Researchers recover 42 lost pages of Codex H, a 6th-century New Testament manuscript, revealing new insights into early Christian texts and scribal practices.
Newsroom (29/04/2026 Gaudium Press) An international team of academics led by Professor Garrick Allen at the University of Glasgow has recovered 42 lost pages from Codex H, one of the world’s most significant early New Testament manuscripts, offering fresh insight into the development and use of Christian scripture.
Codex H, a sixth-century Greek manuscript containing the Letters of St. Paul, was dismantled in the 13th century at the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. Its parchment pages were re-inked and repurposed as binding material and flyleaves for other books. Over time, surviving fragments became scattered across libraries in Italy, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and France, with many pages thought to be permanently lost.
The breakthrough came through the use of multispectral imaging, a technique that captures images under different wavelengths of light, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared. This approach enabled researchers to detect faint “ghost” traces of ink transferred between pages when the manuscript was reused.
“We knew that at one point, the manuscript was re-inked,” said Professor Allen. “The chemicals in the new ink caused ‘offset’ damage to facing pages, essentially creating a mirror image of the text on the opposite leaf… very clear with latest imaging techniques.”
Working in partnership with the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library (EMEL), the team processed images of surviving pages to recover text that no longer physically exists. The technique effectively allowed scholars to retrieve multiple pages of content from a single surviving leaf. To ensure historical accuracy, experts in Paris conducted radiocarbon dating, confirming the parchment dates back to the sixth century.
The recovered material contains known portions of Paul’s Letters but provides new perspectives on how early Christians read, organized, and interacted with scripture. Among the most significant findings are some of the earliest known chapter lists for Paul’s writings, which differ markedly from modern divisions of the New Testament.
Researchers also identified evidence of scribal activity, including corrections and annotations, offering a window into the intellectual and devotional practices of sixth-century Christian communities. The manuscript’s physical condition further illustrates how sacred texts were reused during the medieval period once they fell into disrepair.
“Given that Codex H is such an important witness to our understanding of Christian Scripture, to have discovered any new evidence — let alone this quantity — of what it originally looked like is nothing short of monumental,” Allen said.
The project was supported by the Templeton Religion Trust and the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the United Kingdom, and carried out with the cooperation of the Great Lavra Monastery.
The findings come alongside another notable biblical-era discovery in Jerusalem, where archaeologists uncovered a 2,700-year-old clay fragment bearing an Assyrian inscription near the Temple Mount. The artifact, believed to be part of a seal used to authenticate official documents, was found during an excavation of a drainage canal led by the Israel Antiquities Authority in collaboration with the City of David Foundation.
Researchers said the clay likely originated from the Tigris basin, suggesting it arrived in Jerusalem as part of official Assyrian correspondence. Israeli tour guide Yoav Rotem noted the artifact may date to the time of King Hezekiah and could relate to events described in 2 Kings 18, when the Assyrian empire pressured Judah for tribute.
“If you remember, King Hezekiah is facing a military campaign coming from Assyria,” Rotem said.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Christian Post
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