What’s Missing from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament?
Compare differences between the King James Version and Codex Sinaiticus
A salvaged page of the Codex Sinaiticus from St. Catherine’s Monastery recovered in 1975. Photo: Courtesy of St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Two hundred years after Constantine Tischendorf’s birth, questions remain as to the conditions of his removal of Codex Sinaiticus from St. Catherine’s Monastery. Dating to the mid-fourth century C.E., Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete manuscript of the New Testament.
In his article “Hero or Thief? Constantine Tischendorf Turns Two Hundred” in the September/October 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Stanley E. Porter contends that Tischendorf should be considered a hero, not a thief.
The text of Codex Sinaiticus differs in numerous instances from that of the authorized version of the Bible in use during Tischendorf’s time. For example, the resurrection narrative at the end of Mark (16:9–20) is absent from the Codex Sinaiticus. So is the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). The woman caught in adultery from John 8 is omitted in Codex Sinaiticus.
According to James Bentley, Tischendorf was not troubled by the omission of the resurrection in Mark because he believed that Matthew was written first and that Mark’s gospel was an abridged version of Matthew’s gospel. If this were true, the absence of resurrection in Mark would not be a problem because it appears in the older Matthean gospel. Modern scholarship generally holds that Mark is in fact the oldest of the Synoptic Gospels, which could cause theological concerns over the omitted resurrection.
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One other omission in Codex Sinaiticus with theological implications is the reference to Jesus’ ascension in Luke 24:51. Additionally, Mark 1:1 in the original hand omits reference to Jesus as the Son of God.
Below, see a visual comparison of these and other differences between the King James Version and Codex Sinaiticus.
The Markan Resurrection
(Mark 16: 1–14)
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
The Lord’s Prayer
(Matthew 6:9–13)
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
The woman caught in adultery
(John 7:53–8:11)
8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 and early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him: and he sat down, and taught them
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Significant omitted verses
Mark 1:1: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;”
Luke 9:55–56: “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
Mark 1:1 Adds the phrase “the Son of God” only above the line, as a later addition.
Luke 9:55–56: “But he turned and rebuked them. And they went to another village.”
Alterations perhaps due to later theological beliefs
Constantine Tischendorf’s chance finding of Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest New Testament manuscript, at St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai—and his later removal of the manuscript—made him both famous and infamous. Learn more by reading “Tischendorf on Trial for Removing Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament.”
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on August 12, 2015. Biblical quotations corrected on September 18, 2022.
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What’s Missing from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament?
Tischendorf on Trial for Removing Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament
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Why don’t you ask GOD for the understanding. ……He’s giving me understanding of things I’ve ask him…
Besides, that’s what he tells us to do, ask.
Actually, the Christian apologist who says that BAR is wrong to point out the theological significance of omitting the ascension and the resurrection appearances in the corrupt Critical Text is himself naive. They are significant.
However, Sinaiticus itself is not relevant, since the evidence is very strong that it was produced in the 1800s, which is why it is in such incredible flexible, supple condition, and the Leipzig pages are white parchment, contra the chemistry of parchment aging..
For more information:
Codex Sinaiticus Authenticity Research
[Broken URL removed by site admin]
Sinaiticus – authentic antiquity or modern?
[Broken URL removed by site admin]
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Nowhere does the OT say; “He was with God in the beginning”. -Thus proving anything Godly about Christianity is bogus.
– “Nowhere does the OT say; “He was with God in the beginning”. -Thus proving anything Godly about Christianity is bogus.”
-> Proverbs 8:22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. (..) 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth (..) 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
Have a nice day 🙂
I find it amazing that you all believe in this nonsense.
The person who wrote this is obviously undereducated read Mark 16:6!!!
Mark 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
(re Luke. .September 25 .2015)…
The devil you can see is not so much a problem as the devil which you can’t see, but yet is very active. That is the nature of deception.
Subversion is often of a greater danger than frontal attack. The old proverbial Trojan Horse trick worked very well back in the old days. And no less so today.
Just like the serpent was doing the devils’ dirty work in the Garden of Eden where God walked and talked with our first parents, (and conquered – for a time), so too the devil has had his agents working to subvert and pervert Scripture……little by little, line by line, here a little there a little over many centuries.
Rome couldn’t get rid of all the Bibles which were being mass produced by the “protestors” – the “heretics” as Rome branded them, so after a time they got busy by subversion and decided it would suit their purpose better if they worked to alter the Text of the Bible from within.
And presto, what do we have today? Hundreds of english Bible versions, and most of them are ONLY making small changes ..INSIGNIFICANT changes which over time become gradually accepted. All ready for the next generation of innocent and naive seekers for truth.
People will accept critical change if it appears in small and harmless doses. That is how the system works. Last time I looked poison is stil poison no matter what kind it is.
Westcott and Hort highly valued the Romish texts -Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, as well as the doctrines of Rome above Protestant doctrine though they were publicly involved in the Protestant church. One said to the other of the Textus Receptus – “Think of that vile Textus Receptus leaning entirely on late MSS.; it is a blessing there are such early ones.”
…this same author states “The practical effect of the W-H theory was a complete rejection of the “Syrian” text and an almost exclusive preference for the “Neutral” text (equals B and Aleph). Subsequent scholarship has generally rejected the notion of a “Neutral” text but (still has – Ed) sustained the rejection of the “Syrian” text.” -( source http://www.revisedstandard.net/text/WNP/id_3.html) (Ed is my remark to clarify)
Just like in the 1800’s , Europe saw an infiltration into the Seminaries and Colleges by Rome’s agents to weaken Protestant influence for the ensuing generations and swing them back to Rome (still going on today folks), so too the work of W&H in the late 1800’s brought a major shift in the thinking about how scholars should or could go about their work of translation of Scripture.
