Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

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

Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.3.50

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12150

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript, probably copied in the 12th century, contains two works of John Klimakos, the Ladder of Divine Ascent and To the Pastor. The author was a monk of the Monastery of St Catherine on Mount Sinai in the 6th-7th centuries, who became a hermit and then served as abbot in his later years. His traditional name, meaning John "of the Ladder", is confected from the title of his principal work. The Ladder is a guide to the ascetic life, organised in thirty chapters presented metaphorically as steps on a ladder and each concerning particular virtues to be developed or vices to be overcome. It became one of the most influential works of spiritual guidance in Orthodox Christianity. The shorter work that follows it contains further advice, perhaps produced as a supplement to the Ladder. The texts are accompanied by marginal scholia, and followed by further scholia presented as continuous text, which are drawn from the 7th-century Life of the Saint by one Daniel, a monk of the monastery of Rhaithu on the Sinai Peninsula. The manuscript was written on parchment of noticeably poor quality, containing many holes created by stretching in the process of making the parchment, many of which infringe on the written area. In mainstream Byzantine book production at this date such leaves would usually have been rejected, which may indicate that the manuscript was created in a peripheral area of the Greek-speaking world. The script, however, is elegant and ornate. The early quires of the manuscript have been lost. A sequence of quire signatures probably dating to its original production begins on the second surviving quire with the number 12, indicating that there were originally a further ten quires. This corresponds well with the proportion of the Ladder which is missing. A second sequence of signatures survives from a subsequent rebinding, beginning on the second quire with the number 8. This indicates that at the time of this rebinding only six quires had been lost, and hence that the mutilation of the manuscript did not occur all at once. The foliation of the manuscript follows former Cambridge University Library practice of marking folio numbers which were believed to represent the original form of the manuscript, omitting numbers corresponding to missing folios. The calculation of this sequence erroneously took the later signature sequence as its basis, conjecturing the loss of only six quires in total rather than ten. The manuscript's current classmark appears not only on the first surviving folio (f. 50r), but also on the first folio of the second quire (f. 57r). This suggests that the mark was added before the book's most recent rebinding and at that time this was its first folio, implying that the current first quire was previously detached or bound out of order. The manuscript retains an early endleaf, a reused folio from a Greek Gospel book, probably copied in the 11th century. Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek

Physical Description

Form: codex
Extent: Codex: iii + 1 + 173 + iii leaves. 270 × 180 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [a], i-ii + [b] + 50-55, 57-79, 81-224 + iii-v, in pencil, in Arabic and Roman numerals, recto, upper right. Folio numbers 1-49, 56, 80 have been assigned to leaves no longer present in the volume (as per historic foliation practices at Cambridge University Library). This reconstruction is erroneous, since it is based on a later sequence of quire signatures, added when the manuscript was already incomplete, rather than the earliest one.

Binding

18th-century reversed leather binding over couched-laminate boards, with plain pastedowns. There is decorative blind tooling on the boards. The classmark appears on patches on the spine, with a blank leather label.

288 × 198 × 69 mm.

Both boards are detached, as are ff. 209-224 and iii-v. Both endbands are partially lost, as has some of the covering material, and there has been extensive splitting of the spine.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

The provenance of the manuscript is unknown.

Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.3.50, f. [b]]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

1. f. [b] recto-[b] verso
Gospel of John

Fragment: Jn 16:19-32

Gregory-Aland 2531

Incipit: f. [b] recto ν ὅτι
Explicit: f. [b] verso καὶ ἐμὲ μόνον ἀφῆτε καὶ ο⟨ὐκ⟩

0031.004

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment, of medium thickness and quality.

Condition

There are losses due to cuts and tears from the edges of the folio, and significant pest damage. A tear has been repaired with a paper patch. There is water damage and areas of dirt, and considerable fading and abrasion of ink.

Layout

Two columns of 26 lines. 210-222 × 155 mm. Pricking does not survive. Ruled in hardpoint, type possibly Leroy 10C2, though outer lines may have been lost to cropping. Text hangs from the lines.

Hand(s)

f. [b] recto-[b] verso was copied by Hand A in upright mixed minuscule script, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter-size.

Breathings are angular and mute iota is absent or adscript, but reduced in size. Nomina sacra are unaccentuated unless more than three letters long. Circumflexes remain small even above breathings

Punctuation used includes the upper point.

Musical Notation: The text on f. [b] recto is provided with ekphonetic musical notation in red ink, but there is none on f. [b] verso.

Decoration

The beginnings of sections are marked with minor initials in red ink.

History

Origin: The manuscript from which these endleaves originally came was probably copied in the 11th century.

Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.3.50, ff. 50-224]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

2. ff. 50r-190r
John Klimakos (d. c. 649), Ladder of Divine Ascent Κλίμαξ Scala Paradisi

Defective at the beginning, with lacunas (begins PG 88, col. 809)

Incipit: || f. 50r γέλωτι ψυχῆς ἀγάλλεσθαι· ἄνελε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν
Explicit: f. 190r νυνὶ δὲ μένει τὰ τρία ταῦτα· πίστις· ἐλπίς· ἀγάπη· μείζων δὲ πάντων, ἡ ἀγάπη:-
Final rubric: f. 190r Τέλος τῶν τριάκοντα βαθμῶν

