Reading you

Today I heard the news that the oldest Bible will go  live on the internet later this week. The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book. This has been made possible by The Codex Sinaiticus Project -an international collaboration to reunite the entire manuscript in digital form and make it accessible to a global audience for the first time. Drawing on the expertise of leading scholars, conservators and curators, the Project gives everyone the opportunity to connect directly with this famous manuscript. To read more on this see http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/en/

So will we discover that some of the passages we have grown to know and love so well are not quite what they should be? No doubt this will re-ignite arguments and discussions amongst scholars, and I guess soon we’ll have the Blokes Codex S or the 100 minute Codex Sinaiticus appearing in Christian bookshops? What I’d rather see is that all thinking Christians think about how they reflect Jesus to their friends, family and neighbours. After all, you could be the only bible they ever read.

The Uncommon Reader

I have just read Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader, a book of no more than 121 pages, which was  described by the Observer as “a masterpiece of comic brevity.”It’s the story of what happens when the Queen stumbles across a mobile library parked outside the Palace, and the amazing journey of self-discovery she goes on after developing an insatiable desire for reading. It’s a journey full of surprises and I won’t spoil the ending for you, but wanted to share what happens when Her Majesty’s love of reading encourages her to think that she is now ready to read more in public (other than the boring address to parliament) and  after reading a book on the Elizabethan Settlement  she phones up The Archbishop of Canterbury:

” ‘Archbishop. Why do i never read the lesson?’ ‘I beg your pardon ma’am?’ ‘In church. Everybody else gets to read and one never does. It’s not laid down, is it? It’s not off-limits?’  ‘Not that I’m aware, ma’am.’ ‘Good. Well in that case I’m going to start.Leviticus, here I come. Goodnight.’ The archbishop shook his head and went back to Strictly Come Dancing.”

Delightful stuff, but would it be so ridiculous for the Defender of The Faith to read the Bible lesson in church one Sunday? Can you imagine the look on the vicar’s  face when her Majesty turns up- Worship is sudenly not so common after all.

The surreal nature of the book made me think of Her Majesty by the Beatles so I include this here for your amusement