The devil is in the detail AGAIN. Details are important.
It must be stated that most modern versions/translations still have statements in their pages that will support the divinity of Jesus Christ and His work on earth and on the cross, and all or most of His message etc. The greater danger is not so much whether a version states such things AT ALL, but how many times the total testimony is weakened.
If I have 999, 999 dollar coins, one may conclude that I am a millionaire, even I might. But the fact remains I do not have a million dollars. A million is a million, not one less than a million.
If somebody takes one of those dollar coins, it still looks like a lot money and I almost have a million dollars. almost a millionaire…And so if my little stash is diminshed little by little who will care? Near enough is good enough. Is it? Not in God’s economy.
If I misquote the Prime minister of my country just by a little bit, publicly, and insist that my quote is what he said, even when it is pointed out that I got it wrong, will I be excused by the Chief Prosecutor for the Government? Hardly.
But it seems quite okay and acceptable if we put our own spin on God’s word. And our excuse….? …no one can be certain about what God said in the first place.
God has stated in Deuteronomy, in Proverbs and in Revelation that anyone who adds to or subtracts from God’s word will be held accountable.
Let us fear God and love Him and treat His word with more respect.
Ignorance is one thing and may be forgiven, but a careless approach or deliberate twisting is another.
…further reading… AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTUAL CRITICISM VOL 1. UNHOLY HANDS ON THE BIBLE, BURGON, GREEN, SOVEREIGN GRAC PUB.
Wilbur N. Pickering, Th.M Ph.D is qioted as saying
“It has commonly been argued, for at least 200 years (John Bengel, d. 1752, was the first), that no matter what Greek text one may use it will not affect any doctrine. In my own experience, for over thirty years, when I have raised the question of what is the correct Greek text of the New Testament, regardless of audience, the usual response has been: “What difference does it make?” The purpose of this article is to answer that question, at least in part.” (APPENDIX II, A COMPARISON BETWEEN SIX MAJOR BIBLE VERSIONS, VOLUME II, UNHOLY HANDS ON THE BIBLE. GREEN, SOVEREIGN GRACE TRUST FUND.
W N Pickering points out that one of the major thrusts of modern versions is to undermine the authority of Scripture, by the use of enclosing “parts of the text in brackets and have” (ing) “numerous footnotes of a sort that raise doubt about the integrity of the Text. The consequences of all this are serious and are far reachiing for the future of the Church.”
Little doubts often repeated become entrenched in the mind and eventually produce either a serious warning, or a platform for lies.
Andrew says on – 27 May 2016.
“Nowhere does the OT say; “He was with God in the beginning”. -Thus proving anything Godly about Christianity is bogus”
Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea at the time of Jesus Christ’s death. Jesus was hauled before Pilate for the Jewish religious Elite wanted Him dead, because they charged Jesus with blaspemy.
Pilate was used to trouble makers in Judea and he saw and heard a lot of phony messiahs, and many of those were armed to the teeth to try and get rid of Rome’s power base in Judea. One of Jesus’ disciples had been such a zealot.
Pilate flatly told the Jewish leaders that he found NO FAULT in this man.
This is history.
A Roman Governor finds no fault with someone charged with insurrection and turning the world upside down??
But the very reason why the Jewish religious left (or right) charged Jesus with blaasphemy and wanted Hm dead was because thy understood perfectly that Jesus was stating that He was equal with God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc.
They knew this. It was not something that they had to work out..DID HE or DIDN”T HE?
He had claimed to be God – equal with God, and they had tried on a number of occasions to stone HIm, just as Moses had said they should for a charge of blasphemy…as long as two or three witnesses could testify. But they as a group had heard Jesus Himself. They were first hand witnesses.
This is history.
These two facts should be enough to get your mind thinking whether you have made a right judgement in your comment – “…proving anything Godly about Christianity is bogus”
Those Jewish leaders I dare say would have been far more familiar with the OT than you or I have ever been. They knew exactly what Jesus was saying…
Jesus also told them that I and My Father are one – John 10:30 (read the rest of the narrative). You can’t get any plalner than that.
Have a look at Proverbs 30:4
“Who has gone up to Heaven, and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garments? Who has made all the ends of the earth to rise? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name? Surely you know.”
WHAT IS HIS NAME? WHAT IS HIS SON’S NAME?
That is the question you must ask and answer for yourself honestly and carefully.
Those wanting to use the Greek manuscripts needs to consult the fact that these were Yisraelis writing, not Greek and the language would have been written in Hebrew. Any Greek representation of the New Testament is not factual as to the true text.
Actually, Hebrew was rarely spoken, let alone written by the 1st C CE. They spoke Aramaic and, having been thoroughly helenised, wrote in Greek, probably their second language. For more information, read Barbara Thiering’s books, even if you do not believe in her conclusions.
I prefer to accept the word of God by faith, the same way we attain salvation. Jesus was in the OT, in Genesis 1:26 God said let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness,… this would be funny language for God alone and by himself to be using. If Satan can place doubt about the word of God in man’s head, he has the war half won… It is by faith and faith alone we can be saved… I have personally been transformed from a drunkard, dope head, and whoremonger, into a son of God by faith and our so called flawed KJV.
Be Blessed, Chuck