One may be able to see the Codex Sinaiticus virtually reunited from today. This doesn’t solve the complex four way dispute over its ownership that continues behind the scenes though. The British Museum would do well to remember this case when suggesting that the issue of the Elgin Marbles can be solved by providing the Greeks with copies.

From:
The Times

From The Times
July 24, 2008
Ancient Bible with a murky past is on the path to a new era of clarity

The story of the Codex Sinaiticus Bible, the oldest complete copy of the New Testament in existence, reads like a script from an Indiana Jones film.

Ever since a German explorer controversially removed it from an Egyptian monastery, four countries have fought for control over the ancient manuscript.
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One hears about many collaborative projects at their inception – all too often though interest dies out & the planned eventual result never appears publicly. In the case of the digitisation of the Codex Sinaiticus though, the project has progressed to the extent that much of the work will be available for viewing online later this week.

From:
Agence France Presse

One of world’s oldest Bibles to be put online
21st July 2008

BERLIN (AFP) — One of the world’s oldest Bibles, the Codex Sinaiticus, which was discovered in Egypt in the 19th century, is to be made available online this week, the Leipzig University library said Monday.

The Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from the fourth century, is one of the two most ancient copies of the entire Bible in Greek. The other is the Codex Vaticanus.
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The chances of the Lindisfarne Gospels returning to North East England may be increasing. Could the Lewis Chessmen be the next intra-national restitution case to see progress?

From:
Financial Times

Durham hopes to regain Gospels
By Chris Tighe
Published: June 28 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 28 2008 03:00

Almost five centuries since Henry VIII’s thugs looted Durham Cathedral and stole the Lindisfarne Gospels, hopes are rising that this stunning work of art may return to its spiritual home.

A monument to the Golden Age of the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, the 1,300-year-old manuscript created on Holy Island, off the Northumberland coast, has acquired something of the mystique of a holy relic.
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