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Secrets of Mount Sinai
Recounts the discovery of Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest Bible manuscript, and assesses its impact on the development and understanding of Christianity
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
James Bentley
94 booksTravel writer James Bentley was born (1937-2000) in Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK.
Bentley had a varied career as teacher, academic, historian and Anglican clergyman. He was Vicar of Oldham, Lancashire, Conduct and Senior Chaplain at Eton College, Windsor, and Maurice Reckitt Research Fellow in Christian Social Thought at the University of Sussex.
He died on December 26, 2000 in Saumur, France
Bentley had a varied career as teacher, academic, historian and Anglican clergyman. He was Vicar of Oldham, Lancashire, Conduct and Senior Chaplain at Eton College, Windsor, and Maurice Reckitt Research Fellow in Christian Social Thought at the University of Sussex.
He died on December 26, 2000 in Saumur, France
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 30, 2014
Codex Sinaiticus Notes
This book is about Constantine Tischendorf, a Biblical scholar and theologian from Germany; and his quest to discover the oldest and most authentic Biblical scripture, which lead to St. Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai, Egypt. The book provides history into St. Catherine’s Monastery (supposedly the place where Moses saw the burning bush) and some biographical information on Constantine Tischendorf.
St. Catherine’s was commissioned for construction by the Eastern Emperor Justinian around 600 AD for the monks and hermits living secluded lives on Mt. Sinai. Along with religious reasons, the author suggests that the monastery also provide a tactical fortress for the Eastern Byzantium Empire against Moslems as evidenced with the construction of the high walls surrounded the structure.
Tischendorf personally made the arduous trek to Mount Sinai on two separate occasions during his personal quest to find original and older codexs-scrolls of the Bible. During this period, the authenticity of texts used for translations (Erasmus’ Textus Receptus) was questioned, and the search for an authentic text became Tichendorfs ‘divinely’ appointed mission.
“Tischendorf knew in his own heart that his first critical edition of the New Testament was unsatisfactory. The manuscripts at his disposal were still inadequate. It was clear to Tischendorf that he must find new sources for establishing the authentic text of the Bible. …. This was the quest that brought him to the convent of St Catherine on Mount Sinai.”
By doing so, TIschendorf actions validated textual critics main argument, that the commonly adopted received text, i.e. the Textus Receptus, could not be trusted as the true inspired word of God. It follows then that God’s divine word must be collected and preserved by Bible scholars. These scholars would critique what was and what was not the true Bible, and generally accepted the principle that the older the scroll, the more accuracy.
Codex Sinaiticus was discovered and translated by Tischendorf around 1870. The author notes the chicanery used by Tischendorf to abscond with the codex from the monks to give to the Orthodox Church of Russia.
The Codex Siniaticus excludes the last remaining verses of Mark, ending the gospel at Mark 16.8. Because of this exclusion, the author and various Biblical scholars dismiss the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The author further provides evidence for the veracity of the Codex Sinaiticus version of Mark by presenting evidence from other Biblical scholars who state: Mark was the first book written, and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are derived from Mark. The primary basis for these arguments is the grammatical structures of common sentences found in three various books.
Textual critics
Codex Sinaiticus includes gnostic gospels, Shepard of Hermas, and Gospel of Barnabas. The inclusion of these gospels, in the authors’ opinion, add to the validity of the Codex Sinaiticus.
In the Codex Syriacus, the Gospel of Mark also truncates the last chapter. So. To boil down this reasoning, a Codex is discovered that differs from every other Codex. And this Codex excludes some basic tenants of Christianity. But it’s pretty old. Let’s say this is the real Bible. All those other books are wrong.
Why would the exceptional texts be emphasized more than the numerous commonly discovered Codex, i.e. the Textus Receptus?
Don’t mess with the monks.
Author is constantly apologizes for the western world attitude and treatment of the monks. While the treatment of the monks may have been in fact in correctly reported, and there probably were treated bad by westerners, this persecution does not mean the monk’s spirituality is superior, or even a correct execution of the Christian faith. The author equates asceticism to spirituality, and emphasizes the ‘spiritual resurrection’ of Christ.
