Codex, the name given to a manuscript in leaf form, distinguishing it from a roll. The codex seems to have come into use about the beginning of the fourth century; the material ordinarily employed in it was parchment, but discovery has shown that papyrus was sometimes used in the making of codices, though really too brittle to be a satisfactory material. The great MSS. of the Bible are in codex form and generally of parchment; hence the name, Codex Vaticanus etc. For convenience’ sake, we group here the four great codices of the Greek Bible, Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, and Ephraemi, together with the Greek Codex Bez, so remarkable for its textual peculiarities; also, Codex Amiatinus, the greatest MS. of the Vulgate. For other codices, see MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BIBLE#, or the particular designation, as ARMAGH, Book OF; Kurtis, Book OF; etc.
The Catholic Encyclopedia
Codex
1 section
Charles G. Herbermann and others (editors)
Transcribed from a dated scan; artifacts may remain. Edition notes
Trans. None. Written in English by the contributors whose signatures close each article., The Catholic Encyclopedia, An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, in fifteen volumes, 1907-1908. Public domain.