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The Reading Culture of Early Christianity

D (Codex Bezae)

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, often referred to by its shorthand Dea or designated as 05 in the Gregory-Aland numbering and δ 5 in the von Soden numbering, stands out as a remarkable bilingual manuscript of the New Testament, written in Greek and Latin. This manuscript, penned in the early 5th century based on handwriting analysis, contains most of the Gospels and Acts, with a small part of 3 John included. It’s housed at Cambridge University Library, which also offers a digital facsimile for wider access.

Théodore de Bèze, a prominent French theologian and a key figure in the early Reformation, brought this ancient text to public attention in 1562. He claimed it was found in a monastery in Lyons, France, a city that had suffered under the attacks of the Huguenots. While its exact origin remains uncertain, scholars suggest it might have come from North Africa or Egypt. Measuring about ten by eight inches, the Codex Bezae is slightly younger than other well-known manuscripts like the Sinaitic, Vatican, and Alexandrine manuscripts. It spans 406 leaves but now only includes the four Gospels and Acts, hinting it may have originally contained more biblical texts given the presence of a fragment from 3 John.

This manuscript is especially noteworthy for its bilingual format, presenting Greek text on the left page and Latin on the right, likely mirroring an earlier papyrus manuscript. The Codex Bezae’s text is inscribed in bold, elegant capital letters, with lines of varying lengths indicating pauses for the reader. The Latin text intriguingly adopts Greek-style lettering, with several instances where it has been conformed to the Greek text. Conversely, the Greek text is unique and shows corrections from multiple hands, including the original scribe.

Designated as “D,” the Codex Bezae is distinct from other major manuscripts, sometimes aligning with, sometimes diverging from the Sinaitic, Vatican, and Alexandrine codices. Its true value lies in how it corroborates the reliability of other significant manuscripts, despite its own textual peculiarities, including various omissions and additions. Such traits are documented in footnotes of modern Bible translations, highlighting its contributions and occasional deviations from other texts.

In essence, despite its unique readings and variances, the Codex Bezae serves as a powerful testament to the Bible’s enduring preservation through the centuries, offering critical insight into the text’s history and transmission.

Notable Readings

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, often called D or Codex Bezae, showcases a range of unique readings within the New Testament, making it a significant manuscript for scholars. Notably, the Codex Bezae presents variations in the text that are not supported by other manuscripts, reflecting its distinct nature.

Gospel of Matthew:

In Matthew 1:22, where most manuscripts read “through the prophet,” Codex Bezae specifies “through Isaiah the prophet,” aligning with a smaller group of manuscripts.
An unusual inclusion in Matthew 2:17 identifies the prophecy as coming “by the LORD through Jeremiah,” differing from the more common reference to Jeremiah alone.
Matthew 3:16 presents the imagery of the Spirit descending “like a dove out of heaven,” a reading that varies from the majority text.
The manuscript has a tendency for omission, as seen in Matthew 4:4, where it leaves out “proceeds out through the mouth,” and in Matthew 5:4–5, where it reverses the beatitudes’ order compared to the majority text.

Gospel of Mark:

Mark’s longer ending is included in Codex Bezae, presenting textual variations that add depth to the narrative.
The manuscript is notable for its unique sequence in Mark 10, altering the order of verses 23, 25, 24, and 26.

Gospel of Luke:

Luke 6:5 includes an additional narrative about Jesus commenting on a man working on the Sabbath, a passage not found in any other manuscript.
In Luke 7:1, Codex Bezae’s reading differs from the majority text regarding the context of Jesus’ words.

Gospel of John:

John 1:4 in Codex Bezae reads “in Him is life,” contrasting with the “in Him was life” found in the majority of texts.
The manuscript occasionally omits familiar passages, such as in John 7:8 where it lacks “yet” in Jesus’ statement about going up to the feast.

Acts of the Apostles:

Acts 20:28 is a critical passage where Codex Bezae uses “of the Lord,” while other manuscripts vary between “of God” and “of the Lord and of God,” highlighting the manuscript’s unique textual character.

Throughout, Codex Bezae demonstrates a pattern of significant theological additions, omissions, and rephrasings, especially notable in Luke and Acts. These modifications suggest an early theological influence on the manuscript, making it a valuable witness to the Western text-type. Its varied agreement with Old Latin, Syriac, and Armenian versions further underscores its importance in textual criticism, despite the general caution among scholars regarding its reliability due to its marked independence and textual deviations.

Content

The Codex Bezae, a significant manuscript of the New Testament, showcases both Greek and Latin text. This dual-language manuscript, written in a formal and rounded script known as uncial on parchment, primarily includes the majority of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, alongside a brief segment from 3 John. It stands out as a Greek-Latin diglot, meaning it contains texts in both languages, covering Matthew through Acts and a portion of 3 John, though some parts are missing.

Codex Bezae 0205 John 3.26–4.1 (Greek text)

Experts like the Alands suggest that this manuscript was crafted in Egypt or North Africa by a scribe whose first language was Latin. However, Parker offers a different perspective, proposing that it was copied in Beirut during the fifth century. Beirut was a hub for Latin legal studies at that time and was a bilingual community where both Latin and Greek were in use. This context could explain the manuscript’s bilingual nature and its stylistic features.

Date

Early fifth century C.E.

Physical Features

The Codex Bezae, an ancient manuscript predating modern books, consists of 406 surviving parchment leaves, though it originally might have had as many as 534. Measuring roughly 10.2 x 8.5 inches, it’s unique for having the Greek text on the left page and the Latin text on the right, written in a single column format. The text is arranged colometrically, meaning it’s broken down by rhythmic units rather than by standard grammar rules, and it includes numerous gaps, known as hiatuses.

