Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

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

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.3

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11970

Contents

Introduction: The manuscript contains two texts by Eunomius (d. 394), bishop of Cyzicus. Eunomius adhered to the Christian heresy of Arianism, which denied the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son, and was condemned by the Council of Constantinople (381 CE). His works were condemned and a few survive. In this codex are preserved his Expositio fidei ("Exposition of faith") and Liber apologeticus ("Apology"). The manuscript was copied between the end of the 17th century (after 1697) and the beginning of the 18th century (before 1738) (see Origin) and was owned by Roger Gale. While the first work was copied probably from the printed edition of 1668 (see R.P. Vaggione, 'An appeal to antiquity: the seventeenth and eighteenth century manuscripts of the Heretic Eunomius', in R.C. Gregg (ed.), Arianism: historical and theological reassessments (papers from The Ninth International Conference on Patristic Studies, Sept. 5 - 10, 1983, Oxford, England), (1985), pp. 335-360, p. 343), the Apology was transcribed from a manuscript, London, Lambeth Palace Library, 802, which was owned by Archbishop Thomas Tenison of Canterbury (1636-1715) ( Vaggione 1985, p. 343). The production of Trinity MS O.2.3 is to be linked with the Arian debate of the beginning of the 18th century ( Vaggione 1985, pp. 342-345), in the context of the Socinian controversy, and the codex could have been used by William Whiston (1667-1752) for his English translation of the Liber Apologeticus (R.P. Vaggione, Eunomius. The extant works, (Oxford, 1987), p. 27). He succeeded Isaac Newton as Lucasian professor of mathematics but was removed from his chair and expelled from the university for his Arianism. Dr Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 1r-6r
Eunomius, Bishop of Cyzicus, Expositio fidei
Rubric: f. 1r Εὐνομίου ἔκθεσις
Incipit: f. 1r Τοῦ θεοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ δικαίαν κρίσιν
Explicit: f. 6r ἢ διαβάλλοντες, ὧν τὸ κρίμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν.

TLG 2899.002; CPG 3457

The text is written only on the recto of the leaves

f. 6v is blank

2.1. ff. 7r-15r
Eunomius, Bishop of Cyzicus, Liber apologeticus
Rubric: f. 7r Εὐνομίου τοῦ δυσεβοῦς ἀπολογητικὸς πρὸς ὃν ἔγραψε τοὺς ἀντιρρητικοὺς ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος
Incipit: f. 7r Τὸ μὲν συκοφαντεῖν καὶ διαβάλλειν τινάς
Explicit: f. 15r καὶ δυνάμει τοῦ υἱοῦ γενόμενον.
Final rubric: f. 15r Τέλος τοῦ Εὐνομίου

There are two lacunae in the text which are filled in the following leaves of the manuscript:

  • f. 8r l. 25: ἐξ οὗ ταπάντα[sic] … θεός, ἀγέννητος ( R.P. Vaggione, Eunomius. The extant works (Oxford, 1987), pp. 34-74: p. 38, ch. 5 l. 2-46, ch. 11 l. 15; the lacuna is filled on ff. 16r-21v, and signaled with a note by another hand in the margin, indicating the pages were the missing text can be found (pp. 8-11, referring to the second foliation of the manuscript, see Foliation).
  • f. 11r l. 6: ἰδίας ἐπινοίας φυλάξαι τὴν ἀκολουθίαν … πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν ( Vaggione 1987, pp 34-74: pp. 56, ch. 18 l. 17-64, ch. 23 l. 18; the lacuna is filled on ff. 22r-24v, and signaled with a note by another hand in the margin, indicating the pages were the missing text can be found (p. 11, referring to the second foliation of the manuscript, see Foliation).

TLG 2899.001; CPG 3455

Leaves with text alternate with blank unnumbered leaves

f. 15v is blank

2.2. ff. 16r-21v
Liber apologeticus, chapters 5-11
Incipit: || f. 16r καὶ εἰς ἕνα μονογενῆ υἱὸν θεοῦ
Explicit: f. 21v Ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὲν εἶς[sic] ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων θεός||

The text fills the gap of f. 8r l. 25: it starts at R.P. Vaggione, Eunomius. The extant works (Oxford, 1987), p. 38, ch. 5 l. 3, and ends at Vaggione (1987), p. 46, ch. 11 l. 15

On ff. 16r-19v the text is written only on the recto of the leaves.

f. 15v is blank

2.3. ff. 22r-24v
Liber apologeticus, chapters 18-23
Incipit: || f. 22r καὶ μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως παραχωροῦντας
Explicit: f. 24v καὶ προφητικῆς φωνῆς, Πάντα γάρ||

The text fills the gap of f. 11r l. 6: it starts at R.P. Vaggione, Eunomius. The extant works (Oxford, 1987), p. 56, ch. 18 l. 17 and ends at Vaggione (1987), p. 64, ch. 23 l. 18

ff. [22a]r-[22a]v are blank

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. [ii]-[vi], 1-24, [vii]-[x] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermarks: ff. [ii]-[v], 1-19, [20a], 22-24, [vii]-[x] Lily on a shield , under the shield number ‘ 4’, letters ‘ W R’ and letters ‘ A I’; countermark ‘ CDG’ ( ca. 170 × 70 mm. ) in the gutter, comparable to Heawood Fleur-de-lis 1796 , which is dated to ca. 1680 (London). f. [vi] Coat of arms, only half of it is visible, therefore it is not possible to proceed to an identification. The paper is thinner than that of the other leaves. ff. 20/21 Thinner paper, no watermark is visible. ff. [i], [xi] Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: ff. [i], [xi] Pro Patria, countermark formed by a crown, under it letters ‘ G R’ ( 110 × 95 mm. ) in the centre of the leaf, comparable to Heawood Pro Patria 3700 (but the watermark is reversed), which is dated to 1747 (England).
Extent: Codex: i + 5 + 33 + 4 + i leaves. 230 × 180 mm.
Foliation:

