Module:Konstantin von Tischendorf
Reproduction of , vol. 1, title page. Source: https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.100453/page/n4 
Reproduction of , vol. 3, 10. Source: https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.100454/page/n25
What were the project conditions of the luxury edition of 1862?
Photography not yet a viable option, Tischendorf worked day and night to produce a print edition facsimile of the original . He identified four copyists and wanted to reproduce the different writing styles visually. Besides the Bible manuscript text itself, there were up to 10,000 marginal texts, added in different sizes by later hands. Therefore, the printer, Giesicke & Devrient, had to cast ca. 8 different variations and sizes of each letter. Tischendorf neatly worked out how many small spaces had to be added, individually separating the letter from its direct neighbors, thus shaping a perfect copy of the manuscript. He even chose a paper type imitating the manuscript’s vellum.
Read Tischendorf’s prefaces to the luxury edition of Sinaiticus, published separately in 1862 .
To understand the significance of his work in relation to modern research on biblical criticism, consult .
- In the German or Latin prefaces to the 1862 edition, what do Tischendorf’s words to and about Czar Alexander II reveal about his relationship to his imperial benefactor ? In your opinion, to what extent did Tischendorf’s own aims align with those of the czar?
- According to the German prefaces , what was the point of publishing Codex Sinaiticus in this form beyond what he had already done in Monumenta sacra inedita ?
Respond to one or more of the above questions by annotating the relevant passages using Hypothes.is.
