Codex Basilensis (GA 07)
Codex Basilensis (GA 07) is a 8th century Greek parchment codex preserving the four Gospels.
- Artifact date
- 8th century
- Findspot
- Ancient findspot not stated in the consulted manuscript catalogs
- Current location
- University Library of Basel, Switzerland, AN III 12
What archaeologists can actually examine
The CSNTM catalog describes 318 parchment leaves, 1 column per page, and approximately 23–26 lines per column. The manuscript contains the four Gospels. The evidentiary claim concerns Codex Basilensis (GA 07) as a physical witness dated 8th century, not a general claim about every manuscript in the same collection. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Controlled manuscript identity
Codex Basilensis (GA 07) is cataloged as Gregory-Aland 07 with shelf mark AN III 12.
Substantial biblical contents
The codex preserves the four Gospels.
Documented physical format
318 parchment leaves are written in 1 column with about 23–26 lines per column.
A bounded evidentiary claim
The dossier distinguishes the cataloged object and visible text from restored gaps, broader historical claims, and theological interpretation.
Follow the evidence from discovery to debate
Move through the find in a deliberate order: establish its provenance, examine the surviving object, place it in time, and then weigh the scholarly interpretation.
How the find came to light
Codex Basilensis (GA 07) is cataloged as a discrete manuscript witness rather than as a generic literary tradition. Its present identity is controlled by the shelf mark or excavation siglum in the cited institutional catalog, while the publication history in the accompanying scholarly source provides the basis for the description used here. The discovery and modern catalog history matter because provenance and stable identifiers prevent detached fragments, neighboring shelf marks, or similarly named witnesses from being silently combined. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
What you are looking at
The CSNTM catalog describes 318 parchment leaves, 1 column per page, and approximately 23–26 lines per column. The manuscript contains the four Gospels. The surviving material is presented as evidence for the text actually preserved, not as a reconstruction of missing pages or an autograph. Readers should notice the relation between the preserved material, the lines or fragments actually visible, and the biblical range assigned by the critical catalog. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Where it belongs in history
The date 8th century is the cataloged scholarly assessment, normally based on script, material features, and comparison with dated hands or archaeological context. The range should therefore be read as an expert estimate rather than a date supplied by the ancient copyist. Paleographic and material dating situates the copy within a transmission history while leaving an honest chronological range rather than a falsely exact year. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Consensus, questions, and debate
Scholarly value lies in the manuscript's independent physical witness and its controlled catalog identity. Readings and reconstructions are evaluated against other witnesses; differences may illuminate transmission, but one fragment does not by itself determine the earliest recoverable form of every passage. Critical editions compare this witness with other Hebrew or Greek manuscripts, ancient translations, corrections, and scribal habits instead of treating one reading in isolation. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
The biblical record beside the artifact
This codex is direct physical evidence for the medieval transmission of the four Gospels. Its continuous codex format permits comparison of wording, corrections, layout, and paratext across a much larger textual span than a small fragment. The connection is textual: the object preserves wording from the cited passages and documents that those passages were copied, arranged, and read in this historical setting. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Matthew 5:1–16
1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
A responsible historical conclusion
This record gives readers a specific, inspectable point of contact between the biblical passage and an ancient manuscript. It is most useful for understanding preservation, copying, and reception while keeping historical and theological conclusions proportionate to the evidence. Its value is cumulative and comparative: a controlled manuscript identity adds one more datable checkpoint to the history of the biblical text and helps readers see how conclusions are tested. For this dossier, the catalog identity, surviving passage range, physical description, present collection, and publication history are kept separate so that a reader can distinguish observation from reconstruction. The conclusion is deliberately limited to what this particular witness contributes. Comparison with other manuscripts remains necessary, because neither age nor completeness makes a single copy automatically decisive.
Authoritative sources
Institutional catalogs, excavation reports, and academic publications let you examine the evidence beyond this summary.
Codex Basilensis (GA 07)
Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsExact manuscript catalog with date, material, dimensions, contents, shelf mark, and digital-image context.
INTF manuscript workspace 07
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, University of MünsterIndependent New Testament manuscript registry entry controlling the Gregory-Aland identity.
Liste Handschriften: Greek New Testament Manuscript Registry
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, University of MünsterAuthoritative registry context for Gregory-Aland manuscript identifiers, contents, dates, and present holdings.