Introduction:
This manuscript, probably copied in the 12th century, or possibly the
first two-thirds of the 13th, is a Gospel book illustrated with portrait miniatures
of the four Evangelists. The text is fully equipped for liturgical use, with notes
identifying the lections to be read in church included as part of the original
process of production. The main content is also preceded by listings of the
different lection cycles to enable the relevant passage to be found and explanatory
notes on aspects of the lection system, and by an excerpt from the 3rd-century
chronicle of Hippolytos of Thebes.
The manuscript was probably produced in a region on the fringes of
the Greek-speaking world, perhaps in southern Italy, where, Greek communities
persisted after the end of Byzantine rule in Sicily in the 10th century and on the
mainland in the 11th. The script is quite crude and the parchment is of poor
quality, containing numerous holes created during the stretching and drying of the
skin. When making a high-grade manuscript, any sheet in which such holes appeared
would have been rejected, while even in more humble products of the Byzantine
mainstream they were usually only used if the holes were positioned where they could
be kept to the margins, rather than impairing the writing surface itself. In
peripheral regions such as southern Italy standards were often lower, leading to the
appearance of manuscripts such as this one, in which the text is frequently
interrupted by holes in the material, appearing right in the midst of the written
area. The use of yellow paint in some of its decoration is also common in
manuscripts from that region but unusual in those from the Byzantine mainstream at
this time.
Three of the portrait miniatures, painted without the use of gold,
survive but have suffered severe abrasion. The folio which, judging by its location,
presumably bore the fourth, that of St Mark, has been cut out. It may be speculated
that when this occurred the other miniatures were already seriously damaged but this
one remained relatively intact, enabling it to be sold.
The manuscript was bound in the past, its quires remaining largely
stitched together and retaining some cloth used in the construction of the binding,
but has now lost its boards and covering, while some of the early quires have become
detached. It has also suffered severely from the effects of mould.
Dr Christopher Wright
Language(s): Greek
Gospel book
Gregory-Aland 2095; Von Soden ε 3063 (Kx)
1.1. ff. 4r-13v, line 18
Summary lectionary
Incipit: ||
f. 4r Τῆ βʹ τῆς
διακινησίμου
Explicit:
f. 13v συντελεσθῶσι καὶ
1.2. f. 13v, line 19-f. 15r, line 18
List of κεφάλαια (chapters) to Matthew
Rubric:
f. 13v Τ ὰ κεφάλαια τοῦ κατὰ Ματθαῖον
εὐαγγελίου
Incipit:
f. 13v αʹ Περὶ τῶν μάγων
Explicit:
f. 15r ξηʹ Περὶ τῆς ἀιτήσεως τοῦ σώματος τοῦ
Κυρίου
1.3. f. 15r, line 19-f. 16r, line 7
Hippolytos of Thebes,
Chronotaxis
Excerpt: Book III, section 6
Rubric:
f. 15r Ἱππολύτου Θηβαίου ἐκ τῶν χρονικῶν αὐτοῦ
συγγραμάτων
Incipit:
f. 15r Ἰάκωβος γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος πρῶτος
Ἱεροσολύμων ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων
Explicit:
f. 16r ἐπειδὴ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐκ τῆς πρώτης
γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸς ἐνομίζετο
BHG 779h-hd, 1046i
1.4. f. 16r, lines 8-19
Notes on the lection cycle
Incipit:
f. 16r Οὕτως ὀφείλει ἀναγινώσκεσθαι τὸ
ἅγιον τετράδιον τῆ μεγάλη ἑβδομάδα
Explicit:
f. 16r ὁμοῦ ἀναγνώσεις θʹ πληροῦνται τῆ
μεγάλη δʹ εἰς θʹ ὥρα
1.4. f. 16v
Evangelist miniature of St Matthew
1.5. ff. 17r-75v
Gospel of Matthew
Rubric:
f. 17r Εὐαγγέλιον σὺν Θεῶ κατὰ
Ματθαῖον
Incipit:
f. 17r Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ
Δαβῖδ· υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ
Explicit:
f. 75v πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας· ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ
αἰῶνος· ἀμήν
TLG 0031.001
1.6. f. 76r-76v
