Codex Vaticanus—End of Mark’s Gospel

The Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, also known as Codex Vaticanus, dates to the fourth century C.E. Scholars consider it to be one of the authoritative sources for the Greek Bible text. This image shows the end of the Gospel of Mark. In both this manuscript and the equally important fourth-century manuscript known as Codex Sinaiticus, Mark’s account clearly concludes with the words that appear in modern-day Bibles at Mark 16:8. (See study note on Mr 16:8.) The codex was possibly produced in Alexandria, Egypt. This codex originally contained the entire Bible in Greek and probably had approximately 820 leaves, 759 of which remain. Most of Genesis is missing, as well as a part of Psalms, Hebrews 9:14 to 13:25, and all of 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Revelation. Codex Vaticanus is preserved at the Vatican Library in Rome, Italy, and is known to have been there from as early as the 15th century.