TLG 2907.001

CPG 7852

PG 88, coll. 631-1164

3. ff. 190r-208v
John Klimakos (c. 579-c. 649), To the Pastor Liber ad pastorem

Excerpt: chapters 1-14

Rubric: f. 190r Πρὸς τὸν ποιμένα
Incipit: f. 190r Ἐν μὲν τῆ κάτω βίβλωι ἔγωγέ σε θεσπέσιε πάντων ἔσχατον τέταχα
Explicit: f. 208v ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη, ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς· αὐτῶν δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀμήν

TLG 2907.002

PG 88, coll. 1166-1210

4. ff. 209r-224v
Daniel of Rhaithu , Life of John Klimakos Vita Ioannis cognomento Scholastici, vulgo Climaci

Excerpts from the Life of John Klimakos selected as scholia to the Scala Paradisi

Rubric: f. 209r Σχόλια τῆς θείας καὶ ἱερᾶς κλίμακος τῶν ἀπορρητῶν· ἐκ τοῦ βίου τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ συγγραφέως τῆς Κλίμακος
Incipit: f. 209r Καὶ τῆ μὲν ξενιτεία τῆ προστάτιδι τῶν νοερῶν ἡμῶν νεανίδων
Explicit: f. 224v ὑπὸ τοῦ κἀκεῖνον ἀπατήσαντος πράγματος

BHG 882

PG 88, coll. 596-612

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment (FHHF), of variable thickness and poor quality. There are numerous holes originating in the production of the parchment, including within the written area.

Collation

The main body of the manuscript consists of 22 quires, all of which are quaternia. The signatures indicate that a further ten quires have been lost at the beginning of the manuscript.

  • Quire 18-2 ff. 50-55 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
  • Quires 2-38 ff. 57-72
  • Quire 48-1 ff. 73-79 The last folio has been lost, with loss of text.
  • Quires 5-208 ff. 81-208
  • Quire 218-1+1 ff. 209-217 The original second folio has been cancelled, without loss of text, and a replacement second folio inserted, as part of the original production process. This quire has become detached, and the first folio of the following quire has been attached to it.
  • Quire 228 ff. 218-224 This quire has become detached, its first folio has become detached from it and been attached to the preceding quire.

There are quire signatures in Greek numerals, in brown ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, upper right, probably original to the production of the manuscript. This sequence begins on Quire 2 with the number 12, reflecting the loss of the first ten quires. Some have been lost to cropping. They survive on Quires 2, 6-7, 9-15, 17-19 (ιβʹ, ιϛʹ-ιζʹ, ιθʹ-κεʹ, κζʹ-κθʹ), and traces of their ornament on Quires 4-5 and 8. A second sequence of quire signatures in Greek numerals, in brown ink, has been added on the first folio of each quire, recto, upper right. This sequence begins on Quire 2 with the number 8, indicating that when they were added, four of the original early quires had been lost. The signature of Quire 16 has been lost when the outer margin of f. 169 was cut away, and the number 28 (κηʹ) appears to have been skipped in this sequence, so that the numbers proceed straight from 27 (κζʹ, on Quire 21) to 29 (κθʹ, on Quire 22). They survive on Quires 2-15, 17-22 (ηʹ-καʹ, κγʹ-κζʹ, κθʹ). A third sequence of quire signatures in Greek numerals, in pencil, appears on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right. These follow the same numbering as the second sequence, including the omission of the number 28. They survive on Quires 2-19 and 21-22 (ηʹ-κεʹ, κζʹ-κθʹ)). A further sequence of quire signatures has been added, in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right. These follow the same numbering as the second and third sequences, except that they do not skip the number 28, while no signatures were marked on Quires 8-18. They survive on Quires 1-7 and 19-22 (7-13, 25-28).

Condition

Parts of the outer margins of ff. 109, 151-152 , 169-170, 207 have been cut away. There is an area torn from the upper margin of ff. 50-55, significant tears from the edges of ff. 57, 81, 83 and 119, and minor tears elsewhere. A hole has been torn in f. 75, subsequent to copying. A long tear across f. 154, beginning in the gutter, has been repaired with a parchment patch. There is significant cockling and creasing, water damage and areas of dirt.

Layout

A single column of 25 lines. 185-190 × 110 mm. Pricking survives in all three margins, but some has been lost to cropping. Ruled in hardpoint, system Leroy 1, type Leroy 32C1. Text hangs from the lines.

Hand(s)

The main body of the manuscript was copied by Hand B in a calligraphic mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in brown ink. There is significant variation in letter-size.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are both angular and round and mute iota is absent or adscript. There is occasional decorative use of the double dot, and accentuation of all lengths of nomina sacra . The double grave accent is in use.

Epsilon often takes the form of a single small, superscribed curve. There is inclusion of letters within open rho.

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

Headings and some other unusual portions of text are written in Alexandrine majuscule script in red ink.

Decoration

The beginning of texts and sections is marked by minor initials in red ink.

Some texts and sections are preceded by simple vignettes in red ink.

Additions

As part of the original production of the manuscript, the text has been provided with marginal scholia.

There are occasional further marginal annotations in Greek by other hands (e.g. ff. 113r, 119r, 162r).

The classmark has been marked on f. 57r, the first folio of Quire 2, suggesting that Quire 1 was detached when this mark was added, so that this was the first folio of the manuscript at the time.

History

Origin: The manuscript was probably copied in the first half of the 12th century, as suggested by the style of script.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description draws on A catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, vol. 1, (Cambridge, 1856), pp. 47-53 and unpublished notes by Patricia E. Easterling.

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

    A catalogue of the manuscripts preserved in the library of the University of Cambridge Catalogue of manuscripts (Dd), (Cambridge, 1: Dd, Cambridge University Press, 1856)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

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Cambridge Digital Library

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