The Codex Alexandrinus
The Alexandria code or code to contain AT and NT with gaps. In the NT the Gospel of Matthew was almost completely lost. The manuscript is of varied quality, depending on the books, which were copied from several manuscripts. E’ poor in the Gospels, of high quality in the rest of the New Testament e, more than ever in the Apocalypse.
Scholars date Codex A to the mid or early fifth century. D.C.. The Alexandrian Code is so called because its existence in the Library of the Patriarch of Alexandria is documented since the 11th century. It was then donated to the King of England James I, through the intercession of Patriarch Cirillo Lukaris of Constantinople. James I died before being able to receive it and the volume arrived in England in 1627 in the hands of the son of James I., Carlo I. E’ preserved in the British Museum.
The Alexandrian Code is currently made up of 773 parchment sheets in cm. 32×26 (originally the sheets must have been 822). The script used is the pronunciation in “The writing continued”. Contains the canonical texts of the Old Testament (622 sheets) which are missing Genesis 14, 14-17; 15, 1-5, 16-19; 16, 6-9; 1Re 12, 20- 14, 9; Strait 5, 20- 80, 11. All the Greek books of the Old Testament are also present. There are also the apocryphal texts of the Maccabees.
He NT (144 sheets) contains the least canonical texts Matteo 1, 1- 25, 6 (are missing 25 sheets); Giovanni 6, 50- 8, 52 (two sheets); 2Corinthians 4, 13- 12, 6 (3 sheets). The NT also contains the two epistles of Clement Roman (a sheet of 1Clemente is missing, e 2 final sheets of 2Clemente), one of the Apostolic Fathers. A list added to the codex shows that Solomon's Book of Psalms was also included in the codex, but the space that separates this book from the others of the NT, it suggests that perhaps it was not considered canonical.
The order of the NT texts is as follows: Gospels, proceedings, Epislole, letter Paoline (with the letter to the Hebrews placed before the Pastoral letters), Apocalypse.
Originally the code was in one volume only, it is currently bound in four volumes, the covers of which bear the insignia of Charles I. Three volumes contain the OT and one the NT. The text is written in two columns per page of approx 49-51 rows by column. Each new paragraph is indicated by a large initial letter and frequently by a space. The highlighted letter does not always coincide with the beginning of a paragraph or a word.
