Modern translations of the Hebrew Bible are based on a single medieval manuscript (the Masoretic Text), supplemented by readings from older texts like the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls. Based on this work, scholars publish one of two types of Hebrew or Greek Bibles: (1) a single eclectic text that weaves together various readings from ancient witnesses or (2) an edition consisting of one particularly esteemed ancient manuscript, with variant readings included in the footnotes or margins. At some point, each biblical book ceased to undergo large-scale editorial changes and reached its “final edition.” Scholars who do textual criticism survey the various ancient witnesses to the biblical books in order to trace each book’s development, from its earliest recoverable stages to its current form in modern editions. Modern translators do not seek to represent the oldest Bible. Each of these bodies of literature could in some sense be called the oldest Bible. At least materially, the Masoretic manuscripts are much later than the Dead Sea Scrolls, Old Greek translations, and Codex Sinaiticus. The problem is that the Masoretic manuscripts themselves are from the medieval era. These Greek texts are, however, translations, and scholars are still sorting out the exact wording of the earliest recoverable texts.īecause of the Masoretes’ meticulous work, some consider the Leningrad Codex (circa 1000 C.E.) or the Aleppo Codex (circa 925 C.E.) to be the best representatives of the Hebrew/Aramaic Bible. In these instances, the Septuagint could, therefore, be called the oldest available Bible text. The Old Greek translations of the Hebrew/Aramaic scriptures-popularly called the “Septuagint”-occasionally testify to a Hebrew/Aramaic text even more ancient than the Dead Sea Scrolls (the Pentateuch began to be translated around 250 B.C.E.). The Dead Sea Scrolls (circa 250 B.C.E.–70 C.E.) are centuries older than Codex Sinaiticus, but they are extremely fragmentary and rarely make up anything close to complete books. However, its Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible are not the oldest witnesses we have to the Hebrew/Aramaic scriptures. If you are looking for the oldest available edition of a more inclusive Bible, Codex Sinaiticus (circa 350 C.E.) would fit the bill. Nevertheless, several different bodies of literature could have a claim to being the oldest Bible. (Interested readers can listen in on the debate by checking out the Old Testament canon forum published by the Ancient Jew Review or the Bible Odyssey article on the New Testament canon listed in Related Articles on the right. Scholars still debate when and how ancient scriptures became codified as uniquely authoritative and started being widely shared, a process known as canon formation. Second, how do we define “Bible”? Do we mean a single bound volume containing a complete collection of scriptures with unique authority, something like what you would find under a church pew on Sunday morning? If so, we would need to eliminate any texts written before the Common Era, when scriptures were written on scrolls. Which is the oldest Bible depends on which faith community someone identifies with. Even today, Jewish and Christian faith communities disagree on which books to include in their biblical canons. What is the oldest Bible? Before we can answer this common question, we need to consider a few others.įirst, which Bible? “Bible” is not a monolithic concept across faith communities.
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