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 Ff.3.6

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12183

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript, probably produced in the mid-17th century, contains part of a Commentary on the Psalms. The authorship of this commentary 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. Its content is most frequently attested in excerpts appearing in catenae and attributed to an undifferentiated "Hesychios". Manuscripts in which it appear 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. A number of supporting materials have subsequently been appended to the main text on additional folios, including a prologue to the Psalms, also by Hesychios and copied from another Oxford manuscript (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Auct. D.4.1), a Latin translation of the Psalms covered in the commentary, some line-by-line comments and notes on other Biblical texts. The manuscript was owned by classical scholar Meric Casaubon, son of Isaac , 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.3.2, which was also copied from the same exemplar, also owned by Casaubon and acquired by the Library at the same time. Among the additional materials are notes by Casaubon (i recto) in which he attributes the commentary to Hesychius, and copies a note on its authorship by Augustine Lindsell, previous owner of the other copy. Dr Christopher Wright

Physical Description

Form: codex
Extent: Codex: i + 7 + 54 + 11 + i leaves. 318-325 × 200-210 mm.
Foliation: ff. 1-8, 12-13, 19-31 are incompletely foliated with the numbers 1-8, 12-13, 19-31, in brown ink, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right.
Foliation: ff. [a], i-vii, 9-11, 14-18, 32-65, [b] are foliated with the numbers [a] + i-vii + 9-11, 14-18, 32-54 + 55-65 + [b], in pencil, in Arabic and Roman numerals, recto, upper right, filling the gaps in the previous foliation.
Foliation: Occasional folios are foliated in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, lower right, in a different sequence which includes ff. iii-vii within the main sequence, with errors.

Condition

The edges are worn, and there are occasional small stains.

Binding

18th-century binding with brown full leather covering over couched-laminate boards, reused from a previous binding, with printed waste pastedowns (from a copy of the Decretum by Gratian). A thick modern brown folio has been stuck onto each of the outermost endleaves. There is decorative blind tooling on the boards, and the classmark is tooled in blind on labels and ‘Hesychius M.S.’ in gold on a red leather label on the spine.

The spine has been rebacked. Both outer joints are partially split, and some of the leather covering has been lost from the head and tail of the spine.

333 × 220 × 24 mm.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by Meric Cassaubon (1599-1671).

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

Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.3.6, f. i]

Contents

1. i recto
Augustine Lindsell, Note on the authorship of the commentary
Language(s): English and Latin
Rubric: Out of a paper written with Dr Lindsell (afterwards Bishop etc.) his hand
Incipit: i recto In the Savilian Edition another commentary of Chrysostome is found upon some of the Psalms commented of in this
Explicit: i recto tum Psalm 118 et sic finis Commentationum harum. Hactenus ille
2. i recto
Meric Casaubon, Note on the authorship of the commentary
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: i recto Sed, Verus auctor huius ἑρμηνείας, est Hesychius
Explicit: i recto non plane liquet. Meric Casaubon

i verso is blank.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. [a]-i, 65-[b] Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Coat of arms ( 104 × 67 mm. ) in the centre of the folio.

Hand(s)

f. i recto was written by Meric Casaubon.

History

Origin: This part has been added at some point between 1628 and 1671, between the copying of the main body of the manuscript (Part III) and the death of Meric Casaubon in 1671.

Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.3.6, ff. ii-vii]

Contents

3. ii recto-iv verso
Hesychios of Jerusalem, Prologue to the Psalms (Proemium seu epigramma in Psalterium (e commentario magno))
Language(s): Greek
Filiation: This text was copied from Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Auct. D.4.1.
Rubric: f. iii recto Ησυχίου πρεσβυτέρου Ἱερεοσολύμων ἐπίγραμμα ἱστορίας εἰς Ψαλτήριον
Incipit: f. iii recto Μαλαχίας ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ προφήτης ὁ δικαίως προσαγορευθεὶς ἄγγελος
Explicit: f. iv verso ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς πλατύτερον τὸν λόγον διηγήσομαι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι

TLG 2797.005

CPG 6554

f. ii recto is a title page, blank apart from the following: ‘Ησυχίου πρεσβυτέρου’ ‘etc.’ ‘ἐπιγραμμα ἱστορίας εἰς Ψαλτήριον’ ‘e manuscriptu Oxoniensi’.

f. ii verso is blank.

4. ff. v recto-vi recto
Line-by-line comments on Psalms 100, 101, 12
Language(s): Greek
Rubric: f. v recto Τῷ Δαβὶδ Ψαλμὸς ρʹ
Incipit: f. v recto Ερμηνεύεται τὸ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὄνομα, τοῦτον ἐπόθησα
Explicit: f. vi recto ὑποκάτω τὰς δυὸ ζύγας τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν δηλοῖ

ff. vi verso-vii verso are blank.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. ii-vii Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Horse ( 43 × 20 mm. ) in the centre of the folio.

Layout

ff. iii recto-iv recto A single column of 61-62 lines. 305 × 145 mm. Single vertical lines defining the left and right margins, ruled in hardpoint.

ff. v recto-vi recto A single column of 48-54 lines. 305 × 135 mm. Single vertical lines defining the left and right margins, ruled in hardpoint.

