The story of Constantin von Tischendorf's discovery of the at Saint Catherine's Monastery is one of the most famous in the history of biblical research:
Discovery
1844: On his first journey to Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai, Constantin von Tischendorf noticed a basket full of old parchments destined to be burned. Searching through it, he found several leaves of what would prove to be one of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible, the . Tischendorf managed to recover 43 leaves, mainly from the Old Testament.
1853: On his second journey, he did not find any other parts of the manuscript.
1859: On his third journey, financed by Tsar Alexander II of Russia, he persuaded the monks to show him the complete manuscript, hidden in a cellar. Realizing the importance of his discovery, he managed to obtain permission to take the manuscript to Saint Petersburg so that it could be studied.
Importance
The is one of the oldest and most complete manuscripts of the Greek Bible, dating from the 4th century. It contains parts of the Old Testament, the complete New Testament, as well as additional texts such as the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas.
Consequences
Publication: Tischendorf published a first facsimile edition of the in 1862, arousing great interest in the academic and religious world.
Preservation: The manuscript is divided among several institutions: the British Library in London, the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg, Leipzig University and Saint Catherine's Monastery.
This discovery had a major influence on textual criticism and the history of the biblical text, and it remains an emblematic example of the passion and perseverance of researchers in their quest for knowledge.