Editing Codex Vaticanus (section)

=== Editions of text of the codex ===
[[File:Tischendorf - stehend.jpg|thumb|right|In 1843 Tischendorf was permitted to make a facsimile of a few verses.]]
In 1799, as a result of the [[Treaty of Tolentino]], the manuscript was sent to [[Paris]] as a victory trophy for [[Napoleon]], but in 1815 it was returned to the [[Vatican Library]].<ref>{{Cite journal | first=Phillip | last=Cuccia | title=Controlling the Archives: The Requisition, Removal, and Return of the Vatican Archives during the Age of Napoleon | pages=66–74 | journal=Napoleonica. La Revue | year=2013 | issue=2 | url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-napoleonica-la-revue-2013-2-page-66.htm}}</ref> During that time, German scholar [[Johann Leonhard Hug]] (1765–1846) saw it in Paris. Together with other worthy treasures of the Vatican, Hug examined it, but he did not perceive the need of a new and full collation.<ref>{{Cite book | first=J. L. | last=Hug | title=De antiquitate Codicis Vaticani commentatio | year=1810 | place=Freiburg: Herder |language=la | url=https://archive.org/stream/deantiquitateco00huggoog#page/n4/mode/2up| access-date=2010-12-08}}</ref>{{r|hug|p=165}}

Cardinal [[Angelo Mai]] prepared the first typographical facsimile edition between 1828 and 1838, which did not appear until 1857, three years after his death, and which was considered unsatisfactory.<ref name=Nestle>[[Eberhard Nestle]] and William Edie, "Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the Greek New Testament", London, Edinburgh, Oxford, New York, 1901, p. 60.</ref> It was issued in 5 volumes (1–4 volumes for the Old Testament, 5 volume for the New Testament). All lacunae of the codex were supplemented. Lacunae in the Acts and Pauline epistles were supplemented from the codex [[Minuscule 625|Vaticanus 1761]], the whole text of Revelation from [[Uncial 046|Vaticanus 2066]], and the text of Mark 16:8–20 from [[Minuscule 151|Vaticanus Palatinus 220]]. Verses not included by codex as [[Matthew 12:47]]; Mark 15:28; Luke 22:43–44; 23:17.34; John 5:3.4; 7:53–8:11; 1 Peter 5:3; 1 John 5:7 were supplemented from popular Greek printed editions.<ref>Constantin von Tischendorf, ''[[Editio Octava Critica Maior]]'' (Lipsiae, 1884), vol. III, p. 364.</ref> The number of errors was extraordinarily high, and also no attention was paid to distinguish readings of the first hand versus correctors. There was no detailed examination of the manuscript's characteristics. As a consequence, this edition was deemed inadequate for critical purposes.<ref name="Elliott">J. K. Elliott, ''A Bibliography of Greek New Testament Manuscripts'' (Cambridge University Press, 1989), p. 34.</ref> An improved edition was published in 1859, which became the source of Bultmann's 1860 NT.{{r|Kenyon}}

In 1843 [[Constantin von Tischendorf|Tischendorf]] was permitted to make a facsimile of a few verses,<ref group="n">Besides the twenty-five readings Tischendorf observed himself, [[Angelo Mai|Cardinal Mai]] supplied him with thirty-four more his NT of 1849. His seventh edition of the text of New Testament (1859) was enriched by 230 other readings furnished by Albert Dressel in 1855.</ref> in 1844 [[Eduard de Muralt]] saw it,<ref>E. de Muralt, ''Novum Testamentum Graecum ad fidem codicis principis vaticani'', Hamburg 1848, p. XXXV.</ref> and in 1845 [[Samuel Prideaux Tregelles|S. P. Tregelles]] was allowed to observe several points which Muralt had overlooked. He often saw the codex, but "it was under such restrictions that it was impossible to do more than examine particular readings".<ref>S. P. Tregelles, ''An Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament'', London 1856, p. 162.</ref>
<blockquote>
"They would not let me open it without searching my pockets, and depriving me of pen, ink, and paper; and at the same time two prelati kept me in constant conversation in Latin, and if I looked at a passage too long, they would snatch the book out of my hand".<ref>Samuel P. Tregelles, [https://archive.org/details/alectureonhisto00treggoog "A Lecture on the Historic Evidence of the Authorship and Transmission of the Books of the New Testament"], London 1852, pp. 83–85.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:Angelo Mai - Imagines philologorum.jpg|left|thumb|170px|Angelo Mai prepared first facsimile edition of the New Testament text of the codex]]
Tregelles left Rome after five months without accomplishing his purpose. During a large part of the 19th century, the authorities of the Vatican Library obstructed scholars who wished to study the codex in detail. [[Henry Alford (theologian)|Henry Alford]] in 1849 wrote: "It has never been published in facsimile (!) nor even thoroughly collated (!!)."<ref>H. Alford, ''The Greek Testament. The Four Gospels'', London 1849, p. 76.</ref> Scrivener in 1861 commented:
<blockquote>
"Codex Vaticanus 1209 is probably the oldest large vellum manuscript in existence, and is the glory of the great Vatican Library in Rome. To these legitimate sources of deep interest must be added the almost romantic curiosity which has been excited by the jealous watchfulness of its official guardians, with whom an honest zeal for its safe preservation seems to have now degenerated into a species of capricious wilfulness, and who have shewn a strange incapacity for making themselves the proper use of a treasure they scarcely permit others more than to gaze upon".{{r|scriv-intro|p=95}} It (...) "is so jealously guarded by the Papal authorities that ordinary visitors see nothing of it but the red Morocco binding".{{r|Scrivener}}
</blockquote>

