By: Robert D. Marcello
The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) travels every summer to visit key locations throughout the world and digitize their collections of manuscripts. This summer we digitized some of the most significant manuscripts that we have ever preserved on a whirlwind expedition to three countries! The trip began at the end of May, when Dr. Daniel B. Wallace and a team of researchers traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia to evaluate and prepare the manuscripts housed at the National Centre of Manuscripts (NCM). Working with their staff they were able to view Codex Koridethi (Θ), which is a 9th century majuscule or capital-letter copy of the Gospels. The digitization team, composed of Robert D. Marcello and Jacob W. Peterson, arrived in June and now this manuscript, which has been an extremely important witness to the text of the Gospels, will be made available for all to see in high-resolution images.
Dr. Daniel B. Wallace and research assistants Laura Peisker and Brittany Burnette examining manuscripts at the NCM
The team also digitized the rest of the collection at the NCM, including Gregory-Aland 0240, which is an early palimpsest—a manuscript that had its original text scraped off and a new text written over it—containing portions of 1 Timothy and Titus. This manuscript was digitized with CSNTM’s new multispectral imaging equipment, and it has allowed the under-text—which has hardly been visible for centuries—to now be easily seen. While digitizing this manuscript the team also identified a new Georgian palimpsest in the same volume! The team loved working with Director Zaza Abashidze and the staff of the National Centre of Manuscripts and greatly appreciated their willingness to have these cultural-heritage artifacts preserved for future generations.
Traveling from Tbilisi, the team went to Greece to meet with some of our partners and International Advisory Board members about future projects, and to digitize a collection in the city of Ioannina, Greece. We digitized a 12th–13th century minuscule of the Gospels at the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina. This manuscript was given to the museum by a monastery and is enclosed in a stunning silver binding. We want to specifically thank Konstantinos Soueref and the Byzantine Museum’s staff for their hospitality and allowing this treasure to be preserved.
For the final leg of our summer expeditions, the CSNTM team traveled to Heidelberg, Germany to digitize the New Testament papyri found at the University. These manuscripts, which are some of the earliest witnesses to the text of the New Testament, were in need of special digitization, since some of the text has been difficult to decipher. Dr. Wallace prepared the manuscripts noting their key features, and Jacob and Rob digitized them with our new multispectral imaging equipment. After image processing is complete, these manuscripts will be made freely available to all on our website. We must also thank Professor Dr. Andrea Jördens and the staff at the University of Heidelberg’s library for their generous hospitality and willingness to allow us to preserve these manuscripts with multispectral imaging.
This summer we completed expeditions in three countries. We digitized some of the earliest and most significant witnesses to the text of the New Testament. In so doing, we are continuing to fulfill our mission of making these manuscripts free for all and free for all time.