Introduction:
This manuscript, copied in 1652 or 1653, contains Greek and Arabic hymns and other liturgical
texts for the great festivals of Easter, Christmas and Epiphany. The bulk of the texts
here are hymns written in
Greek only. There are two New Testament lections included, which are writen in both
Greek and Arabic in parallel columns on
the same page, accompanied by a communion hymn (koinonikon) also in Greek and Arabic. There are also a
few prayers and other prose texts written in Arabic alone. Some grammatical notes
have been added after the end of the main
content.
The copying of the manuscript can be dated from the colophon recording its completion
on f. 94v, which identifies the copyist as a priest named Ioannes, from Damascus.
Dr Christopher Wright
Language(s): Greek and Arabic
1. ff. 1v-15r
Language(s): Greek
Canon for Easter Saturday
Rubric:
f. 1v Κανὼν τῷ ἁγίω καὶ μεγάλη Σαββάτω
Incipit:
f. 1v Κύματι θαλάσσης, τὸν κρύψαντα πάλαι
Explicit:
f. 15r καὶ ἀνέστη σώζων ἡμᾶς ἀλληλούια· ἀλληλούια· ἀλληλούια
f. 1r is blank apart from some later notes
2. ff. 15v-28r
Language(s): Greek
Canon for Easter Sunday
Rubric:
f. 15v Κανὼν τοι[sic] ἁγίω καὶ μεγάλη Κυριακὴ τοῦ Πάσχα
Incipit:
f. 15v Ἀναστάσεως ἡμέρα λαμπρυνθῶμεν λαοὶ
Explicit:
f. 28r καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν· ζωὴν χαρισάμενος
3. ff. 28v-30v
Language(s): Greek
Hours of Holy Week
Rubric:
f. 28v Αἱ ὤραι τῆς εὐδομάδος[sic] τοῦ Πάσχα
Incipit:
f. 28v Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας
Explicit:
f. 30v εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιψὶ· ὑ[sic] ὑπάρχεις πανάμωμε δέσποινα
4. ff. 31r-32r, line 13
Language(s): Greek
Antiphons for the liturgy
Rubric:
f. 31r Εἰς τὴν λειτουργίαν τὰ πάροντα ἀντίφωνα
Incipit:
f. 31r Ἀλαλάζατε τῷ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ
Explicit:
f. 32r Ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε
5. f. 32r, line 14-f. 32v, line 1
Language(s): Greek
Antiphons for the liturgy
Rubric:
f. 32r Προκείμενον τοῦ αποστόλου[sic]
Incipit:
f. 32r Αὔτη ἡμέρα ἢν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος
Explicit:
f. 32v Ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τῷ Κθρίῳ ὅτι ἀγαθὸς
6. f. 32v, line 2-f. 34r, line 9
Language(s): Greek and Arabic
Acts of the Apostles
Excerpt: ends at Acts 1:8
Rubric:
f. 32v Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστόλων
Incipit:
f. 32v Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων ὡ[sic] Θεόφιλε
Explicit:
f. 34r καὶ ἔως[sic] ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
TLG 0031.005
7. f. 34r, lines 10-12
Language(s): Greek and Arabic
Allelouiarion
Rubric:
f. 34r Ἀλληλουιάριον
Incipit:
f. 34r Σὺ Κύριε ἀναστὰς οἱκτηρήσεις
Explicit:
f. 34r Ἐξ οὖν ἐπέβλεψεν
8. f. 34r, line 13-f. 36v, line 9
Language(s): Greek and Arabic
Gospel of John
Excerpt: ends at Jn 1:17
Rubric:
f. 34r
Εὐαγγελιος[sic] κατὰ Ἰωάννην
Incipit:
