Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, Emmanuel College, MS 109

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11845

Contents

Introduction: Emmanuel College MS 109 is a service book containing various Liturgical texts for the Greek rite. Among the texts there are Heirmoi (opening stanzas of the Byzantine chant), Vespers (evening liturgical service), Procheimena (pre-Gospel chants), Apolytichia (dismissal hymns), and a song with musical notation. The manuscript is very small and portable. It was copied by several hands. Two, hands A and B, copied the majority of the texts; in the leaves where hand A was at work the text is surrounded by a rectangular decorative frame, while the leaves where hand B copied the texts are more simply set, and the decoration is more simple and quite roughly done. Throughout the manuscript there are several leaves written by a scribe here indicated as hand D. It does not seem that this scribe copied the text at the same time as hands A, B, and C. It seems rather that hand D added small texts, prayers, poems, medical recipes, on leaves probably left blank by the main scribes, A and B. For instance, he started to write the Creed on ff. [100]r-[100]v, and he completed the copy of it on f. 118r. Medical recipes, a type of text which is frequently randomly added in blank spaces in manuscripts, have been written by him on f. 118v and ff. 131r-[132]v. In the catalogue by M. R. James, Emmanuel MS 109 is dated to 1694. This date was taken from a note written on the present last leaf of the manuscript, f. 133v. The note is written in a hand which is different from the ones of the scribes who copied the text, and mentions the birth of a relative on a certain date. The script is difficult to read: the letters were retraced in red ink by another hand, someone who probably could not read or understand well what was written, and who made some changes, making it hard to read the original note now. The date contained in the note, on closer inspection, appears to be 1594, rather than 1694: besides the form of the second number, this is confirmed by the fact that the date is also given in the Era of the World (curiously in Arabic numerals) as 7102, corresponding to 1594 CE. In any case, having been added to the manuscript by a hand which is not one of the scribes, and also given the nature of the note, this indication cannot be used as the date of composition for the manuscript but as a terminus ante quem. Dr Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 1r-86r
Heirmologion
Rubric: f. 1r Ἄρχὴ σὺν θεῷ ἁγίῳ τῶν εἰρμῶν τῶν δεσποτηκῶν[sic] ἑορτῶν
Incipit: f. 1r Ἀναστάσεως ἡμέρα λαμπρυνθῶμεν λαοί
Explicit: f. 86r ἀνοίξω τὸ στόμα μου καὶ πληρώνει.
Final rubric: f. 86r Τέλος καὶ τῷ θεῷ δόξα

See S. Eustratiades and Monachus Spyridon, Μνημεῖα Ἁγιολογικά: Εἱρμολόγιον, Chennevières-sur-Marne 1932, pp. 1-259 (TLG 5361.004)

f. 86v is blank

2. ff. 87r-[98]v
Vespers
Rubric: f. 87r Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἐσπερινοῦ
Incipit: f. 87r Δεῦτε προσκυνήσωμεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡμῶν Θεῷ
Explicit: f. [98]v νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰώνας τῶν αἰῶνων[sic] ἀμήν
3. ff. 99r-[100]v, 118r-118v
Additions by hand C
3.1. ff. 99r-[100]v, 118r
Rubric: f. 99r Τῷ Σάβατῳ[sic] λέγομε[sic] στίχους
Incipit: f. 99r Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλον σου δέσποτα
Explicit: f. [100]v καὶ καθεζόμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν

The section ends with the Creed, incomplete; the text is ended by the same hand on f. 118r

3.2. f. [110]v
Two excerpts citing the Paradise
Incipit: f. [110]v Κῆπε καὶ παράδεισε καὶ πηγή
Incipit: f. [110]v Χαίρε ὁ παράδισος[sic] ὁ τερπνός

The first is an excerpt from a poem by Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus , TLG 3236.006, ed. M. Jugie, 'Poésies rhythmiques de Nicéphore Calliste Xanthopoulos', in: Byzantion 5, 1929/30, pp. 362-390: 384 s. 10