Hand(s)

f. ii recto, notes to ff. iii recto-iv recto were written by Meric Casaubon (Hand A).

ff. iii recto-vi recto were copied by Hand B. Greek text in a mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.

There are no syllabic abbreviations or superscript word endings. 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.

The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present. There is very little use of ligatures.

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

Additions

Meric Casaubon has added annotations to ff. iii recto-iv recto, and another hand to f. v recto.

History

Origin: This part has been added at some point between 1628 and 1671, between the copying of the main body of the manuscript (Part III) and the death of Meric Casaubon in 1671.

Part 3 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.3.6, ff. 1-54]

Contents

5. ff. 1r-49r
Hesychios of Jerusalem, Commentarius magnus (in Psalmos)

Commentary on Psalms 77-107, 118

Language(s): Greek
Filiation: This text 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.3.2.
Rubric: f. 1r Συνέσεως τῷ Ἀσάφ. Ψαλμὸς οζʹ
Incipit: f. 1r Σύντομος ἡ προγραφὴ· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ μήκους
Explicit: f. 49r ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν

TLG 2797.007

CPG 6554

5.1. ff. 1r-44v
Psalms 77-107
5.2. ff. 44v-49r
Psalm 118

ff. 49v-50v are blank.

6. ff. 51r-53v
Notes on the Greek text of the Old Testament
Language(s): Latin with Greek quotations

f. 54r is blank; f. 54v is blank apart from a note.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 1-30 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Coat of arms (crook) ( 120 × 75 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Briquet 1383. This example is dated to 1585-1607. ff. 31-54 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Coat of arms (crook) ( 120 × 75 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Briquet 1370. This example is dated to 1595-1605.

Collation

The main body of the manuscript consists of 9 quires, of which one is a binion, one a quaternion, and the rest are ternia.

  • Quires 1-76 ff. 1-42
  • Quire 88 ff. 43-50
  • Quire 94 ff. 51-54

Layout

ff. 1r-49r A single column of 48-80 lines. 301-312 × 160-170 mm. Single vertical lines defining the left and right margins, ruled in hardpoint.

ff. 51r-53v A single column of 48-62 lines. 315 × 150 mm. Single vertical lines defining the left and right margins, ruled in hardpoint.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-49r were copied by Hand C in a mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.

Syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line, while there is no superscription of word endings. 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. Accents are sometimes joined to letters.

The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present, and there are inclusions of letters within omicron. There is a distinctive form of tau-omega-nu ligature, with an elevated omega joined to the foot of a tilted minuscule nu with a shortened descender.

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

ff. 51r-54v, notes to ff. 1r-49r were copied by Hand B.

Additions

The copyist of the main text, Hand C, has added marginal corrections, and bibliographical references in Latin; further bibliographical references and notes have been added by Hand B. There are later marginal annotations in Greek and Latin, in pencil.

History

Origin: The watermark of the paper suggests production in the late 16th or early 17th century. However, the use of Latin in the copyist's notes suggests that it was produced in western Europe, and hence presumably in England after the return of Sir Thomas Roe with the Greek manuscripts he had acquired, including this manuscript's exemplar, Bodleian Library, MS Roe 13, in 1628. Combined with its ownership by Meric Casaubon, this would date its production to 1628-1671.

Part 4 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.3.6, ff. 55-65]

Contents

6. ff. 55r-62r
Psalms 77-106, 118
Language(s): Latin

ff. 62v-63r, 64v, 65r-65v are blank. f. 64r is blank apart from a note. f. 64v is blank apart from a few notes giving references to the text.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 55-64 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Pillar ( 42 × 35 mm. ) in the centre of the folio.

Layout

ff. 55r-62r A single column of 54-63 lines. 261-269 × 160 mm. Single vertical lines defining the left and right margins, ruled in hardpoint.

Hand(s)

ff. 55r-62r were copied by Hand D.

ff. 63v-64v were copied by Hand B.

History

Origin: This part was added at some point between 1628 and 1671, between the copying of the main body of the manuscript (Part III) and the death of Meric Casaubon in 1671.

Additional Information

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: Ee-Ff, Cambridge University Press, 1857) Codices Chrysostomici Graeci I Codices Britanniae et Hiberniae, Aubineau, Michel (Paris, CNRS éditions, 1968) Hesychius von Jerusalem: Inventaris van der Griekse handschriftelijke overlevering met de uitgave en vertaling van de Grote Commentaar op psalm 100 en 102, Mennes, R. (Ghent, 1, 1971) Cambridge University Library: a history, Oates, J.C.T. (Cambridge, 1: From the beginnings to the Copyright Act of Queen Anne, Cambridge University Press, 1986) Hesychios of Jerusalem's Prologue to the Psalms revisited in the light of Vat. gr. 752 and its illustrative programme A Book of Psalms from eleventh-century Byzantium: The complex of texts and images in Vat. gr. 752 Studi e testi, Crostini, BarbaraFincati, Mariachara (Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 2016)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

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Cambridge Digital Library

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