Polonsky Foundation Digitization Project

Codex Bezae Christian Works There are half-a-dozen ancient manuscripts which are the foundation of our understanding of the text of the New Testament writings. Among these stands the copy known since the sixteenth century as Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis. Any manuscript which has survived from antiquity is a marvel for this reason alone, and as we explore its pages, we have a rare opportunity to explore a little of the written culture of late antique Christianity. Among this group, Codex Bezae occupies a unique place for several reasons. The manuscript is the work of a single scribe, one trained primarily to copy Latin texts. The manuscript is best dated to the end of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth century. It is probable that the Codex Bezae remained there, in the Monastery of St Irenaeus, until the sixteenth century. A printed transcription of the manuscript (using a font imitating the shape of the characters) was published by the University Press in 1793. Editions:

Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers Codex Sinaiticus