Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.4.39
Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12153
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Physical Description
Binding
Conserved and rebound at Cambridge University Library by Shaun Thompson in 2021. Native dyed goatskin over quarter-sawn boards. The text block was sewn in two halves at four stations in the Greek loop-stitch tradition, using 3-ply linen seaming twine. The halves were joined with a figure-of-eight knot, and bridlings provide the board attachment. The spine was lined with a continuous transverse lining of aero linen. A Greek on-two-cores endband was adapted to compensate for the squares. Along the boards, a simple wound primary endband was worked around a single 8-ply linen core. A second core was then added and the Greek-on-two-cores endband sewn, with an oblique stitch covering the second core. Both were worked in Barbour best common unbleached linen thread.
223 × 166 × 141 mm.
The pieces of the former binding, of early modern western European origin, have been retained, and are housed with the manuscript.
The manuscript has been rebound a number of times. There is evidence of a number of stages of sewing, with eight sewing stations visible along the spine, including four early v-notches and later piercing. There is also evidence of cord sewing supports on the boards.
There are no visible endband remnants and no evidence of spine lining.
Laid paper endleaves, separate from the textblock; however due to the condition of the binding it is difficult to ascertain whether they were sewn or tipped. Both endleaves consist of a bifolio, one folio acting as a pastedown. A loose paper folio is also present at the right endleaves; this folio is made of a similar paper.
Couched-laminate boards with back cornering, completely detached when examined. Previous board attachment with three laced-in cords. Board dimensions are larger than the textblock, suggesting there might have been small squares of approximately 5mm on three edges.
Full covering of light brown reverse leather with lapped turn-ins with the fore-edge over. The spine was completely missing. Blind tooling decoration on both boards. Double fillet border with a double fillet inner frame, which include an inner decorative roll. Four decorative fleurons are blind tooled at the corners of the frame.
231 × 170 × 117 mm.
Accompanying Material
Four paper endleaves from the previous binding are preserved along with the manuscript; one bears notes in pencil regarding the kathismata. Small scraps of material detached during the rebinding in 2020-21 are also preserved.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
The provenance of this manuscript is unclear.
Acquired by Cambridge University Library by 1886, as confirmed by the presence of annotations by Henry Bradshaw (1831-1886), University Librarian 1867-1886.
Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.4.39, ff. 34-360*]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Defective at the beginning and end, with lacunas: begins Ps 17:48, ends Ps 150:6
TLG 0527.027
f. 168*v is blank
Defective at the beginning and end, with lacunas
TLG 0527.027
Defective at the beginning and end, with lacunas: begins Ode 1:9, ends Ode 7:38
TLG 0527.028
f. 360*v is blank.
Physical Description
Collation
The manuscript consists of 44 quires, of which three are binia, one is of uncertain length and the rest are quaternia. This reconstruction depends on some uncertain conjecture.
- Quire 18-2 ff. 34-39 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 28-2 ff. 42-47 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 3-78 ff. 49-88
- Quire 88-2 ff. 90-95 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 9-108 ff. 97-112
- Quire 118-1 ff. 113*-119* The last folio has been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 128 ff. 121*-128*
- Quire 138-5 ff. 129*-131* The fourth-eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 14-158 ff. 129-144
- Quire 166-2 ff. 146-150* The first and third folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 178-4 ff. 153*-156* The first, second, seventh and eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 188-2 ff. 160*-166* The first and seventh folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 192 ff. 167*-168* An uncertain number of folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 20-228 ff. 165-188
- Quire 238-2 ff. 190-195 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 248 ff. 197-204
- Quire 258-1 ff. 205-211 The last folio has been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 268-1 ff. 213-219 The last folio has been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 27-298 ff. 221-244
- Quire 308-4 ff. 245-248 The fifth-eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 31-328 ff. 253-268
- Quire 338-4 ff. 271-274 The first-second and seventh-eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 348-1 ff. 277-284 The first folio has been lost, with loss of text.
- Quires 35-368 ff. 285-300
- Quire 376-2 ff. 307-310 The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text. (This reconstruction is uncertain.)
- Quire 388-4 ff. 311-314 The first-second and seventh-eighth folios have been lost, with loss of text. (This reconstruction is uncertain.)
- Quires 39-418 ff. 317-340
- Quire 428-2 ff. 342*-347* The first and last folios have been lost, with loss of text.
- Quire 436-2 ff. 351*-354* The first and second folios have been lost, with loss of text. (This reconstruction is uncertain.)