f. 34r Ἐν ἀρχῆ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἢν[sic] πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν
Explicit:
f. 36v ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο
TLG 0031.004
9. f. 36v, line 10-f. 37r
Language(s): Greek and Arabic
Koinonikon
Rubric:
f. 36v Κοινωνικὸν ἦχος πλάγιος
Incipit:
f. 36v Σῶμα Χριστοῦ μεταλάβετε· πηγῆς αθανάτου[sic] γεῦσασθαι καὶ ἵδετε[sic]
Explicit:
f. 37r ὁψώμεθα τὸν Κύριον ἐγειρμένον ἐκ νεκρῶν: Πᾶλιν[sic] Σῶμα Χριστοῦ
10. ff. 37v-39v
Language(s): Greek
Megalynaria for Easter Sunday
Rubric:
f. 37v Μεγαλυνάρια τὴν λαμπρᾶν Κυριακῆ εἰς τὴν θʹ ὠδὴ ἠχος·[sic] αʹ
Incipit:
f. 37v Ὁ ἄγγελος ἐβόα τῆ χαριτωμένη
Explicit:
f. 39v καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐγείρας λαοὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι
f. 40r is blank
11. ff. 40v-41v
Language(s): Arabic
Prayer for Easter
f. 42r is blank
12. ff. 42v-52v, 55v-63v
Language(s): Greek
Canon for Christmas Day
Rubric:
f. 42v Ἡ κατα[sic] σάρκα γέννησις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οἱ κανόνες
Incipit:
f. 42v Χριστὸς γεννάτε δοξάσατε, Χριστὸς ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἀπαντήσατε
Explicit:
f. 63v καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρωποὶς[sic] εὐδοκία
f. 53r is blank
13. ff. 53v-55r
Language(s): Arabic
Nativity narrative
14. ff. 64r-65r, line 5
Language(s): Greek
Doxology
Rubric:
f. 64r Δοξολογία μεγάλη καὶ ἀπόλ[___] εἰς τὴν λειτουργίαν ἀντίφωνα
Incipit:
f. 64r Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι Κύριε ἐν ὄλη[sic] καρδία μου
Explicit:
f. 65r ἐν ἡμέρα τῆς δυνάμεως σου· ἡ γέννησίς σου
15. f. 65r, lines 6-11
Language(s): Greek
Eisodikon
Rubric:
f. 65r Εἰσοδικὸν
Incipit:
f. 65r Ἐκ γαστρὸς προεωσφόρω ἐγεννησάτε
Explicit:
f. 65r κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ
16. f. 65r, lines 12-15
Language(s): Greek
Kontakion for Christmas
Rubric:
f. 65r Ἡ γέννησις σου Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν τὸ κοντάκιον
Incipit:
f. 65r Ἡ πάρθενος σήμερον, τὸν ὑπέρ σου
Explicit:
f. 65r
ἀντι[sic] δὲ τὸ τρισάγιον σοι εἰς Χριστὸν εβαπ[___]
17. ff. 65v-66v
Language(s): Arabic
Epiphany narrative
18. ff. 67r-76v, 78r-88v
Language(s): Greek
Canon for Epiphany
Rubric:
f. 67r Τὰ ἁγία θεοφάνια τοῦ Κυρίου Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Incipit:
f. 67r Βυθοῦ ἀνεκάλυψε πυθμένα, καὶ δια[sic] ξηρᾶς οἱκείους[sic]
ἔλκει[sic]
Explicit:
f. 88v ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ τρισάγιον ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν εβαπτίσθητε
f. 89r is blank
19. f. 77r-77v
Language(s): Arabic
On the baptism of Christ
20. ff. 89v-90r
Language(s): Arabic
Oration
21. ff. 90v-94v, line 9
Language(s): Greek
Polyeleos (Psalms 134-135)
Rubric:
f. 90v Ψαλμὸς τὸ πολυέλεον δούλοι Κυρίου
Incipit:
f. 90v Αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου· αἰνεῖτε δούλοι Κυρίου
Explicit:
f. 94v >οτι εἰς τὸν αίῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ
TLG 0527.027
22.
