Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 1837

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12060

Introduction: This Gospel book, much of which is missing, appears to be a product of the Hodegon monastery in Constantinople in the 14th century. It is written in a beautiful calligraphic script in the style which takes its name from the monastery and typifies its substantial output of manuscripts in this period. This style had a widespread influence, but the script of this manuscript conforms very precisely to products of the Hodegon scriptorium. Other features also accord closely with Gospel books from the Hodegon from this period, such as London, British Library, Burney MS 18 and London, British Library, Add. MS 11837. The particulars of the distinct style of script used for the rubric match, as well as that of the main text, and so do the textual features of this supporting apparatus. As is commonplace, the book was marked in the margins with the numbers of the standard sequence of chapters (κεφάλαια) and equipped from the outset for lectionary use, with marks in the main text for the beginning and end of lections and marginal notes identifying the position of the lections in the calendrical sequence. Much more unusually, it also features sequential numbering of lections (ἀναγνώσεις) in the margin, whereas the sequence of numbers for the standard subdivision sequence of Ammonian sections, a common feature of Gospel books, is absent. This distinctive combination of elements corresponds with other Hodegon manuscripts. The book was also provided with running headers identifying the current Gospel, another feature found in the British Library Hodegon manuscripts as well. The arrangement of ruling lines is the same as that found in MS Burney 18. This manuscript is a less costly production than the other Hodegon Gospel books noted above, since its rubric has not been gilded and the ornament is inked in a single colour, although it is not entirely clear whether the present ornament is that which was originally intended. The loss of much of the manuscript has removed the whole of the Gospel of John, the end of each Gospel except Matthew, and the beginning of each one except Mark. Consequently, only Mark features its chapter list and opening ornament (f. 89r). The rubricator responsible for headings and apparatus and for the minor initials to the text has marked out the space to be occupied by the rectangular headpiece in red ink, for an artist who was then to add the headpiece itself and the major initial opening the Gospel text. However, while the boundary rectangle is incorporated within the design of the headpiece, the headpiece occupies a larger space, and its extended ornament overlaps with the title of the text. This suggests either that there was a failure of coordination in a single process of production, or that the ornament originally intended for inclusion was never added, and that the present decoration was added at some later date. In this case, it could be that the original plan was for this manuscript to be as opulently decorated as the other cited products of the Hodegon. The manuscript was once the property of the monastery of Hagia Paraskeve in the village of Vrangiana, in the eastern Pindos Mountains in Central Greece. This is attested by a number of notes written by an inhabitant of the village, a teacher named Chrestos Athanasiou, in the neighbouring village of Trovaton, which appear to record his donation of the manuscript to the monastery in 1868 (ff. 155r, 158v). However, within only a few years it had entered the stock of a London bookseller, from whom the University Library bought it in 1874. Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek

Gospel book

Defective at the beginning and end, with lacunas.

Gregory-Aland 673; Von Soden ε 1391 (K^r); Scrivener Evan. 619.

Filiation: The manuscript was categorised by Aland as conforming to the majority text.

1.1. ff. 26r-86r

Gospel of Matthew

Begins incomplete (Mt 10:42-28:20)

Incipit: || f. 26r ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ

Explicit: f. 86r ‘πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἀμήν’

TLG 0031.001

f. 86v is blank.

1.2. ff. 87r-87v

List of κεφάλαια (chapters) to Mark

Rubric: f. 87r Τοῦ κατὰ Μάρκον ἁγίου εὐαγγελίου, τὰ κεφάλαια

Incipit: f. 87r αʹ Περὶ τοῦ δαιμονιζομένου

Explicit: f. 87v ληʹ Περὶ τῶν Σαδδουκαίων||

1.3. ff. 89r-134v

Gospel of Mark

Ends incomplete (Mk 1:1-14:21)

Rubric: f. 89r Τὸ κατὰ Μάρκον ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον

Incipit: f. 89r Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ

Explicit: f. 134v ὁ μὲν Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου, ὑπάγει||

TLG 0031.002

1.4. ff. 155r-216v

Gospel of Luke

Defective at the beginning and end (Lk 3:16-19:33)

Incipit: || f. 155r ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου

Explicit: f. 216v ⟨τ⟩ὸν π⟨ῶλον; οἱ⟩ δὲ ⟨εἶπαν⟩ ||

TLG 0031.003

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Parchment (FHHF), of medium thickness and quite good quality.