3.3. f. 118v
Medical recipes
Incipit: f. 118v Εἰς πληγὴν ἀλόγου. Κέδρου στάκτιν[sic]· καπνέαν φούρνον
Explicit: f. 118v καὶ πότισον μετονερὸν νίστης[sic]
4. ff. 101r-[110]r
Typikon
Incipit: f. 101r Ἀρχὴ τῶν τιπυκῶν[sic]
Explicit: f. [110]r πολὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ
Final rubric: f. [110]r Δόξα καὶ τέλος
5. ff. 111r-[117]v
Antiphons for the liturgy
Rubric: f. 111r Ἀκολουθία τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν διατάξεων τῆς θείας καὶ ἰερᾶς[sic] λητουργίας[sic]
Incipit: f. 111r Ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἐξομολογείσαι[sic] τῷ κυρίῳ
Explicit: f. [117]v θεοτόκον σέ μεγαλύνομεν
Final rubric: f. [117]v Τὸ[sic] πατρὶ ἤμῶν[sic] ὁ ἐν ||

The final rubric ends incomplete

6. ff. 119r-127r
Troparia
Incipit: f. 119r ⟨Τ⟩ὰ προκείμενα τῆς εὐδομάδος[sic]
Explicit: f. 127r διὰ σοῦ πάσιν[sic] ἰάματα.
Final rubric: f. 127r Τέλος
8. f. 127r
Prayer to the archangel Michael
Incipit: f. 127r l. 8 Μιχαὴλ ἀρχάγγελε τοῦ Χριστοῦ· μὴ ἔλθης ὡς λέων
Explicit: f. 127r σὺ μου[sic] βοήθησον.

Χ.Κ. Δουκάκης, Μέγας συναξαριστής, 9, Εν Αθήναις 1894, p. 97 ll. 1-3

8. ff. 127r-[128]r
Prayers
Incipit: f. 127v Ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν· ὁ ποιῶν
Explicit: f. [128]r σωθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ημῶν.
9. f. [128]v
Apolytichia of the Oktoechos
Rubric: f. [128]v Ἀπολυτίκια τῆς ὀκτὼ ἠ ἠχου[sic] σὺν τοὶς θεοτοκίοις· καὶ ταῖς ὐπακοαῖς[sic] αὐτῶν τροπαρίων
Incipit: f. [128]v ἠχος[sic] α΄. Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος
Explicit: f. [128]v παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ.
10. ff. 129r-[130]v
Officia Magnae Ecclesiae
Rubric: f. 129r Τὰ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας ὀφίκια[sic]
Incipit: f. 129r Ὁ μέγας οἰκονόμος· ὁ μέγας σακελλάριος
Explicit: f. [130]v ὁ πριμμικήριος τῶν ἐπισκοπειανῶν.

On the lists of offices see J. Darrouzès, Recherches sur les ΟΦΦΙΚΙΑ de l'église byzantine, Paris 1970

11. ff. 131r-[132]r
Medical recipes
Incipit: f. 131r Εἰς λυσουρίαν[sic]
Explicit: f. [132]r πίνε νερὸν νοπῶν[sic] καὶ ξάστερον[sic]

The first part of the title of the first recipe was retraced in red by another hand, which transformed the correct word δυσουρία in λυσουρίαν

The recipes are in modern Greek

12. f. [132]v
Hymn Τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ἀρχιερέα with musical notation
Incipit: f. [132]v Τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ἀρχιερέα
Explicit: f. [132]v δέσποτα

Middle-Byzantine melodic notation

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Western paper folded in duodecimo. Watermarks: ff. 1-133 Traces of a watermark are visible, possibly an Anchor in a circle surmounted by a six-point star near the external edge of the leaf.
Extent: Codex: 2 + 134 + 2 leaves. 100 × 72 mm.
Foliation:

Modern foliation in pencil, in Arabic numerals, in the upper margin, right, only on some leaves; between the leaves numbered 11 and 13, there are two unnumbered leaves (here [12], [12a]); between the leaves numbered 13 and 21, there are only 6 leaves: [i]-ii + 1-2, [3]-[4], 5, [6]-[10], 11, [12], [12a], 13, [14]-[19], 21, [22]-[30], 31, [32]-[40], 41, [42]-[50], 51, [52]-[60], 61, [62]-[70], 71, [72]-[80], 81, [82]-[84], 85-87, [88]-[90], 91-92, [93], 94, [95]-[98], 99, [100], 101, [102]-[110], 111, [112]-[117], 118-119, [120], 121, [122]-[126], 127, [128], 129, [130], 131, [132], 133, [134] + [iii]-[iv].

