Today's radio show by Chris Pinto continues the discussion of the evidence for the creation of Codex Sinaiticus in 1840 by paleographer Constantine Simonides, The Simonides Affair Revisited, opposing the claims for it as an ancient manuscript that undermines the trustworthiness of our Bibles.
In this show he discusses how it came to be at St. Catherine's monastery at Mt Sinai in Egypt where Tischendorf found it many years later. (I think I'm getting some of my dates mixed up, a few in the last post, so I'll have to correct them later if I'm able), and also how it came to have so many corrections in it, far more than any other Bible manuscript ever had, 14,000 as counted by Tischendorf himself, but 23,000 as counted by the library in England where it now rests. Some of them were done by Simonides and his uncle as he himself says. Which ones I wonder? And how many? And why didn't they make them in the original which was the basis for the one Simonides was making?
Overall I am convinced that Pinto's presentation of the evidence does support his own conclusion that Simonides is credible and that his reputation was unjustly smeared by those who had a vested interest in treating the manuscript as genuinely ancient. One piece of the evidence is that Tischendorf's story about how he found the manuscript isn't believed even by those who accept it as an ancient manuscript.
Listen to the show. He covers a lot of issues.
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I too received the DVD production "Tares Among the Wheat" about three weeks ago. I have always been suspicious of the Codex Sinaiticus manuscripts having noticed countless alterations in the contemporary translations as opposed to the KJV. What has always surprised me is when people say "it doesn't matter" when I point out to them the missing portion of the text in Romans 8:1 as just one of many examples of these, what I think to be, very different translations (NIV, NASB, etc.).
ReplyDeleteIn years past I used the Lockman Foundation NASB as a mainstay in my study of Scripture. As recently as two years ago I have concluded for myself that I must defer to the Authorized Version of the King James Bible for all of my future read/studies of Scripture.
As for "The Simonides Affair" portion of the DVD by Adullam Films; it has prompted me to research this with great fervency. I see there is only one used copy of "Codex Sinaiticus and the Simonides affair: An examination of the nineteenth century claim that Codex Sinaiticus was not an ancient manuscript" at Amazon.com for $75.00 and it appears to be in the Greek language - but I am unable to tell for sure and there is no query option to ask about it. Is there another source to purchase this book in the English language?
This is all of very great concern to me for reasons I think are obvious.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteOn the TC-Alternate forum we had some discussion of Simonides, back in Novemeber and December of 2011.
I placed a notice on the forum about your two pages here, and the Chris Pinto radio shows and DVD.
[TC-Alternate-list] Chris Pinto on Simonides and Sinaiticus
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TC-Alternate-list/message/5431
Feel free to read and join in, the forum is generally friendly and pleasant.
Steven
Hello Kokholm: Thanks for your comment and I'm sorry I didn't get to it until now. I'm afraid I don't have that kind of information but perhaps Chris Pinto could point you in the right direction to find out if the book is in English or where you could get it. He would at least know who the experts are that you could approach.
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry I didn't get to your comment until now Steven, I've been neglecting this blog lately. Looked at your forum, you posted the right questions there. I find Chris Pinto's argument convincing but there do remain questions.
ReplyDeletehttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/TC-Alternate-list/message/5431?source=1&var=1
Having watched 'Tares Amongst the Wheat', an absolute must view, I just had to obtain, "Codex Sinaiticus and the Simonides Affair, (on Amazon. It is in English and it looks to be new even though sold as used.) Having purchased a copy it is still up on Amazon so available for a while. A slow read full, of intrigue, just like an Agatha Christie, Inspector Poirot mystery. However it is the reader that will need those Poirot grey cells. I was certainly left scratching my head. The attack on Simonides has a very Jesuit smell. Well done to Chris Pinto.
ReplyDeleteI'd LOVE to have that book. If it remains available maybe I can save up for it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report.