March 20 Literary Luncheon Explores the Rare Treasures of St. Catherine’s Monastery
Historian Andrew G. Jameson returns to Doheny Memorial Library as the featured speaker at the March 20 Friends of the USC Libraries Literary Luncheon. Jameson, director emeritus of Books for Asia of the Asia Foundation and president emeritus of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, will discuss the historical treasures of St. Catherine's Monastery and the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest books in the world.
Admission includes lunch, parking, and the lecture and costs $50 for Friends of the USC Libraries members and $65 for non-members. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. in Doheny Library's Ground Floor Rotunda. Jameson's lecture, which starts at 1:00 p.m., is free and open to the public. RSVP online or by calling (213) 740-1744.
According to tradition, St. Catherine's Monastery sits atop the spot at the foot of Mount Sinai where God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. The Orthodox monastery--located on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula--has operated since the sixth century C.E. Its library is home to an extensive collection of ancient codices and manuscripts.
The Codex Sinaiticus was once among those rare treasures. More than 1,600 years old, the handwritten version of the Christian Bible was preserved for centuries at the monastery until scholars rediscovered it in the eighteenth century. Written in Greek, the codex contains the oldest complete copy of the New Testament.
