The Codex Sarzanensis, or ''Codex Saretianus'', designated by j or 22 (in Beuron system), is a 5th or 6th century

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Gospel Book A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels (Greek: , ''Evangélion'') is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazar ...

. The text, written on purple dyed vellum in silver ink (as are codices '' a b e f i''), is a version of the

old Latin Old Latin, also known as Early Latin or Archaic Latin (Classical la, prīsca Latīnitās, lit=ancient Latinity), was the Latin language in the period before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. It descends from a common Proto-Italic ...

. Dated by paleographists to the beginning of the VI century, the manuscript is formed by 72 sheep leather scrolls with parts in gold (or silver) characters, and precious miniatures realized in Tyrian purple dye, firstly scanned as a whole in 2018., wit
illustrations
of the whole manuscript The best conserved sections contain

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

24 and 292 verses of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1:38-3:23; 3:33-5:20; 6:29-49.49-67; 6:68-7:32; 8:6-9:21), written two columns on a page, in round letters. John 18:36-20:14 was written by another hand.

Bruce M. Metzger Bruce Manning Metzger (February 9, 1914 – February 13, 2007) was an American biblical scholar, Bible translator and textual critic who was a longtime professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the A ...

, ''The Early Versions of the New Testament'', Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 298. It has numerous lacunae. The manuscript was discovered in 1872 in the Church of

Sarezzano Sarezzano (Western Lombard: ''Sarsòu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,171 ...

, near

Tortona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...

. It was edited by librarian of the

Ambrosian Library The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose agen ...

in 1872 at

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

(2nd edition, 1885). It was edited by Jülicher. The codex is no longer housed at the Church of Saints Ruffino & Venanzio at Sarezzano, but is kept and displayed at the nearby Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra di Tortona ("Tortona Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art"), in Tortona, Alessandria Province. Only a few pages of the text are displayed at any given time given the delicate nature of the text and the bulk of the work is deposited at a nearby bank under preservative conditions. Accompanying the text at the museum are items which were discovered with the text upon its removal from the which include the remains of a previous leather binding of the text with holes in the shape of a cross which at one point may have held precious stones and cover of a wooden box which held the book, beautifully painted with a portrait of St. Ruffino. The museum can be visited by appointment for a small donation.

See also

References

Further reading