Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.3.2

Diktyon no.: 12181

Introduction: This manuscript, probably produced between 1628 and 1634, contains part of a commentary on the Psalms, whose authorship is not definitely established, but is generally attributed to the 5th-century priest Hesychios of Jerusalem. This work is the longest of three commentaries on the Psalms attributed to Hesychios, and has also commonly been erroneously attributed to John Chrysostom, an identification reflected in a note in this manuscript (f. i recto). Its content is most frequently attested in excerpts appearing in catenae and attributed to an undifferentiated "Hesychios". Manuscripts in which it appears as continuous text each contain only a portion of the work. The portion found here, comprising the commentaries to Psalms 77-107 and 118, survives in only one medieval copy, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Roe 13, dating to 1284/5, from which this was copied. In the Bodleian manuscript, the individual Psalm commentaries of Hesychios are interspersed with those of John Chrysostom on Psalms 108-117 and 119-150 to create a continuous sequence, but here those of Hesychios have been singled out. The manuscript was owned by the clergyman and scholar of Greek Augustine Lindsell, and subsequently by the classical scholar Meric Casaubon, son of Isaac Casaubon, and was bought for the University Library in the sale of his effects after his death in 1671. It is thus connected with a second manuscript of this text in the Library, MS Ff.3.6, which was also copied from the same exemplar, also owned by Casaubon and acquired by the Library at the same time, and in which Casaubon recorded comments on the text by Lindsell.

Language(s): Greek

Hesychius, of Jerusalem, d. approximately 450

Previously attributed to John Chrysostom .

Commentarius magnus (in Psalmos)

Commentary on Psalms 77-107, 118

Filiation: This manuscript was copied from Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Roe 13, the sole direct source for this portion of the text, which is also the exemplar for CUL MS Ff.3.6.

Rubric: f. 1r Συνέσεως τῷ Ἀσάφ. Ψαλμὸς οζʹ

Incipit: f. 1r Σύντομος ἡ προγραφὴ· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ μήκους

Explicit: f. 141v ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν

Colophon: f. 141v In fine Codicis MS. haec habentur. Ἐγράφη ἡ παροῦσα βίβλος τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἐν τῇ περιβοήτῳ μόνῃ τοῦ Γαλησίου, προτροπῇ τοῦ πανοσιωτάτου πατρὸς ἡμῶν ἱερομοναχοῦ· Γαλακτίωνος τοῦ τυφλοῦ ἐν ἔτει ͵ϛψϙγʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ιγʹ· Ἐστὶ δὲ ἡ ἑρμήνεια τοῦ ἡμίσους βίβλου τῶν Ψαλμῶν τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου

TLG 2797.007

CPG 6554

1.1. ff. 1r-120v

Psalms 77-107

1.2. ff. 121r-141v

Psalm 118

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Western paper, folded in folio, with 5 chainlines per leaf. Watermark: Circle ( 40 × 28 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar but not identical to Mazzoldi 711. This example is dated to 1566.

Extent: Codex: ii + 1 + 141 + 1 + ii leaves. 336 × 242 mm.

Foliation: The main body of the manuscript is foliated with the numbers 1-141, in brown ink, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right, original to the production of the manuscript.

Foliation: The endleaves are foliated with the numbers i-ii + iii + iv + v-vi, in pencil, in Roman numerals, recto, upper right.

Collation

The main body of the manuscript consists of 14 quires, all quinia.

Quires 1-13¹⁰ ff. 1-130
Quire 14¹⁰⁺¹ ff. 131-141

There are modern quire signatures in Roman numerals, in pencil, recto, lower right, on Quires 1-2 (I-II). Catchwords appear on each recto folio.

Condition

A tear from the edge of f. vi has been repaired with a paper patch. There are occasional small tears to the edge of folios, and minor stains and discoloration to the outer folios.

Layout

A single column of 28-29 lines. 280-288 × 155-165 mm.

Hand(s)

The manuscript was copied in a mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size. There is deletion by expunctuation.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is subscript, appearing as a dot rather than a line. The use of the double dot is functional only, and nomina sacra are uncontracted. Marginal quotation marks are used.

The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present.

Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma and question mark.

Decoration

Enlarged initials in brown ink appear frequently at the beginning of sections and sentences.

Additions

The scribe has added marginal Psalm numbers at the beginning of some commentary sections, and made frequent marginal corrections and annotations, in Greek and Latin. There are later marginal annotations in Greek and Latin throughout, in pencil.

There is a note on f. i recto identifying the content, following the common attribution of authorship to John Chrysostom: ‘Divus Chrysostomus in Psalmos Davidis a 77 usque 118 inclusive’, together with the former classmark 291. A note on f. 1r records the provenance and acquisition of the manuscript: ‘Fuit Doctoris Lindsel, deinde Merici Casauboni. Redemit nummis Hacketianis J.G. et Bibliothecae Cantabrigiensis intulit cum aliis MSS. eidem Casauboni’, and bookplate inside the front board records the manuscript's acquisition through the Hacket bequest.

Binding

Early modern binding, repaired and rebacked in May 1966 by Douglas Cockerell and Son in Grantchester, according to a note on the left pastedown, retaining the existing boards. Brown full leather binding over millboards, with plain pastedowns. There is a blind-tooled border on the boards. The classmark appears on labels and the title ‘Hesychius in Psalmos’ tooled in gold on the spine. The edges have been painted red. Labels from a previous binding bearing the classmark and the title ‘Chrysostomus in Psalmos’ tooled in gold are pasted inside the left board.

350 × 258 × 41 mm.

Seal(s):

The residue of two seals in red wax survives on f. iii recto.

History

Origin: The watermark of the paper suggests production between about 1550 and 1580, which would be consistent with the script. However, the use of Latin in the copyist's corrections suggests that it was produced in western Europe, and hence presumably in England after the return of Sir Thomas Roe (c. 1581-1644) with the Greek manuscripts he had acquired, including this manuscript's exemplar, Bodleian Library MS Roe 13, in 1628. Combined with its ownership by Augustine Lindsell, this would date its production to 1628-1634.

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by Augustine Lindsell (d. 1634) , Bishop of Peterborough and later of Hereford.

Subsequently owned by Meric Cassaubon (1599-1671) .

Bought for the University Library by Thomas Gale (c. 1635-1702) after Casaubon's death from the sale of his effects, with money from the bequest of John Hacket (1592-1670) , Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description draws on A catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, vol. 2, (Cambridge, 1856), p. 410 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, (Cambridge, 2, Cambridge University Press, 1861)

Cambridge University Library : a history. [1], From the beginnings to the Copyright Act of Queen Anne, Oates, J. C. T. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986)

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 Ff.3.2

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