Codex Alexandrinus

The Codex Alexandrinus (London, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Library" title="British Library">British Library</a>, MS Royal 1. D. V-VIII; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_manuscript#Gregory-Aland" title="Biblical manuscript">Gregory-Aland</a> no. A or 02, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_manuscript#Von_Soden" title="Biblical manuscript">Soden</a> δ 4) is a fifth-century <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuscript" title="Manuscript">manuscript</a> of the Greek Bible,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-1">[n 1]</a> containing the majority of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint" title="Septuagint">Septuagint</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament" title="New Testament">New Testament</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-Aland-2">[1]</a> It is one of the four <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_uncial_codices" title="Great uncial codices">Great uncial codices</a>. Along with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus" title="Codex Sinaiticus">Codex Sinaiticus</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus" title="Codex Vaticanus">Vaticanus</a>, it is one of the earliest and most complete manuscripts of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible" title="Bible">Bible</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Walton_%28bishop%29" title="Brian Walton (bishop)">Brian Walton</a> assigned Alexandrinus the capital Latin letter A in the Polyglot Bible of 1657.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-3">[2]</a> This designation was maintained when the system was standardized by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Jakob_Wettstein" title="Johann Jakob Wettstein">Wettstein</a> in 1751.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-4">[3]</a> Thus, Alexandrinus held the first position in the manuscript list.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-5">[4]</a>

It derives its name from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria" title="Alexandria">Alexandria</a> where it resided for a number of years before it was brought by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Eastern Orthodox</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Lucaris" title="Cyril Lucaris">Patriarch Cyril Lucaris</a> from Alexandria to Constantinople.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-6">[5]</a> Then it was given to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England" title="Charles I of England">Charles I of England</a> in the 17th century. Until the later purchase of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus" title="Codex Sinaiticus">Codex Sinaiticus</a>, it was the best manuscript of the Greek Bible deposited in Britain.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-7">[n 2]</a> Today, it rests along with Codex Sinaiticus in one of the showcases in the Ritblat Gallery of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Library" title="British Library">British Library</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-Ehrman-8">[6]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alexandrinus#cite_note-INTF-9">[7]</a> A full photographic reproduction of the New Testament volume (Royal MS 1 D. viii) is available on the British Library's website

Codex Alexandrinus

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