- Quire 448-2 ff. 355*-360* The first and second folios have been lost, with loss of text. (This reconstruction is uncertain.)
Condition
Layout
ff. 34r-268r, 271r-340v A single column of 21 lines. 142-166 × 105 mm. Pricking does not survive. Ruled in hardpoint, system Leroy 1, type Leroy 02C1. Text hangs from the lines.
f. 268v A single column of 21 lines. 166 × 105 mm.
ff. ff. 342*r-360*r A single column of 16 lines. 148 × 105 mm. Pricking does not survive. Ruled in hardpoint, system Leroy 1, type Leroy 02C1. Text hangs from the lines.
Hand(s)
ff. 34r-112v, 129r-146v, 165r-268r and 271r-340v were copied by Hand A, in mixed minuscule script, upright or slanting slightly to the right, in black ink, with significant variation in letter size and some flourishing of tails into the margin.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all lengths of nomina sacra .
The flat-bottomed omega is present. Majuscule beta often appears in a heart-shaped form. Majuscule kappa often appears in an enlarged form with an extended downward diagonal with a long upturn at its end.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and full stop. Punctuation at the end of lines of verse is often marked in red ink and widely separated from the last word.
Headings are written in Alexandrine majuscule script in red ink. The heading on f. 165 is in epigraphic display majuscule, in red ink.
ff. 113*r-131*v, 148*r-168*v and ff. 342*r-360*r were copied by Hand B, in mixed minuscule script, upright or slanting slightly to the right, in black ink, with significant variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all lengths of nomina sacra .
The modern eta and flat-bottomed omega is present.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points and full stop.
Headings are written in the same style in red ink.
f. 268v was copied by Hand C, in a blocky, somewhat unsteady mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in black ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is accentuation of all lengths of nomina sacra .
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points and full stop.
Decoration
Rectangular headpieces in red ink precede psalms at the beginning of each kathisma on ff. 47r, 63v, 79v, 98r, 131v, 185v, 202v, 218r, 234r, 254v, 272v, 289v. On 131v only the border of the headpiece was drawn, and ornament added within it in black ink by a later hand. The same occurred on f. 325r. On f. 165r a large square border was drawn for a headpiece but also apparently left empty before half of it was filled with a black ink drawing of Moses, probably by a later hand. Another hand later added another, much cruder drawing, apparently based on the first one.
Minor initials in red ink, with simple ornament, begin each line of verse, with slightly larger, ornamented initials at the beginning of each psalm, ode, troparion or prayer. Those at the beginning of the first psalm of each kathisma are often larger and more elaborate.
Additions
As part of the original production of the manuscript, the scribe has added marginal psalm numbers, marks for each doxa, kathisma numbers, the hours at which each kathisma was to be chanted and the echos number for each troparion.
There are occasional marginal Greek annotations and pen-trials (e.g. ff. 88v, 105v, 124*r).
Notes in English, in pencil, have been added regarding lost folios, by Henry Bradshaw (1831-1886) , University Librarian 1867-1886.
History
Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.4.39, ff. [274a]-[274c]]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Fragment: begins Ps 118:25, ends Ps 118:65
TLG 0527.027
This is the text of former replacement folios, inserted to fill the lacuna between f. 274v and f. 278r
f. [274c] verso is blank
Physical Description
Condition
Layout
A single column of 20 lines. 143 × 95 mm.
Hand(s)
The former replacement folios ff. [274a] recto-[274c] verso were copied by Hand D, in a Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only in the top line of text. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra . Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
There is inclusion of letters within alpha.
Punctuation used includes the upper point and middle comma.
History
Part 3 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.4.39, repair patches]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Fragments of text replacing that lost from the original folios or covered by these repair patches
Physical Description
Condition
Hand(s)
These patches were copied by Hand E, in a Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size and some flourishing of tails into the margin. Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is accentuation of all nomina sacra .
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points and middle comma.
History
Part 4 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.4.39, repair patches]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Fragments of text replacing that lost from the original folios or covered by these repair patches
Physical Description
Condition
Hand(s)
These patches were copied by Hand F, in a crude mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in brown ink, with significant variation in letter size.
Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is accentuation of all nomina sacra .
Punctuation used includes the lower, middle and upper points.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
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, (Cambridge, 1, Cambridge University Press, 1856)
Verzeichnis der griechischen
Handschriften des Alten Testaments, Rahlfs, Alfred (Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2004)
Towards a History of Byzantine
Psalters ca. 850-1350 AD, Parpulov, Georgi (Plovdiv, 2014)
Funding of Cataloguing
The Polonsky Foundation
Digital Images
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