Extent: Codex: ix + 164 + ix leaves. 204 × 158 mm.

Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [i-ix] + 26-31, 33-80, 82-87, 89-134, 155-158, 162-167, 169-216 + [x-xviii], in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. Folio numbers 1-25, 32, 81, 88, 135-154, 159-161, 168 have been assigned to leaves no longer present in the volume (as per historic foliation practices at Cambridge University Library).

Foliation: There is another modern foliation sequence in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, lower right. This foliation is out of order, and appears to correspond to a previous erroneous ordering of the manuscript prior to modern rebinding. As presently arranged, this sequence runs [21], 31-34, 22-23, 15-20, 24, 7-14, 25, 1-6, 26, 35-110, 27-30, 111-164.

Collation

The manuscript consists of 15 quires, all quaternia. Three more quires have been lost at the beginning of the text, two more between the present Quires 14 and 15, and an unknown number of quires at the end.

Quire 1^8-2 ff. 26-31 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quires 2-7⁸ ff. 33-80
Quire 8^8-2 ff. 82-87 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quires 9-13⁸ ff. 89-128
Quire 14^8-2 ff. 129-134 The last two folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quire 15^8-4 ff. 155-158 The first, second, seventh and eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quire 16^8-2 ff. 162-167 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quires 17-22⁸ ff. 169-216

There are early quire signatures in brown ink, in Greek numerals, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower left, and on the last folio of each quire, recto, lower right. Probably original to the production of the manuscript. Some have been lost to cropping. They survive on Quires 2 (εʹ), 6 (θʹ), 9 (ιβʹ), 11-14 (ιδʹ-ιζʹ), 17-18 (κβʹ-κγʹ) and 20-21 (κεʹ-κϛʹ). Modern leaf signatures, in pencil, appear on each bifolio, recto, lower right (Latin letters for quires (Quires 1-18 in lower case, Quires 19-22 a new sequence in upper-case), Arabic numerals for bifolios).

Condition

The outer half of f. 216 has been cut away. There is a hole in f. 158, with slight loss of text. There is occasional slight fraying to the tail-edge throughout. The leaves are moderately cockled. There are occasional stains and some water damage. In places significant amounts of text have been lost to wear and water damage (e.g. ff. 26r, 33r-33v, 40v-41r, 208v-209r, 214v-216v ). Text lost in this way has sometimes been overwritten. There is significant discoloration and the presence of black dirt on the outermost folios (ff. 26r, 215v, 216v ) and also on f. 134v, suggesting that it was exposed at the end of a manuscript unit at some point prior to the most recent rebinding. Black dirt occasionally appears elsewhere (e.g. f. 33r).

Layout

135 × 90 mm. Pricking does not survive. A single column of 19 lines. Ruled in hardpoint, system Leroy 1, type Leroy 32D1. Text hangs from the lines. The ruling is very faint. The text at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (f. 86r) is arranged in a cruciform pattern.

Hand(s)

The main text has been copied by Hand A in a calligraphic Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink. There is moderate variation in letter size, and frequent flourishing of tails into the margins.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings usually appear only at the end of lines, but occasionally elsewhere. Breathings are curved and mute iota is absent, with frequent decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra . The double grave accent is in use.

There are inclusions of letters within omicron.

Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas, question mark and full stop.

Liturgical apparatus, numbers to chapter lists and to chapters and lections, minor initials and marginal quotation marks have been added by Hand B in an upright Alexandrine majuscule script with occasional minuscule letter-forms, in red ink.

Breathings are curved and mute iota is absent, with decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra .

Punctuation used includes the upper and middle points, lower comma and full stop.

The same hand has written the heading for the Gospel of Mark (the only gospel whose opening survives) in epigraphic display majuscule, in red ink (f. 89r).

Decoration

The Gospel of Mark is preceded by a rectangular headpiece with vegetative ornament, in pale red ink (f. 89r). The rubricator, using bright red ink, has marked out a rectangular boundary for this ornament, but its extensions at the corners overlap with the rubricator's heading for the Gospel.