Collation

The leaves have been sewn very tightly and the quires are not numbered, therefore it was not possible to ascertain the quire structure.

Condition

The manuscript is in fair condition. There are humidity and some brown stains throughout. Most of f. [134] has been cut off, only a paper strip remains.

Layout

Irregular throughout. A single column of 9-12 lines. ca. 65-75 × ca. 25-45 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-86r Hand A: minuscule script, upright, regular in size, which can be linked with the traditional group of late Greek minuscule (see P. Eleuteri, P. Canart, Scrittura greca nell'Umanesimo italiano, Milano 1991).

The text is written in black ink, titles and initials in red.

ff. 87r-91v, 94r-[98]v, 101r-[110]r, 111r-[117]v, 119r-127r l. 7, 127v-[128]v Hand B: minuscule script, upright, characterized by the bigger size of some letters, such as "tall" gamma, majuscule epsilon, zeta, rounded sigma.

The text is written in black ink, titles and initials in red.

ff. 92r-[93]v Hand C: minuscule script, slightly slanting to the right , characterized by the tendency to prolong oblique strokes between the lines.

The text is written in black ink.

ff. 99r-[100]v, [110]v, 118r-118v, 127r ll. 8-12, 131-[132]r, 133r, 133v (lower part) Hand D: minuscule script, slightly slanting to the right, datable in the 17th c.

The text is written in black-grey ink.

ff. 129r-[130]v Hand E: minuscule script, uprιght, datable possibly to the 17th c.

The text is written in black-grey ink.

f. ii recto Hand G: minuscule script, regular, upright, probably datable to the 17th c.

Black-grey ink.

Musical Notation:

f. [132]v Middle-Byzantine melodic notation

Decoration

On ff. 1r-[47]v, [54]r-[85]v the text is comprised in a frame in red ink.

On ff. 1r, f. [33]r there are rectangular headpieces in red ink filled with vine scrolls. On f. 87r, by hand B, there is a small headpiece in black and red ink, formed by a series of interlaced rhombuses forming a dragon (?); the execution is not accurate. On f. 101r there is a headpiece in red ink, formed by an interlaced geometrical motif.

Friezes in red ink are present throughout the leaves copied by hand A:

  • ff. [4]v, [26]r, f. [37]v rope frieze
  • ff. [9]v, [44]v, [47]v, [54]r vine scroll frieze
  • ff. [12a]v, [16]v, 21r, 41v linear frieze.
The decoration is different in the leaves copied by hand B: on f. 111r there is a frieze in the form of a chain, partially coloured in red, on f. 119r a quite roughly traced frieze in black ink, partially filled ιn red, in the form of a sort of dragon; other friezes in the form of a dragon appear on f. 121v, f. [128]v, traced in red ink, on ff. [122]v, [124]v, [125]r where it is formed by a single undulated line traced in red and black ink, and, scribbled in black ink, in the upper margin of f. [123]r. On ff. [125]v-[126]r there are small friezes formed by simple lines in red and black ink.

Initials in ekthesis in red ink, decorated with a vegetal motif, see e.g. f. 1r.

Additions

On the left pastedown , on the College bookplate, are written, in pencil, a previous shelfmark, ‘ MSS I.4.34’, and the current one, in a rhombus, ‘ 109’.

On f. [i] verso there is a pen trial in Greek.