A strictly spiritual resurrection contradicts other teaching of the Bible. The interpretation combines intellectual scholar thought with the miraculous, making the Gospel easier to accept scientifically, but renders the whole the basis of Christianity invalid. The last chapter of the book the author raves about the spirituality of the monks at St. Catherine’s. The truly ‘spiritual’ Christianity of the isolated monks simple life of prayer, chants, and incense is regarded as the accurate Christian life in the author’s view. This life focusing on the spiritual; an internal, self-discovery of one self, is the basis of Christianity. Next the author defends the Codex Sinaiticus truncated Mark chapter as evidence for a ‘spiritual only’ resurrection of Jesus. And since Mark was used to derive the other gospels, the other books must imply that the accounts of a risen Jesus where spiritual in nature, not an actual physical bodily resurrection.
This all relates back to the Codex Sinaiticus’ version of Mark, which ends at chapter verse 8 (or 9). This is the gift Tichendorf inadvertently gave to Christianity, the ‘correct’ version of the Bible and the easily palpable account of the Resurrection with modern science.
Without a bodily resurrection, author attributes Christianity to a spiritual resurrection, and emphasizes the monk’s version of Christianity.
To quickly summarize the books points:
the author lambastes Western theologians treatment of the monks.
Codex Siniaticus is a truer copy of the Bible. Mark was the first gospel, other gospels are derived from it.
The story of the bodily resurrection is just a story, the correct interpretation is a spiritual resurrection.
More secrets may be at the monastery, and more scrolls may provide insight into the Bible.
Counter points to the book:
Newly discovered scolls are not an accurate copy of the Bible.
Older does not equal better or age may not in its self indicate veracity.
If one is to believe God wrote the Bible (the author does not, but this is not directly stated, have to follow his reasoning), then one cannot invalidate one gospel over another.
The exception proves the rule, not the other way around. The Codex Sinaiticus is an exception, and more like it are not found b/c the correct Bible was copied more frequently.
This book is about Constantine Tischendorf, a Biblical scholar and theologian from Germany; and his quest to discover the oldest and most authentic Biblical scripture, which lead to St. Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai, Egypt. The book provides history into St. Catherine’s Monastery (supposedly the place where Moses saw the burning bush) and some biographical information on Constantine Tischendorf.
St. Catherine’s was commissioned for construction by the Eastern Emperor Justinian around 600 AD for the monks and hermits living secluded lives on Mt. Sinai. Along with religious reasons, the author suggests that the monastery also provide a tactical fortress for the Eastern Byzantium Empire against Moslems as evidenced with the construction of the high walls surrounded the structure.
Tischendorf personally made the arduous trek to Mount Sinai on two separate occasions during his personal quest to find original and older codexs-scrolls of the Bible. During this period, the authenticity of texts used for translations (Erasmus’ Textus Receptus) was questioned, and the search for an authentic text became Tichendorfs ‘divinely’ appointed mission.
“Tischendorf knew in his own heart that his first critical edition of the New Testament was unsatisfactory. The manuscripts at his disposal were still inadequate. It was clear to Tischendorf that he must find new sources for establishing the authentic text of the Bible. …. This was the quest that brought him to the convent of St Catherine on Mount Sinai.”
By doing so, TIschendorf actions validated textual critics main argument, that the commonly adopted received text, i.e. the Textus Receptus, could not be trusted as the true inspired word of God. It follows then that God’s divine word must be collected and preserved by Bible scholars. These scholars would critique what was and what was not the true Bible, and generally accepted the principle that the older the scroll, the more accuracy.
Codex Sinaiticus was discovered and translated by Tischendorf around 1870. The author notes the chicanery used by Tischendorf to abscond with the codex from the monks to give to the Orthodox Church of Russia.
The Codex Siniaticus excludes the last remaining verses of Mark, ending the gospel at Mark 16.8. Because of this exclusion, the author and various Biblical scholars dismiss the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The author further provides evidence for the veracity of the Codex Sinaiticus version of Mark by presenting evidence from other Biblical scholars who state: Mark was the first book written, and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are derived from Mark. The primary basis for these arguments is the grammatical structures of common sentences found in three various books.
Textual critics
Codex Sinaiticus includes gnostic gospels, Shepard of Hermas, and Gospel of Barnabas. The inclusion of these gospels, in the authors’ opinion, add to the validity of the Codex Sinaiticus.
In the Codex Syriacus, the Gospel of Mark also truncates the last chapter. So. To boil down this reasoning, a Codex is discovered that differs from every other Codex. And this Codex excludes some basic tenants of Christianity. But it’s pretty old. Let’s say this is the real Bible. All those other books are wrong.
Why would the exceptional texts be emphasized more than the numerous commonly discovered Codex, i.e. the Textus Receptus?
