We will be looking at the constantly shifting and contradictory claims of Simonides regarding Sinaiticus as well as how the SART team likes to cherry pick the data. Let's begin with the letter Simonides had published first in September 1862, the entire contents of which can be viewed here.
Claims:
1) About the end of the year, 1839, the venerable Benedict, my uncle, spiritual head of the monastery of the holy martyr Panteleemon in Mount Athos, wished to present to the Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, some gift from the sacred mountain, in grateful acknowledgement of the presents which had from time to time been offered to the monastery of the martyr.
2) he consulted with the herald Procopius and the Russian monk Paul, and they decided upon a copy of the Old and New Testaments, written according to the ancient form, in capital, letters, and on parchment. This together with the remains of the seven apostolic fathers – Barnabas, Hermas, Clement Bishop of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Papias, and Dionysius the Areopagite – they proposed should be bound in gold, and presented to the Emperor by a common friend.
3) Dionysius, the professional calligrapher of the monastery, was then begged to undertake the work, but he declined, saying that the task being exceedingly difficult, he would rather not do so. (note: this makes no sense if this was the team effort the Steven Averys of the world try to argue). "Hey, this is too hard for one person!"
4) In consequence of this, I myself determined to begin the work, especially as my revered uncle seemed earnestly to wish it.
5) Having then examined the principal copies of the Holy Scriptures preserved at Mount Athos, (he didn't examine the principal copies BEFORE this project was proposed in what is later alleged to be November 1839, so he's now telling us he examined some copies of....something....)
6) I began to practise the principles of calligraphy (fancy words for "I began doing this manuscript")
7) learned Benedict taking a copy of the Moscow edition of both Testaments (published and presented to the Greeks by the illustrious brothers Zosimas) - why this is necessary when this has already been done?
8) collated it with the ancient ones, (so Benedict began collating the entire Bible after November 1839 ACCORDING TO SIMONIDES.....in his first version of the tale)
9) and by this means cleared it of many errors, after which he gave it into my hands to transcribe. (interesting that Simonides is claiming here he had an exemplar. All he had to do to prove his case was produce the exemplar, but you can't produce what doesn't exist).
Claims:
1) About the end of the year, 1839, the venerable Benedict, my uncle, spiritual head of the monastery of the holy martyr Panteleemon in Mount Athos, wished to present to the Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, some gift from the sacred mountain, in grateful acknowledgement of the presents which had from time to time been offered to the monastery of the martyr.
2) he consulted with the herald Procopius and the Russian monk Paul, and they decided upon a copy of the Old and New Testaments, written according to the ancient form, in capital, letters, and on parchment. This together with the remains of the seven apostolic fathers – Barnabas, Hermas, Clement Bishop of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Papias, and Dionysius the Areopagite – they proposed should be bound in gold, and presented to the Emperor by a common friend.
3) Dionysius, the professional calligrapher of the monastery, was then begged to undertake the work, but he declined, saying that the task being exceedingly difficult, he would rather not do so. (note: this makes no sense if this was the team effort the Steven Averys of the world try to argue). "Hey, this is too hard for one person!"
4) In consequence of this, I myself determined to begin the work, especially as my revered uncle seemed earnestly to wish it.
5) Having then examined the principal copies of the Holy Scriptures preserved at Mount Athos, (he didn't examine the principal copies BEFORE this project was proposed in what is later alleged to be November 1839, so he's now telling us he examined some copies of....something....)
6) I began to practise the principles of calligraphy (fancy words for "I began doing this manuscript")
7) learned Benedict taking a copy of the Moscow edition of both Testaments (published and presented to the Greeks by the illustrious brothers Zosimas) - why this is necessary when this has already been done?
8) collated it with the ancient ones, (so Benedict began collating the entire Bible after November 1839 ACCORDING TO SIMONIDES.....in his first version of the tale)
9) and by this means cleared it of many errors, after which he gave it into my hands to transcribe. (interesting that Simonides is claiming here he had an exemplar. All he had to do to prove his case was produce the exemplar, but you can't produce what doesn't exist).