex Sinaiticus was once in this library is given by the notes added by one of the C correctors at the ends of Ezra and Esther, in the fragment at Leipzig (Codex

¹ The other two are Jerusalem and Alexandria. The history of the library at Jerusalem is given in Eusebius Church History vi. 20. 1; cf. Ehrhardt, Roman Quarterly, 1891, 217 ff. There can be little doubt that the Catechetical School at Alexandria had a library, though it is difficult to distinguish it from the private collections of Clement and Origen.
² Cf. Eusebius Church History vi. 32.

¹ The full list of references to Pamphilus and his work is given in Harnack's History of Early Christian Literature, vol. i, pp. 543 ff.
² In Letter 34, 1 Jerome says that Acacius also helped.
³ See Cohn, Philo on the Creation of the World, p. ii (Breslau Philological Treatises iv. 4, 1889).
⁴ See Field, Hexapla, i, pp. xcix-c.