List of κεφάλαια (chapters) to Mark
Rubric:
f. 76r Τὰ κεφάλαια τοῦ κατὰ Μάρκον
εὐαγγελίου
Incipit:
f. 76r αʹ Περὶ τοῦ δαιμονιζομένου
Explicit:
f. 76v λθʹ Περὶ τῆς τὰ δύο λεπτά||
1.7. ff. 77r-116v
Gospel of Mark
Rubric:
f. 78r Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Μάρκον Κυριακῇ πρὸς τῶν
Φώτων
Incipit:
f. 78r Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Υἱοῦ
τοῦ Θεοῦ
Explicit:
f. 116v τοῦ Κυρίου συνεργοῦντος καὶ τὸν λόγον
βεβαιοῦντος· διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούτων σημείων ἀμήν
TLG 0031.002
1.8. ff. 117r-119r
List of κεφάλαια to Luke
Rubric:
f. 117r Τὰ κεφάλαια τοῦ κατα Λουκᾶν
εὐαγγελίου
Incipit:
f. 117r αʹ Περὶ τῆς ἀπογραφῆς
Explicit:
f. 119r πβʹ Περὶ τοῦ Κλεόπα
1.9. f. 119v
Evangelist miniature of St Luke
1.10. ff. 120r-182v
Gospel of Luke
Rubric:
f. 120r Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Λουκᾶν
Incipit:
f. 120r Ἐπειδήπερ πολλοὶ ἐπεχείρησαν
ἀνατάξασθαι διήγησιν
Explicit:
f. 182v καὶ ἦσαν διαπαντὸς ἐν τῶ ἱερῶ·
αἰνοῦντες καὶ εὐλογοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν, ἀμήν
TLG 0031.003
1.11. f. 183r
List of κεφάλαια to John
Rubric:
f. 183r Τὰ κεφάλαια τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννου
εὐαγγελίου
Incipit:
f. 183r αʹ Περὶ τοῦ ἐν Κανᾶ γάμου
Explicit:
f. 183r ιζʹ Περὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως τοῦ Κυριακοῦ
σώματος
1.12. f. 183v
Evangelist miniature of St John
1.13. ff. 184r-215v
Gospel of John
Defective at the end: ends Jn 14:17
Rubric:
f. 184r Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην
Incipit:
f. 184r Ἐν ἀρχὴ ἦν ὁ λόγος· καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν
πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος
Explicit:
f. 215v τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας· ὅτι ὁ κόσμος
οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν. ὅτι οὐ||
TLG 0031.004
Form: codex
Support:
Parchment (FHHF), of medium thickness
and poor quality, with many holes dating to the time of production, some within
the written surface.
Extent:
Codex:
211 leaves.
217 × 165 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers 4-76, 78-180, [181], 182-215,
in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. From f. 78r onwards, these have been corrected, increasing each number by
one, as a result of an error in the original foliation. Folio numbers 1-3 and 77 have been assigned to leaves no longer present in the
volume (as per historic foliation practices at Cambridge University
Library).
Collation
The manuscript consists of 27 quires, all quaternia.
- Quire 18-3
ff. 4-8
The first three folios have been lost, with loss of
text.
- Quires 2-48
ff. 9-32
- Quire 58-1
ff. 33-39
The seventh folio has been cancelled, without loss of
text.
- Quires 6-98
ff. 40-71
- Quire 108-1
ff. 72-79
The
sixth folio has been lost, probably with the loss of a miniature.
- Quires 11-278
ff. 80-215
There are modern quire signatures in pencil, in Greek
numerals, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower centre, 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 2-27
(βʹ-κζʹ)
Condition
The first three quires (ff. 4-24) are
detached. Almost all of f. [181] has been
torn away. There have been losses from the edges of ff.
4-11, which have been repaired with Japanese paper. There is purple
mould staining through much of the manuscript (ff.
4r-113r), very severe at the beginning and gradually dwindling further
into the book-block. This has rendered the first few folios fragile. There is some
pest damage to ff. 4-5. All of the surviving
miniatures have suffered severe abrasion. Abrasion has also caused significant
loss of text on f. 4r, and there has been some
fading of text elsewhere. There is water staining and areas of dirt, mild cockling
and some creasing.
Layout
A
single column of 24 lines.
160 × 115 mm.
Pricking does not survive.
Ruled in hardpoint, system Leroy 1, type Leroy 02C1. Text hangs from the lines, but quite
erratically. The ruling is often very faint.
