I read recently that many famous Renaissance masterpiece paintings are painted over older paintings .Using x-ray and other technical methods, the original painting can be observed.
Have these hi tech methods been used on early NT manuscripts?I could see where some scribe in a monastery could write over a more ancient document to give there” updated”version of a Gospel or Pauline letter, writing over the original.
I believe that there are special uses of light (and photography) to read palimpsest manuscripts, where the parchment/vellum has been reused. Much of the original text can still be read because it leaves traces. Perhaps that isn’t what you meant.
My understanding is that most changes and corrections to Biblical texts are made directly on the manuscript, so that they tend to be far more obvious, and not generally require such measures.
As a side note, I believe that special lighting and photography have also been used to read manuscripts that are badly faded or stained by age (and would not survive traditional cleaning techniques).
Here is a little related reading about a palimpsest at the Walter’s Art Gallery: ** you do not have permission to see this link **
spencer290 said
This is off topic but I’m trying to identify a ms called “Cod. Reg. 930”. Have any of you heard of this manuscript? Henricus Stephanus mentions the ms in Thesaurus graecae linguae (Paris: Ambrosius, 1829) vol. 4. col. 203).
Do you have TLG? I have it at home. When you try to open it on TLG, what does it show you? I’ll be home in a few hours.
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