Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 3121

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12118

Introduction: This pocket-sized manuscript is an example of a service book for the Holy Week liturgy for personal use. It contains the mainly the Morning service of Easter Saturday, along with a threnos (lament) of the Virgin, a hymn by George Acropolites (13th century) for Easter Saturday, and an idiomelon (hymn) from the office of Easter Friday. It was used by an unknown priest Stylianos Moulianos, who added some text and his name on f. 87r. In the mid-18th century, the manuscript was probably used in Italy or by a reader with Italian connections: an account, with a number of Italian names, of an incident that occurred during the Easter of 1743, where many people lost their lives, was added at the end of the manuscript, perhaps by Stylianos Moulianos. Moreover, on the first folio has been glued the printed image of Jesus carrying the cross, with a title in Latin. The manuscript was donated to Cambridge University Library by M.R. James in 1893. Dr Matteo Di Franco

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 1v-5r

Great Doxology from the office of Easter Saturday

Rubric: f. 1v Δοξολογία μεγάλη

Incipit: f. 1v ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς ἀλλάσσει ἅπασαν τὴν ἱερατικήν στολήν

Explicit: f. 5r αἱ λοιπαί λιταί ὡσαύτως ἐν τῷ νάρθηκι ψάλλονται

see Triodion Katanyktikon, Venice 1839, pp. 459-460

ff. 5v-6v blank

2. ff. 7r-14v

Threnos to the Virgin

Rubric: f. 7r Θρῆνος εἰς τὴν ὑπεραγίαν θ(εοτό)κον

Incipit: f. 7r Παρισταμένη τῷ στ(αυ)ρῷ, ἡ πάναγνος παρθένος

Explicit: f. 14v σὺ γὰρ ἐλπὶς Χριστιανῶν ὑπάρχεις παναγία

Doxology added by a later hand

3. ff. 15r-84v

Morning office of Easter Saturday

Rubric: f. 15r Ἀκολουθία τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ μεγάλῳ σαββάτῳ ἐν τῷ ὄρθρῳ μετὰ τὸν ἐξέψαλμον θ(εὸ)ς κ(υριό)ς καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν εἰς ἦχον βʹ τροπάριον ἦχος βʹ

Incipit: f. 15r Ὁ εὐσχήμων Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καθελὼν

Explicit: f. 84v καὶ νῦν ὑπερευλογημένη· Δοξολογία μεγάλη

see Triodion Katanyktikon, Venice 1839, pp. 444-459

4. ff. 84v-86v

Akropolites, Georgios, 1217- , Carmen in magnum sabbatum

Rubric: f. 84v τινὲς δὲ ἀντὶ τὸ ὄπισθεν δοξαστικὸν ψάλλουσιν τὸ παρὸν. ἦχος πλ(άγιος) βʹ

Incipit: f. 84v Τὸν ἥλιον κρύψαντα τὰς ἰδίας ἀκτῖνας

Explicit: f. 86v τοῖς πιστοῖς παρεχόμενος ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος

Attributed by a later hand to Symeon of Thessalonike, and a different later hand added οὐ Μεταφράστου

TLG 3141.008

5. ff. 86v-87r

Ιdiomelon from the office of Easter Friday

Rubric: f. 86v Δόξα, καὶ νῦν ἦχος πλ(άγιος) αʹ

Incipit: f. 86v Σὲ τὸν ἀναβαλλόμενον, τὸ φῶς ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον

Explicit: f. 87r σὺν τῇ ἀναστάσει κραυγάζων κύριε δόξα σοι

see Triodion Katanyktikon, Venice 1839, p. 444

6. f. 87r

Colophon: ἐγώ Στυλιανός ὁ Μουλιανός

7. ff. 87r-88r

Excerpts from the offices (almost illegible)

Rubric: f. 87r εἰς τὴν ἀπόλυσιν

Incipit: f. 87r ὁ δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀν(θρώπ)ους, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σ(ωτη)ρίαν

Explicit: f. 88r καταδεξάμενος διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σ(ωτη)ρίαν

f. 88v blank

8. f. 89r

An account of an incident at Easter 1743

Incipit: f. 89r 1743 ἀπριλίου ἐσκότωσαν οἱ ποταμίται εἰς τὸ κασσόπι

Explicit: f. 89r καὶ τὸν ἔθαψαν εἰς τὸν ἅγιον βάρβαρον, εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Paper, folded in sexto-decimo. Watermark: two letters (BB) ( 20 × 30 mm. ) on lower margin ff. 9, 16 and 42.