Hand(s)
The text was copied by Hand A in upright, blocky mixed
minuscule script, in black ink, with minimal variation in letter
size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of
lines. Breathings are both angular and round, but do not appear in the half-H
form, and mute iota is absent. Use of the double dot is
functional only. There is accentuation of all lengths of nomina sacra . The double grave accent is in use. Accents are
sometimes joined to nomina sacra strokes.
The modern eta and flat-bottomed omega are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma, question mark
and full stop.
Headings are written in epigraphic display
majuscule script, in red ink.
Decoration
Portraits of the Evangelists precede the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. A
folio has been removed before the beginning of the Gospel of Mark (the former f.
77), which would presumably have borne the miniature of St Mark. The miniatures
have suffered from severe abrasion, and parts of their borders have sometimes been
lost to cropping.
-
f. 16v Matthew (
205 × 148 mm.
)
-
f. 119v Luke (
202 × 148 mm.
)
-
f. 183v John (
209 × 124 mm.
)
Each Gospel is preceded by a rectangular headpiece: those for Matthew and Luke
follow one style, in red and black ink, while those of Mark and John are in a
different style, outlined in black ink with red, yellow blue and green paint
infill.
-
f. 17r Matthew
-
f. 78r Mark
-
f. 120r Luke
-
f. 184r John
The beginning of the menologion section of the summary
lectionary and the chapter lists for Mark and Luke are preceded by slender bands
of ornament, outlined in black ink with red paint infill: ff. 8v, 76r, 117r.
The text of each Gospel begins with a relatively small ornamented major initial
in the same style as the headpiece.
Sections of the text, items of contents lists and lection
notes begin with simple minor initials in red ink.
The end of texts is sometimes followed by simple vignettes
in black and red ink.
Additions
As part of the original production of the manuscript, the scribe has included
marginal κεφάλαιον (chapter) numbers and titles (τίτλοι), Ammonian section and
Eusebian canon numbers, while ἀρχὴ and τέλος marks indicating the beginning and end
of lections are included within the body of the text. All this apparatus is in black
ink with red initial letters.
There are later annotations in Greek by various hands. These include a note on
f. 116v with the date 18 February 1267: ‘Μὴν Φεβρουάριος εἰς τὰς ιηʹ ἁπ[..]ρενος Ἰωάννης ηνέ[sic] ἐν ἔτει ͵ϛψοεʹ
ἰνδικτιῶνος ιʹ’, and another on f. 183v
which is largely illegible but gives a date that appears to be 1280: ‘[..14..] ἔτους
͵ϛψπηʹ’.
Notes in English, in pencil, have been added regarding lost folios, by
Henry Bradshaw (1831-1886)
, University
Librarian 1867-1886
Binding
The manuscript is without boards or cover. The quires are partially sewn
together, on three stations. A scrap of fabric from a binding survives towards the
tail-edge.
226 × 184 × 83 mm.
Accompanying Material
The manuscript is accompanied by a note by one W. R. Smith (perhaps the
scholar
William
Robertson Smith (1846-1894)
) regarding the
provenance of the manuscript: ‘This MS. lay for a long time in the
shop of Mr Orrock, bookbinder North Bridge Edinburgh. He did not know the owner
and allowed me to bring it to Cambridge for examination He has of course the right
to call it back W R Smith’, and by a letter dated 18 October 1895 to
Francis Jenkinson
(1853-1923)
, Librarian of Cambridge University Library from Mr
Orrock, agreeing to the price of £6 for the purchase of the manuscript.
Two detached pieces of sewing thread in plastic bags are preserved with the
manuscript.
Origin: The manuscript was probably copied in the 12th or first two-thirds of the 13th
century, as suggested by the style of script. A 12th-century date is more
likely, as features such as the use of angular breathings are rare after the middle
of
that century. Hoever, there are also indications that the manuscript was produced
in a
peripheral region, perhaps southern Italy, as suggested by the poor quality of
parchment and the use of yellow paint in some of the ornament. In this case, the
script could plausibly display features no longer common in metropolitan production.
In any case, it must have been completed before the addition of the dated annotation
on f. 116v, in 1267.
Provenance and Acquisition
Acquired by an Edinburgh bookbinder named Orrock, from a source reportedly
unknown to him. The bookbinder
Alexander Orrock, Senior
was active in Edinburgh at the time of its
acquisition; however, the accession register of Additional manuscripts refers to ‘Arch.
Orrock’, presumably abbreviating the name Archibald, perhaps
a relative of Alexander.
Bought from Orrock by the University
Library, 5 November 1895.
