The foundation of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai according to two documents from its library: Arabic codex 692 and Arabic roll 955

Abstract

In this paper we edit and translate the Arabic Codex n. 692 (1st part) and the Arabic scroll n. 955. We also comment on the main items mentioned in the two texts: their authenticity appears to be quite questionable. However, some of the facts, especially those in document 692-1, do not rule out the possibility that the documents drew inspiration from an ancient, unidentified source of the early history of the monastery. We therefore hypothesize, based on the known sources and the present documents, that theconstruction of the Sinai monastery was initiated towards the beginning of Justinian’s reign, and that the fortified tower mentioned by several sources represented the initial stage of the construction.