Colophon:
f. 94v, lines 10-13 Τέλος ἐκ χεὶρ[sic]
Ἱωάννου[sic] ἱερέος ἐκ Δαμασκοῦ ͵ζρξαʹ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ
23. f. 95r
Language(s): Greek
Grammatical erotemata
Incipit:
f. 95r Ἐρώτησις Πόσαι προσδίαι εἰσίν
Explicit:
f. 95r καὶ τούτη λέγεται δοτικῆ
ff. 95v-98v are blank
Form: codex
Support:
Western paper, folded in octavo. Watermark: Three crescents (
c. 30 × c. 65 mm.
) at the upper end of the gutter..
Extent:
Codex:
98 leaves.
148 × 100 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers 1-98, in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto,
at the
lower right-hand corner of the written area.
Collation
The manuscript consists of 10 quires, all of them quinia.
- Quire 110-1
ff. 1-9
The first folio has been cancelled, without loss of text.
- Quires 2-910
ff. 10-89
- Quire 1010-1
ff. 90-98
The last folio has been cancelled, without loss of text.
There are original quire signatures in Greek numerals, in black or red ink, on the
first folio of
each quire, recto, lower right, and the last folio of each quire, verso, lower left.
They survive on every quire except
the last (αʹ-θʹ).
There are also quire signatures in Greek numerals, in black ink, on the first folio
of each quire,
recto, upper right, and the last folio of each quire, verso, upper left.
Catchwords appear on many verso folios, not only those at the end of quires.
Condition
There is some water staining, growing more severe in the latter part of the manuscript,
and some areas of
dirt.
Layout
ff. 1v-32r,
37v-95r A single column of 15 lines.
95-102 × 55 mm.
Ruled in hardpoint, type similar to Leroy 00D1. Text hangs from the
lines.
ff. 32v-37r Two columns of 15 lines.
95 × 55 mm.
Ruled in hardpoint, in a single column, type similar to Leroy 00D1.
Text hangs from the lines.
Hand(s)
The Greek text was copied by Ioannes in an upright Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script,
in
black ink, with moderate variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscription of word endings appear only at the end of
lines. Breathings are round and mute
iota is subscript. Use of the double dot is functional only, but a single dot sometimes
appears
above iota when it is unaccentuated. There is accentuation of all nomina
sacra . Accents are sometimes joined to nomina sacra strokes.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and
full stop.
The same hand has added headings and other rubric in the same style in red ink, often
gilded.
The same hand appears to be responsible for the Arabic text, in red and black ink.
Decoration
The beginnings of sections on ff. 1v, 15v, 28v, 42v, 67r and 90v are preceded by headpieces in various plaited designs, in
combinations of red, blue and black paint and gold.
Sections begin with minor initials in red ink, usually gilded, often with ornament
in red ink and blue
paint. Some sub-sections begin with normal-sized initial letters in red ink.
Many headings and annotations forming part of the original text are gilded.
The beginnings of prayers on ff. 31r and 90r are each accompanied by small quatrefoil plaits in red and black paint and gold (f.
31r) or black ink (90r).
Additions
There is a note of purchase or ownership in pencil on f. 1r: ‘Charles
Ovenden Cairo 27 Nov 1835’.
A slip of paper pasted to f. 1r carries a note of content and date in ink: ‘Canons & Hymns of the Greek Church. MS
on paper, 98ll.[sic] in Greek & Arabic. Saeculum XVII’. Below this
is a dated note in pencil with the initials G.D., probably by George Dunn: ‘
Χ(ρίστ)ε(?) G.D. June 1901’.
A printed note of ownership is pasted to the front pastedown:
‘From the library of George Dunn of Woolley Hall near Maidenhead’.
Binding
17th-century Islamic full leather binding over couched-laminate boards, with marbled
paper pastedowns. Both boards are
decorated with gold tooling. The classmark appears on labels on the spine.
157 × 108 × 19 mm.
Origin: The manuscript was copied by
the priest Ioannes
, from Damascus, in 1652/3, as indicated by his colophon on f.
94v.
Provenance and Acquisition
Owned by
Charles Ovenden
, who probably bought it in Cairo
on 27 November 1835.
Owned by the book collector
George Dunn (1864-1912)
, who perhaps acquired it in June 1901.