Don’t mess with the monks.
Author is constantly apologizes for the western world attitude and treatment of the monks. While the treatment of the monks may have been in fact in correctly reported, and there probably were treated bad by westerners, this persecution does not mean the monk’s spirituality is superior, or even a correct execution of the Christian faith. The author equates asceticism to spirituality, and emphasizes the ‘spiritual resurrection’ of Christ.
A strictly spiritual resurrection contradicts other teaching of the Bible. The interpretation combines intellectual scholar thought with the miraculous, making the Gospel easier to accept scientifically, but renders the whole the basis of Christianity invalid. The last chapter of the book the author raves about the spirituality of the monks at St. Catherine’s. The truly ‘spiritual’ Christianity of the isolated monks simple life of prayer, chants, and incense is regarded as the accurate Christian life in the author’s view. This life focusing on the spiritual; an internal, self-discovery of one self, is the basis of Christianity. Next the author defends the Codex Sinaiticus truncated Mark chapter as evidence for a ‘spiritual only’ resurrection of Jesus. And since Mark was used to derive the other gospels, the other books must imply that the accounts of a risen Jesus where spiritual in nature, not an actual physical bodily resurrection.
This all relates back to the Codex Sinaiticus’ version of Mark, which ends at chapter verse 8 (or 9). This is the gift Tichendorf inadvertently gave to Christianity, the ‘correct’ version of the Bible and the easily palpable account of the Resurrection with modern science.
Without a bodily resurrection, author attributes Christianity to a spiritual resurrection, and emphasizes the monk’s version of Christianity.
To quickly summarize the books points:
the author lambastes Western theologians treatment of the monks.
Codex Siniaticus is a truer copy of the Bible. Mark was the first gospel, other gospels are derived from it.
The story of the bodily resurrection is just a story, the correct interpretation is a spiritual resurrection.
More secrets may be at the monastery, and more scrolls may provide insight into the Bible.
Counter points to the book:
Newly discovered scolls are not an accurate copy of the Bible.
Older does not equal better or age may not in its self indicate veracity.
If one is to believe God wrote the Bible (the author does not, but this is not directly stated, have to follow his reasoning), then one cannot invalidate one gospel over another.
The exception proves the rule, not the other way around. The Codex Sinaiticus is an exception, and more like it are not found b/c the correct Bible was copied more frequently.
July 4, 2023
I've long been interested in the transmission of the texts comprising the modern versions of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. This book concentrates of the Codex Sinaiticus, our earliest copy of the latter, and its discovery in the 19th century at the monastery of St. Catherine and its subsequent 'acquisition' by the British Museum. Although much of the book is about the monastery, the text itself and other early sources, the point of the whole is as regards resurrection appearances of Jesus, namely that mentions of the physical return of Jesus are late, not mentioned in the earliest texts. Rather, they are, as in the case of Paul, visionary.
January 19, 2019
An interesting book, detailing the old manuscripts in this monastery and one German man's efforts to travel there and translate them in the 19th Century.
Want to Read
April 29, 2023TV
January 24, 2012
This is a most fabulous book of a true tale of a man who ges to Mount Sinai, and find s temple there. aHe asks to look through the large selection of books that they hve there. He finds one of the oldest Bibles found. there are two oldest Bibles, and he found one of them. This one they called leviticus Sainaticus. Anyway. in it is the complete Bible including the Gospel iof Barnabas. Suggesting that the Gospel of Barnabas was also taken seriously, for it appears in this most ancient Bible. he has a part of the chapter of the Gospel of Barnabas at the end of his book. What is astuonding is what the truths that Barnabas reveals. Barnabas says, that Christ would speak to each apostle alone, so that each of the apostles have a part of the knowledge of Christ, that the others do not have. Then he goes on to explain what was reveled to him. and I will not ruin it for you, but it was quite revelatory about the dietary laws spoken by Moses and once you see the information in there, you will realize just how much we are misinterpreting in our literary translation and understanding of the Bible.
August 12, 2019
The author is historian, theologist and journalist. He uses these three qualifications in writing about the history of St. Catharine’s monastery, that contained a very important primary source of bible texts, in a journalistic style. The monastery itself is important as the oldest one ever built and still in use, with the peculiarity of a later mosque within the monastery’s boundaries, and maybe even more important, having been the save haven of the codex Sinaiticus for centuries. The author follows the journey this codex went and makes it into an adventure for the reader to follow his research. JM
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews