Updated American Standard Version
Giving Bible readers what God said not what translators think God meant
Explore the intriguing endings of the Gospel of Mark, including theories about the original conclusion, extended endings, and textual criticism. Delve into the mysteries of Mark 16:8 and the role of ancient manuscripts in shaping our understanding of the gospel's conclusion.
First, there is the telling fact that two of the oldest and most highly respected Bible manuscripts, the Vaticanus 03 and the Sinaiticus 01, do not contain this section; they conclude Mark’s Gospel with verse eight. This is true of the early versions as well: Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, and Georgian. The early church fathers, Clement, Origen, Cyprian, and Cyril of Jerusalem had no knowledge of anything beyond verse eight.
Codex Sinaiticus (01, א) alone has a complete text of the New Testament and portions of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures known as the Septuagint. It is a vellum manuscript written in Greek dating to c. 330–360 C.E. The Codex Sinaiticus Project has described the Sinaiticus as “one of the most important books in the world.”