On f. ii recto a later hand wrote a passage from Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ' De virtutibus et vitiis. ed. T. Büttner-Wobst, A.G. Roos, Excerpta historica iussu imp. Constantini Porphyrogeniti confecta, 2: Excerpta de virtutibus et vitiis, Berlin 1906, p. 6 ll. 3-12 (the text cites a passage from the first book of Flavius Josephus ' The Antiquities of the Jews, ed. B. Niese, Flavii Iosephi opera, 1, Berlin 1887, book 1, 70-71: the final word, Συριάδα, although with a iotacism error, derives more likely from the variant Σιριάδα found in De virtutibus et vitiis., than from the variant Σειρίδα found in Flavius Josephus' text)

On f. ii verso are written another shelfmark, erased, ‘ I.2.34’, and, below, the more recent one, ‘ MSS. I-4-34’.

In the right margin of f. 1r is written the previous shelfmark, ‘1.5 4. 34’.

On f. 86r, after the end of the text, a note in Greek, written in black ink, has been erased.

On f. [110]v hand D wrote two small texts:

  • a stanza from a poem by Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus (ca. 1256-ca. 1335) ( M. Jugie, 'Poésies rhythmiques de Nicéphore Calliste Xanthopoulos', in: Byzantion 5, (1929/30), pp. 362-390: poem 8, stanza 10; TLG 3236.006), inc. Κῆπε καὶ παράδεισε καὶ πηγή
  • another brief text, inc. Χαῖρε ὁ παράδισος[sic]· ὁ τερπνός· ὦ ζωῆς τὸ ξύλον.

On ff. 133r-133v there are three inscriptions by hand D mentioning a metropolitan city in Thessaly. In the upper part of f. 133v there is a note by a hand which does not appear in the rest of the manuscript, mentioning the birth of a relative in the year 1592 (see also Summary); The note was retraced in red ink by another hand, someone who probably could not read or understand well what was written and made some changes, making it hard to read the original note now: Αἰ γενίθιν τὸ ἐγγόνι μου ἠ κατα|κουζινὶ (?) μινὶ μαίωι 1594 | 7102 ἰνδικτιῶνος ζ΄. In his catalogue, James read the date as 1694, and used it to date the whole manuscript. The year is, however, 1594: the date is also given in the Era of the World (in Arabic numerals) as 7102, corresponding to 1594 CE. Given the content of the note, this date can be used only as a terminus post quem for the note itself, and probably for the intervention of hand D, which must have taken place after the note had been already written on the leaf.

Only a strip of paper remains of f. [134]: on it there are the remains of some notes in Greek, similar to the ones on f. 133r: the first, starting as the first note on f. 133v, ἐγενίθ..., mentions the date of 7103 anno mundi. Beneath there was another invocation by hand D. Traces of script are also present on [134]v.

Binding

Early modern western binding, leather cover over pulpboards. Gold tooling on both covers, with a double-line frame with a laurel wreath in the centre. Gold tooled horizontal lines on the spine, where 4 paper labels with the previous shelfmark are pasted, ‘MSS’ ‘1’ ‘ … ’ ‘ 34’. Marbled paper has been pasted on both pastedowns. The edges are coloured in blue. 105 × 75 × 27 mm.

The leather is worn near the edges and near the attachments with the boards.

History

Origin:

The manuscript is not dated. On the basis of the scripts, it can be dated possibly in the 16th century, probably before 1594.

Provenance and Acquisition

The manuscript was donated by the Archbishop of Canterbury William Sancroft (1617-1693) . His name is written on the upper right corner of f. 1r. On the left pastedown is pasted the Emmanuel College bookplate.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2021) draws partly on M. R. James, The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Emmanuel College, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1904, pp. 95-96

Availability

Visitors to Emmanuel College who wish to consult Special Collections material are required to apply to the Library in advance of their visit. For information on eligibility and admission procedures see: Emmanuel College: Special Collections.

Bibliography

    The Western manuscripts in the library of Emmanuel College : a descriptive catalogue, James, M. R. (Cambridge, University Press, 1904) Some Byzantine musical manuscripts at Cambridge Annual of the British School at Athens, Tillyard, H. J. W. (23, 194-205, 1918) Ta cheirographa byzantines mousikes Anglia = The manuscripts of Byzantine music: England, Giannopoulos, Emmanouil St. (Athens, Institute of Byzantine Musicology, 2008)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library