The Pandect Bible:
Liturgical Unity of codex Sinaiticus
by
Stefan Royé
Protestant Theological University, Amsterdam
The so-called pandect bibles received broad scholarly interest and continuous
attention, also from the side of the general public. Codex Sinaiticus was made known
in the course of the 19th century, when Tischendorf came back from the East with
codex portions discovered in the Monastery of St Catherine at the foot of Mount
Sinai. The other pandect bibles, codex Vaticanus, codex Alexandrinus, codex
Ephraemi Syri rescriptus played an important role in scholarship already from much
earlier ages on. Discussed were many aspects, although the balance of research was
directed towards the relevant textual data of these specimens of early Byzantine
codex making and with regard to critical text editions of the Septuagint and the
Novum Testamentum Graece.
In this contribution will be placed central stage the complete codex and its liturgical
imprint. Besides the codices mentioned above (from the 4th and 5th century) are
preserved other pandect bibles, a very small group indeed (less than 10 manuscripts),
stemming from later ages (9th, 12th, 14th and 15th c.). A curious thing is that the codex
unity – the principal inclusion of OT and NT corpora in one document – was broken
up in the respective disciplines of OT and NT studies. This is reflected in catalogue
descriptions, in specific studies and in text editions. The Sinaiticus, originally one
codex, was finally divided and rebind in two volumes by the British Library.
It is also of some interest to keep some attention to other codex types in which OT
and NT were brought together, as the Tetraevangelion-Praxapostols-Apocalyps (NT
corpus) and the Psalterion, the Praxapostolos and the Psalterion, the ApostoloEvangelion and Prophets codex, and so on (Tables of codices are included in the
article itself).
Unity of pandect bibles
A pandect bible is a codex type in which all books of the (Greek) OT and NT were
brought together between two covers. The unification in the beginning of the 4th
century of two codex traditions into one manuscript, of the old Greek OT and the NT
books and collections of epistles, as far as they were used in liturgical communities,
was an event of unequalled historical impact. In this contribution we focus on the
study of the unity of this codex type and the aspects which may contribute to more
insight in the physical construction related to the metaphysical (theological) contents.
Focus on quire structures
Quires are piles of sheets made of animal skin, which were bound together in order
to constitute a codex, including a cluster of books (the five books of the Law, the four
Gospels), or one single book (book of Psalms, the book of Acts of the Apostles). Used
were polished single parchment sheets, prepared from the hides of sheep, goats or
calves, which were cut in regular form of the same format, in rectangular form with
the height larger and the width (codex Sinaiticus: 38 x 34.5 cm) and in quadrate form
with even measures (codex Vaticanus: 27 x 27 cm). The sheets were folded double in
order to compose a quire, in this way that the double folded sheets were placed
inside the other and so on. Finally the quires (piles) were laid on each other in layers
and bound together, originally between leather covers, but these were lost in the
course of time in most cases and rebound later.
Construction and contents of the codex
The author lays some emphasis on the quire structures in early Byzantine pandect
bibles. Analysed are the quires and numbering systems of codex Sinaiticus, codex
Vaticanus, codex Alexandrinus. The subject concerns the technological construction
of the codices with regard to the presentation of the content. Insight in what could be
called the backbone of the Byzantine codex is essential for the understanding of the
manner in which bible contents were presented and transmitted in such an early age.
Of importance is, that preceding codex (and roll) types are reflected in the pandect
bibles even before that time. This understanding we need, when we start to describe
the Byzantine codex from the 4th century on, placing ourselves on solid ground.
Right from the start of the writing down of a bible codex one previewed and
prepared the sheets with regard to the contents, the books used in liturgical contexts.
It appears that the beginnings of larger divisions in bible codices correspond to new
beginnings of quires (Milne/Skeat).
Codicography and quire structure
The aim of this contribution to the pandect bible codex is to find out if there is a more
adequate manner of codex description possible in which the quire structures (and
original quire numbers) play a leading role (descriptive frame) in combination with
the foliations of later date.
An effort will be done of a new description of codex Sinaiticus according to the
(original) quire structure and other relevant aspects of codex divisions and presented
in the form of an extended Short Catalogue Form.