Washington Times

London, England, Apr. 12 (UPI) — An international inquiry into the history of the oldest copy of the Bible could result in its return to a monastery in the Sinai Peninsula.

The 4th century Codex Sinaiticus was taken from St. Catherine’s Monastery in the 19th century by a German scholar, Constantine Tischendorf, who took 43 pages of the book to Germany and gave 347 pages to Russia’s czar. In 1933 Russia sold its 347 pages to the British, who put them in the British Library.

St. Catherines has long sought the return of the book, which it is believed to have owned since at least the 6th century. The monastery has long argued Tischendorf lied about his motives for wanting access to the manuscript.

The Times of London reported Tuesday an international group of scholars has agreed to research the precise circumstances of the manuscript’s removal from the monastery.

Participants in the inquiry include St. Catherine’s Monastery, the British Library, the University of Leipzig and the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg.

The inquiry could recommend the Codex Sinaiticus be returned to St. Catherine’s.