Thomas Law Montefiore (1862):
<blockquote>
"The history of the Codex Vaticanus B, No. 1209, is the history in miniature of Romish jealousy and exclusiveness."<ref>T.L. Montefiore, ''Catechesis Evangelica; bring Questions and Answers based on the "Textus Receptus"'', (London, 1862), p. 272.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[John William Burgon|Burgon]] was permitted to examine the codex for an hour and a half in 1860, consulting 16 different passages.{{r|scriv-intro|p=114}} Burgon was a defender of the [[Byzantine text-type|Traditional Text]] and for him Codex Vaticanus, as well as codices Sinaiticus and Bezae, were the most corrupt documents extant. He felt that each of these three codices "clearly exhibits a fabricated text – is the result of arbitrary and reckless recension."<ref name="Burgon">{{Cite book | first=John William | last=Burgon | author-link=John Burgon | title=The Revision Revised | year=1883 | publisher=John Murray | location=London | url=https://archive.org/details/revisionrevised0000john/page/n7/mode/2up}}</ref>{{rp|9}} The two most widely respected of these three codices, א and B, he likens to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.{{r|Burgon|p=48}}

[[File:Codex Vaticanus Matthew 1,22-2,18.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Vaticanus in facsimile edition (1868), page with text of Matthew 1:22–2:18]]
In 1861, Henry Alford collated and verified doubtful passages (in several imperfect collations), which he published in facsimile editions complete with errors. Until he began his work he met unexpected hindrances. He received a special order from Cardinal Antonelli "per verificare", to verify passages, but this license was interpreted by the librarian to mean that he was to see the book, but not to use it. In 1862, secretary of Alford, Mr. Cure, continued Alford's work.<ref>H. Alford, ''Life by my Widow'', pp. 310, 315.</ref> For some reason which does not clearly appear, the authorities of the Vatican Library put continual obstacles in the way of all who wished to study it in detail, one of which was the Vatican Library was only opened for three hours a day.{{r|Kenyon|Scrivener}} In 1867 Tischendorf published the text of the New Testament of the codex on the basis of Mai's edition.{{r|NTV}} It was the "most perfect edition of the manuscript which had yet appeared".{{r|Kenyon}}

In 1868–1881 [[Carlo Vercellone|C. Vercellone]], [[Giuseppe Cozza-Luzi]], and G. Sergio published an edition of the entire codex in 6 volumes (New Testament in volume V; Prolegomena in volume VI). A typographical facsimile appeared between 1868 and 1872.{{r|Elliott}} In 1889–1890 a photographic facsimile of the entire manuscript was made and published by Cozza-Luzi, in three volumes.{{r|Nestle}} Another facsimile of the New Testament text was published in 1904–1907 in Milan.<ref>''Bibliorum Scriptorum Graecorum Codex Vaticanus 1209'' (Milan, 1904–1907).</ref> As a result, the codex became widely available.<ref name="metz-ehrman">{{Cite book | first1=Bruce Manning | last1=Metzger | author-link1=Bruce M. Metzger | first2=Bart D. | last2=Ehrman | author-link2=Bart D. Ehrman | title=The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration | edition=4th | year=2005 | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=Oxford | isbn=0-19-516667-1}}</ref>{{rp|68}}

In 1999, the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome (the Italian State Printing House and Mint) published a limited edition, full-color, exact scale facsimile of Codex Vaticanus. The facsimile reproduces the very form of the pages of the original manuscript, complete with the distinctive individual shape of each page, including holes in the vellum. It has an additional ''Prolegomena'' volume with gold and silver impressions of 74 pages.<ref>[http://www.linguistsoftware.com/codexvat.htm Codex Vaticanus B Greek Old & New Testaments Magnificent Color Facsimile], Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 1999.</ref>

{{As of|2015}}, a digitised copy of the codex is available online from the Vatican Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Vat.gr.1209 | title=DigiVatLib | website=digi.vatlib.it | access-date=3 April 2018 }}</ref>