The Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest copy of the New Testament in existence. With a controversial and complex history, the manuscript was discovered in 1844 by the palaeographer Constantin von Tischendorf--a man driven by his obsession with the origins of the Bible--in the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai Desert. With the backing of Tsar Alexander II he removed almost half the parchments from the monks' protective guard. Part travelogue, part historical study, part critique, "The Bible Hunter" compellingly interweaves several narrative strands, including the author's trip to Sinai and the history of the Bible and early Church.
