The acquisition of the early Greek New Testament palimpsest ‘Codex Zacynthius’

Cambridge University Library purchased one of the world’s most important biblical manuscripts – the seventh-century Codex Zacynthius. Such early manuscripts are extremely sought after as invaluable witnesses to the development of the text of the New Testament. The surface of the parchment was first used at the end of the 7th century when it was inscribed in Greek with the text of Luke 1:1-11:33. In the 13th century, this was partially scraped away and written over with the text of an Evangeliarium, a book composed of passages from the Four Gospels.