Modern pencil foliation, in Arabic numerals, in the upper margin right from 1 to 24; there are numerous unnumbered blank leaves: [i]-[vi] + 1-7, [7a], 8, [8a], 9, [9a], 10, [10a], 11, [11a], 12, [12a], 13, [13a], 14-20, [20a], 21-22, [22a], 23-24 + [vii]-[xi].

There is numbering in pencil, in Arabic numbers, also in the lower margin left of some leaves, from 2 ( f. 8r), to 12 f. 23r. Reference is made to these numbers in the marginal notes concerning the two lacune in the text of the Liber apologeticus.

Collation

The collation is irregular. Folio [vi] is a single leaf pasted to quire 2. Two leaves are missing in quires 5 (the 1st and the 4th), and 7 (the 3rd and the last), one leaf is missing in quire 11 (the 3rd), in all cases without loss of text.

  • One endleaf ( f. [i], 18th c., it seems to form a bifolium with the left pastedown)
  • Quire 14 ff. [ii]-[v]
  • Quire 24+1 ff. [vi], 1-4
  • Quires 3-42 ff. 5-[7a]
  • Quire 56-2 ff. 8-[9a]
  • Quire 62 ff. 10-[10a]
  • Quire 76-2 ff. 11-[12a]
  • Quires 8-92 ff. 13-15
  • Quire 104 ff. 16-19
  • Quire 114-1 ff. 20-21
  • Quire 126 ff. 22-[viii]
  • Quire 132 ff. [ix]-[x]
  • One endleaf ( f. [xi], 18th c., it seems to form a bifolium with the left pastedown)

Condition

The manuscript is in good condition; f. [i] is partially detached.

Layout

A single column of 22-25 lines. 170 × 120-140 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-6r, 14r-15r Hand A: a minuscule script, probably by a western European hand, vertical, regular in size.

The text is written in a light brown ink.

The scribe made corrections to the text between the lines.

ff. 7r-9v Hand B: a minuscule script, probably by a western European hand, slanting slightly to the right.

The text is written in a brown ink.

The scribe made corrections to the text between the lines.

ff. 10r-12v, 24r ll. 10-14 Hand C: a minuscule script, probably by a western European hand, vertical to slanting slightly to the right, characterized by ornamental hooks at the end of uprights.

The text is written in a brown ink.

ff. 13r-13v Hand D: a minuscule script, probably by a western European hand, vertical to slanting slightly to the right.

The text is written in a brown ink.

ff. 16r-21v Hand E: a minuscule script, probably by a western European hand, vertical to slanting slightly to the right, characterized by a certain chiaroscuro effect.

The text is written in a dark brown ink.

ff. 22r-24r l. 10, 24r l. 15-24v Hand F: a western European hand, slanting slightly to the right, regular in size.

The text is written in a brown ink.

Additions

On the left pastedown is written in ink the shelfmark, ‘O.2.3’.

On f. [vi] recto are written in brown ink the number of the Gale collection ‘ n° 119’, the present shelfmark, ‘ O.2.3’, and two older shelfmarks, which have been erased, ‘ B. 53’ and ‘ O.15.36’.

Binding

Modern binding, paper cover over couched-laminate boards; parchment on spine, where are pasted three paper labels with the shelfmark ‘ O.2.3’. 243 × 185 × ca. 13 mm.

History

Origin:

The manuscript was copied by at least six scribes of western European origin, probably between the end of the 17th century (after 1697) and the beginning of the 18th century (before 1738) in England.

Provenance and Acquisition

The manuscript was owned by the antiquary Roger Gale (1672-1744) , but was not part of the collection of his father Thomas when Bernard's Catalogi Librorum Manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae was published in 1697; moreover, it must have been copied before 1738, when it was donated to the College by Roger Gale (for the origin and provenance of this manuscript see Vaggione (1985), pp. 342-345), who probably promoted its copying.

The manuscript was donated to Trinity College by Roger Gale (1672-1744) in 1738. On f. 1v is pasted the Trinity College bookplate. On ff. 1r and 24v there are stamps of Trinity College.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2020) partly draws on M. R. James, The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College Cambridge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1902), vol. 3, p. 83.

Availability

Visitors to Trinity 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: Trinity College: Information for Readers.

Bibliography

    The western manuscripts in the library of Trinity College: a descriptive catalogue, James, M. R. (Cambridge, 3, Cambridge University Press, 1902) An appeal to antiquity: the seventeenth and eighteenth century manuscripts of the Heretic Eunomius Arianism: historical and theological reassessments (papers from The Ninth International Conference on Patristic Studies, Sept. 5 - 10, 1983, Oxford, England) Patristic monograph series, Vaggione, Richard Paul ([Philadelphia], 335-360, The Philadelphia Patristic Foundation, 1985) Eunomius. The extant works Oxford early Christian texts, Vaggione, Richard Paul (Oxford, Clarendon Press, Clarendon, 1987)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

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