Extent: Codex: vi + 78 + vi leaves., 131 × 95 mm.

Foliation: 1-90. The leaves are foliated in pencil in Arabic numerals in the upper right-hand corner, recto.

Foliation: Foliation in brown ink in Greek numerals, in the upper right-hand corner, recto, from α to ον, starting from f. 15r, ending at f. 87r, in all likelihood by Stylianos Moulianos.

Collation

The manuscript consists of 10 quaternions:

6 endleaves ff. 1r-6v
Quire 1^8-1 ff. 7r-13v
Quires 2-7⁸ ff. 14r-61v
Quire 8^8-1 ff. 62r-68v
Quires 9-10⁸ ff. 69r-84v
6 endleaves ff. 85r-90v

Catchwords are written horizontally on verso folios in right-hand lower margin. Quire signature, original to the production, in red ink in Greek numerals in the lower centre of the first folio, recto. Mostly lost to trimming it survives on ff. 14r βʹ, 22r ⟨γ⟩ ^ον, 38r εʹ (δʹ struck out), 45v (last folio of the quire) εʹ, and δʹ in brown ink, 46r ϛʹ, 69r θʹ, 77r ιʹ.

Condition

In fair condition, with extensive pest damage. There is some extensive mould staining with some white accretions on ff. 87v and 88r, almost illegible as one has blotted the other. Two loose pieces of paper remain between ff. 67v and 68r, and 87v and 88r. Paper strips have been used in the gutter and some of the repairs (e.g. f. 54v) bears manuscript musical notations.

Layout

ff. 7r-86v: 104 × 75 mm. Main text between 13 and 16 lines per page.

Hand(s)

ff. 7r-86v

The main text has been copied in a calligraphic Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown and red ink. There is moderate variation in letter size.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings are not in use. Breathings are curved and mute iota is present, with frequent decorative use of the double dot on ypsilon and accentuation of all nomina sacra.

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

ff. 1r-5r, 14v, 86v-89r. Informal slanting mixed minuscule script by Stylianos Moulianos in brown ink.

Occasional annotations, e.g. ff. 25v-33r, 87r by Hand C in an informal slanting mixed minuscule script in black ink.

Decoration

Cord headpiece coloured in red on f. 7r

The thick red-ink major initials on ff. 70v, 72r, 83v, 84v.

Minor initials written in a thin red-ink uncial within the body of the text.

Additions

Two illustrations pasted in: f. 1r ‘Christus calvaria petens’, f. 15r drawing of the Laying out of Christ in the tomb, coloured in blue and red.

Binding

Light brown skin binding. The left board is made of printed waste. There are four fake cords stuck on the inner side of the parchment spine. The two parchment straps and their metal component are still present and attached to the right board with a metallic nail. The catchplates on the left board are lost, some metallic nail remnants remain.

139 × 104 × 26 mm.

History

Origin: The style of script suggest that the manuscript was written likely not before the 16th century.

Provenance and Acquisition

Belonged in the 18th century to Stylianos Moulianos, who added the great doxology on f. 1v and probably the account on f. 89r of an incident occurring at Easter 1743. Stylianos Moulianos is probably the copyist and owner of Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Supplément grec 1307 .

Presented to the University Library in 1893 by Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) .

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description based on P. Easterling, Hand-list of the additional Greek manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge, in: Scriptorium 16, 1962, pp. 302-323: 309, and unpublished description by R.V. Kerr, Under-Librarian of CUL († 1987).

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

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

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 3121

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