The Ancient Manuscripts of Sinai: From the Monastery to the Digital Archive of Congress
Introduction to the Monastery Library
Translated from English by Dimitris Symeonidis
In the southern part of the Monastery of Saint Catherine lies a treasure trove of knowledge and history: its renowned library. This library has gained international recognition not only for its vast collection, but also for its unique and rare Christian manuscripts and original books. It is a repository of wisdom, where ancient texts and modern research converge.
The Manuscripts
The Sinaitic Manuscripts, which form the backbone of this library, are the oldest and most important collection in Christian monastic history. Among its more than 3.300 manuscripts, two-thirds are in Greek, while the rest are in languages such as Arabic, Syriac, Georgian and Slavonic, with rare finds in Polish, Hebrew, Ethiopic, Armenian, Latin and Persian. These manuscripts range from liturgical texts to classical Greek literature, offering a panoramic view of educational and intellectual life throughout the centuries. The library’s jewels include the fourth-century Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Syriac, a palimpsest with layers of historical significance. In addition, the collection features a number of papyrus manuscripts and numerous scrolls in Greek, Arabic and Turkish, making it a living testimony to over seventeen centuries of monastic life.
First Forms
Books
The library's collection of early printed books is equally impressive, numbering some 8.000 volumes, mostly in Greek. It includes first editions of monumental works by Homer, Plato, and Aristophanes, among others. These volumes, decorated with notes by the monks of Sinai, reflect the profound scholarly and intellectual activity of the monastery's inhabitants over the centuries.
The file
The Sinai archive is a historical treasure trove in itself, containing a range of documents, from letters and ledgers to charters, that shed light on the history of the monastery and its interactions with the world. These documents, some of which date back to the fifteenth century, offer invaluable insights into the functions, relationships, and challenges faced by the monastery throughout history.
The New Findings
A significant addition to the library came in 1975 with the discovery of the “New Finds” – a cache of manuscript leaves and fragments in various languages, reflecting the diversity of the library’s collection. Among them were valuable pages of the Sinaitic Codex and ancient texts in languages as diverse as Caucasian Albanian, offering scholars a rare opportunity to study and reconstruct ancient languages and scripts.
The Manuscript Illustrations
The manuscripts at St. Catherine's are a mixture of offerings from rulers, pilgrims, and the works of the monks residing there. They display a range of artistic styles in their illustrations and calligraphy, reflecting the rich cultural and spiritual environment in which they were created.
Sinaitic Codex
The Codex Sinaiticus, a jewel of the library, is a fourth-century manuscript containing the earliest complete New Testament. Its historical and textual significance is unparalleled, making it a cornerstone for biblical studies. The manuscript’s journey from Sinai to the British Library, through the hands of scholars such as Tischendorf, adds a layer of historical intrigue to its legacy. The Prophet Muhammad’s Document A unique aspect of the monastery’s history is the Letter of Protection from the Prophet Muhammad, issued in 623 AD. This document, known as the AHTINAME, played a crucial role in ensuring the monastery’s survival and fostering peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims over the centuries. Although the original is now in Istanbul, its copies in the monastery continue to symbolize a legacy of tolerance and cooperation.
This introduction to the Library of the Monastery of Saint Catherine offers a small taste of its rich and diverse collection. It is a haven of knowledge, bridging the past and the present, and a testament to the enduring power of learning and intellectual inquiry.
The library of the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai.
In front of us, Father Justinian, an ascetic figure with a white beard and a calm voice, leads us into this sacred space. He is the guardian of the secrets of knowledge, the librarian of the Monastery and a living bridge between yesterday and today. 8 Among 3.500 manuscripts and 11.500 volumes Father Justinian opens one of the cupboards that house the ancient manuscripts. He himself measures the library's assets in staggering numbers: 3.500 manuscripts and 11.500 printed books. It is the second oldest monastic library in the world, after that of the Vatican, and the most important in the East. The collection covers a range of languages and cultures: Greek, Arabic, Georgian, Syriac, Armenian, Latin. The works are not limited to theological texts—they include philosophy, science, grammar, and even literature, such as comedies by Molière.
“The Gospel of Luke is unique – but the Sinaitic Codex is the oldest” “It dates from the time of Constantine the Great and is written in the large-letter Byzantine script,” explains Father Justinian, bending slightly in front of the shelf that houses it. It is one of the most important surviving texts of early Christian literature, valuable to the scientific community and invaluable to the Church. Many of the manuscripts in the library were donated by emperors and patriarchs: Justinian at the founding of the Monastery, Saint Philotheos the Red, Gennadios the Scholar and Joachim the “Panny”. The core of the collection, however, comes from the very hands of the Sinaitic monks, who for centuries copied, corrected and 10 preserved it with patience and devotion. The Sinaitic Codex and the timeless claim to Specialness is the story of the famous “Sinaitic Codex”, the oldest complete text of the New Testament. Although today the Monastery possesses only 18 leaves of it – some whole, others in fragments – the majority of the manuscript has been in the British Museum, Leipzig and St. Petersburg since the 19th century. It had been “borrowed” at the time by the German scholar Tischendorf, but was never returned. The Monastery insists to this day on its documented right, officially requesting the return of the precious relic.
Goes on
photo Image by license by freepik.com