In its transcription of the Greek text, the Codex Bezae shows certain copying errors. For example, in John 1:3, the word ΕΓΕΝΕΤΟ (egeneto) is mistakenly written as ΕΝΕΓΕΤΟ (enegeto); and in Acts 1:9, ΥΠΕΛΑΒΕΝ (hypelaben) is incorrectly copied as ΥΠΕΒΑΛΕΝ (hypebalen). Additionally, the first three lines of each book are highlighted in red ink, and the titles of the books alternate between black and red ink, adding a distinct visual element to the manuscript.

Throughout its history, the Codex Bezae has been corrected by as many as eleven individuals, identified by letters G, A, C, B, D, E, H, F, J1, L, K, between the sixth and twelfth centuries. These correctors made various amendments to adjust or clarify the text.

In this manuscript, certain sacred names and terms, known as nomina sacra, are abbreviated, a common practice in ancient Christian manuscripts. Examples in the nominative case include ΙΗΣ for Ιησους (Jesus), ΧΡΣ for Χριστος (Christ), ΠΑΡ for πατηρ (Father), and ΣΤΗ for σταυρωθη (was crucified). However, other terms that are often abbreviated in similar manuscripts are spelled out in full in the Codex Bezae, such as words for mother, son, savior, man, sky, David, Israel, and Jerusalem.

This blend of unique features, from its bilingual text to the presence of both abbreviated and fully spelled sacred terms, underscores the Codex Bezae’s significance in the study of ancient New Testament manuscripts. Its corrections and peculiarities provide valuable insights into the textual history and transmission of the New Testament.

Textual Character

The Codex Bezae, known for its unique and independent nature among New Testament manuscripts, presents a text that has intrigued and puzzled scholars. Parker suggests that the original scribe was more familiar with Latin than Greek, leading to an initial version that was later corrected by various scribes. The Alands highlight the Codex Bezae as particularly controversial due to its distinct departures from the typical text, including numerous additions, deletions, and modifications, especially within the books of Luke and Acts. These changes suggest the involvement of a theologically inclined individual, possibly revising an earlier version of the text to include more detailed historical, biographical, and geographical information, aiming to provide a fuller narrative context.

A sample of the Latin of the Codex Bezae

The Greek text of Codex Bezae is unlike any other, containing unique interpolations and notable omissions, along with a tendency to rephrase sentences. This Western text-type, aside from being represented in this Greek manuscript, is also reflected in early Latin, Syriac, and Armenian versions, making Codex Bezae a key Greek witness to this tradition.

The challenges posed by the Greek text of Codex Bezae have led to mixed views regarding its reliability in biblical scholarship. While generally treated with caution due to its unconventional readings, it gains importance when it aligns with other early manuscripts, serving as a valuable supporting witness.

Among its distinctive features, Codex Bezae includes the passage in Matthew 16:2b–3 without questioning its authenticity and offers one of the longer endings for the Gospel of Mark. It retains the passages Luke 22:43f and the story of the adulterous woman without marking them as doubtful. Notably, it omits John 5:4 and extends the text of Acts by nearly 8%, including unique stories like a man working on the Sabbath in an extension of Luke 6:4, found nowhere else.

The version of Acts in Codex Bezae is significantly different from that in other manuscripts, leading some to speculate it might represent an earlier rendition from Luke himself. Overall, Codex Bezae stands as a manuscript that, through its peculiarities and deviations, contributes to the complex tapestry of New Testament textual history, offering insights into the diversity of early Christian texts.

History of Codex Bezae

The Codex Bezae, with its rich history and textual mysteries, has origins that remain the subject of scholarly debate. Theories about its birthplace range widely, suggesting locations as varied as Gaul (modern-day France), southern Italy, Egypt, Palestine, and even Beirut. The exact place where this important manuscript was produced still puzzles researchers.

By the ninth century, the manuscript found its way to Lyon, France, where it underwent repair, identifiable by the unique ink used on its supplementary pages. For many years, it was safeguarded in the St Irenaeus monastic library in Lyon. Remarkably, the Codex Bezae was consulted for its critical readings during the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century, around the same time it was collated for Stephanus’s Greek New Testament edition.

The tumult of the 16th-century Wars of Religion, particularly the looting of the St Irenaeus library by French Huguenots in 1562, led to the manuscript being taken. It was then acquired by Theodore Beza, a leading figure of the Protestant Reformation and close associate of John Calvin. Beza, recognizing the manuscript’s significance, presented it to the University of Cambridge in 1581, ensuring its preservation. This act of donation is why the manuscript is known as the Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, reflecting both its connection to Beza and its home at Cambridge, where it remains to this day.

Early efforts to collate and transcribe the codex, such as those by John Mill and Johann Jakob Wettstein in the 18th century, were considered insufficient due to their lack of precision. A more thorough collation was conducted by John Dickinson around 1732. Later, in 1787, Thomas Kipling was tasked by the University of Cambridge to create a facsimile edition, which was published in 1793. Further critical work was carried out by Frederick H. A. Scrivener, who edited the text in 1864 and later published a photographic facsimile in 1899.

The Codex Bezae’s enigmatic text and its historical journey have captivated scholars and theologians, prompting a dedicated colloquium in Lunel, France, in 1994. This event underscored the manuscript’s pivotal role in understanding early Christian practices and the New Testament’s textual history, illustrating its enduring significance in biblical scholarship.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).