The text of the Gospel of Mark begins with a major initial in the same pale red ink as the headpiece (f. 89r).

The line following the beginning of each lection begins with a minor initial in bright red ink.

Additions

As part of the original production of the manuscript, Hand B has added marginal lection notes and prefatory phrases to lections where these are unusual, and has placed ἀρχὴ and τέλος marks indicating the beginning and end of lections. These appear in the margin when the transition comes at the begining of a line, and elsewhere in space left blank for the purpose by Hand A. Hand B has also added marginal κεφάλαιον (chapter) numbers and sequential lection numbers, and quotation marks for Old Testament citations. Running headers in the upper left-hand corner of each verso folio, also by Hand B, identify the current Gospel, and the count of stichera appears at the end of Matthew (f. 86r).

This textual apparatus has been revised in brown ink, apparently by Hand A, who has, for example, added a lection number which had been omitted by Hand B (f. 27r), and added the ornamental markings accompanying another number where these had been omitted (f. 36r).

Occasional lection notes supplying information omitted by Hand B have been added by various later hands (e.g. ff. 98v, 103v, 183v, 184v). One such hand has corrected a lection number on f. 38r.

Chrestos Athanasiou has added a note to f. 155r identifying the manuscript as property of a monastery of Hagia Paraskeve: ‘Πρὸς τὴν αγιώσήνυν σου δέσποτα ἅγιε ἐτούτό τὸ εὐάγγελιων ηναι τής ἁγίας Παρασκεβής κί ὀπίος τὸ αποζενώση νὰ εχη τήν κατάραν τής Παναγίας’, and another on f. 158v: ‘Πρός τήν αγιόσύνην σου δέσποτα ἄγιε καθυγουμεναι τὴς Μονής Ἁγίας Παρασκεβής σού βαλὼ τὴν χήραν’. Another note, also on f. 158v, gives his name and identifies him as an inhabitant of the village of Vrangiana, where the monastery was located, and gives the date and place as 25 Aug 1868 in the nearby village of Trovaton: ‘Δηδάσκαλης Χρήστος Αθανασίου ταμηου(?) κάτηκας Βραγγηανων ἐν Τροβάτου τὴν 25 Αυγούστου 1868’.

Notes in English, in pencil, have been added on f. ii recto, regarding lost and cancelled folios, by Henry Bradshaw (1831-1886), University Librarian 1867-1886.

Binding

Binding by Wiseman of Cambridge, according to a note inside the left board. Half leather and red cloth covering over millboards. The title ‘The Gospels in Greek’ and ‘Cambridge University Library’ are tooled in gold on the spine.

223 × 175 × 57 mm.

History

Origin: Probably copied in the Hodegon monastery in Constantinople; , in the 14th century, as indicated by scripts and distinctive textual apparatus conforming closely to other manuscripts from this source.

Provenance and Acquisition

Probably owned by Chrestos Athanasiou , and donated by him to the monastery of Hagia Paraskeve, Vrangiana, in the Pindos Mountains, in Central Greece, on 25 August 1868.

Bought by the University Library from the London bookseller Bernard Quaritch , 3 December 1874, with money from the Rustat Fund.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description draws on Patricia E. Easterling, "Hand-list of the additional Greek manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge", Scriptorium 16 (1962), pp. 302-323 at p. 304.

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card. For information on eligibility and admissions procedures, see Joining the Library). For further enquiries, and to confirm the availability of the manuscript, please contact the Special Collections Reading Room.

Bibliography

Novum Testamentum Graece: ad antiquissimos testes denuo recensuit apparatum criticum apposuit Constantinus Tischendorf. Vol. 3, Prolegomena, Gregory, Caspar René (Leipzig, J. C. Hinrichs, 1894)

Textkritik des Neuen Testamentes, Gregory, C. R. (Leipzig, J. C. Hinrichs, 1900)

Hand-list of the additional Greek manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge Scriptorium, Easterling, Patricia E. (16, 2, 302-323, 1962)

Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose (1, Project Gutenberg, 2011)

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 1837

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