Oldest Bible Scanned for Web

The fragile Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest surviving Christian Bible, has been hidden in scholarly collections for decades, but today the British Library has launched a new site to let online surfers peruse the 1600-year-old document. The ancient text was discovered in the 19th century, and researchers suspect it survived due to dry desert air. The site offers new opportunities for scholars of early Christianity, reports the BBC.

"The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's greatest written treasures," says a librarian overseeing the project. "It offers a window into the development of early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation." (More Codex Sinaiticus stories.)