Codex Zacynthius
Encyclopedia
Codex Zacynthius, designated by siglum Ξ or 040 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), A1 (von Soden), is a Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....

 New Testament codex
Codex
A codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings typically bound together and given a cover.Developed by the Romans from wooden writing tablets, its gradual replacement...

, dated paleographically
Palaeography
Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...

 to the 6th century. Formerly it was dated to the 8th century (Scrivener, Gregory). It is a palimpsest
Palimpsest
A palimpsest is a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped off and which can be used again. The word "palimpsest" comes through Latin palimpsēstus from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος originally compounded from πάλιν and ψάω literally meaning “scraped...

, a former text had been washed off its vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...

 pages. The lower text of the palimpsest was deciphered by biblical scholar and palaeographer Tregelles
Samuel Prideaux Tregelles
Samuel Prideaux Tregelles was an English biblical scholar, textual critic, and theologian.- Life :Tregelles was born at Wodehouse Place, Falmouth, of Quaker parents, but he himself for many years was in communion with the Plymouth Brethren and then later in life became a Presbyterian...

 in 1861.

The manuscript has survived in a fragmentary condition. It came from Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...

, a Greek island, and housed in the Cambridge University. It is often used in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament.

Description

The manuscript contains the greater part of the Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...

 1:1-11:33 in a fragmentary condition. The codex extant 89 thick and coarse parchment leaves (three half-leaves), measuring 36 x 29 cm. The text is written in a single column, in well-formed uncial script (capital letters). The letters are large, round and narrow, without spiritus asper
Spiritus asper
In the polytonic orthography of Ancient Greek, the rough breathing , is a diacritical mark used to indicate the presence of an sound before a vowel, diphthong, or rho. It remained in the polytonic orthography even after the Hellenistic period, when the sound disappeared from the Greek language...

, spiritus lenis
Spiritus lenis
The smooth breathing is a diacritical mark used in polytonic orthography. In ancient Greek, it marks the absence of the voiceless glottal fricative from the beginning of a word....

 and accents. It was written by two scribes.

The abbreviations are rarely used in the codex. The handwriting is very close to the Rossanensis
Rossano Gospels
The Rossano Gospels, designated by 042 or Σ , ε 18 , at the Cathedral of Rossano in Italy, is a 6th century illuminated manuscript Gospel Book written following the reconquest of the Italian peninsula by the Byzantine Empire...

. The errors of itacism occur in the codex, but not so often as in Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...

 and Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...

. It uses grammar forms typical for the ancient manuscripts (ειπαν, ηλθαν, ευραν).

It has the same system of chapter divisions, which is peculiar to the Codex Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...

 and codex 579
Minuscule 579
Minuscule 579 , ε 376 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century. Formerly it was labelled as 80e...

. There is also another more common system of division according to the τιτλοι (titles). The capitals are given at the beginning of the sections stand out in the margin as in codices Alexandrinus
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...

 and Ephraemi.

The text is surrounded by a marginal commentary, and it is the only one that has both text and commentary in uncial script. The commentary is a Catena
Catena (Biblical commentary)
A catena is a form of biblical commentary, verse by verse, made up entirely of excerpts from earlier Biblical commentators, each introduced with the name of the author, and with such minor adjustments of words to allow the whole to form a continuous commentary.The texts are mainly compiled from...

 of quotations of nine church fathers: Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...

, Eusebius, Titus of Bostra
Titus of Bostra
Titus of Bostra was a Christian theologian and bishop. Sozomen names Titus among the great men of the time of Constantius.-Life:...

, Basil, Isidore of Pelusium
Isidore of Pelusium
Isidore of Pelusium was born in Egypt to a prominent Alexandrian family. He became an ascetic, and moved to a mountain near the city of Pelusium, in the tradition of the Desert Fathers....

, Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...

, Sever from Antioch, Victor from Antioch, Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...

. The commentary surrounds the single column text of Luke on three sides. Patristic text is written in small uncial letters. Most of quotations are of authorship of Ciril of Alexandria (93 scholia), the second place is occupied by Titus of Bostra (45 scholia). The commentary was written in a different kind of uncial script.

Contents
Luke 1:1-9.19-23.27.22.30-32.36-66.77-2:19.21.22.33-39; 3:5-8.11-20; 4:1.2.6-20.32-43; 5:17-36; 6:21-7:6.11-37.39-47; 8:4-21.25-35.43-50; 9:1-28.32.33.35.41-10:18.21-10; 11:1.2.3.4.24-30.31.32.33.

Text-type

The text of the codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...

 in a late stage, with a portion of non-alexandrian readings. The Alexandrian text is close to Codex Vaticanus. It has some Byzantine
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...

 corrections. Textually it is close to Regius
Codex Regius (New Testament)
Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....

. Kurt
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...

 and Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland, née Ehlers is a German theologian and was a Professor of New Testament Research and Church History at Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster until 2002.- Biography :...

 gave to it the following textual profile: 21 21/2 82 3s. On the basis of this profile Alands placed the text of the codex in Category III. According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents the Alexandrian text in Luke 10 and mixed Byzantine text in Luke 1.

It has some typical for the Alexandrian text-type omissions:
Luke 9:55b-56a — (and He said: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them) omitted as in codices Sinaiticus B C Θ L 33 700 892 1241 syr, copbo;


In Luke 4:17 it has textual variant καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ βιβλίον (and opened the book) together with the manuscripts A
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...

, B, L
Codex Regius (New Testament)
Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....

, W
Codex Washingtonianus
The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the fourth or fifth century...

, 33
Minuscule 33
Minuscule 33 , δ 48 , formerly it was called Codex Colbertinus 2844, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia...

, 892
Minuscule 892
Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.- Description :...

, 1195, 1241, 547, syrs, h, pal, copsa, bo, against variant καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βιβλίον (and unrolled the book) supported by א, Dc, K
Codex Cyprius
Codex Cyprius, designated by Ke or 017 , ε 71 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, on parchment. It was variously dated in the past , currently it is dated to the 9th century. It was brought from Cyprus to Paris...

, Δ, Θ
Codex Koridethi
The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page...

, Π
Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament)
Codex Petropolitanus, designated by Π or 041 , ε 73 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...

, Ψ, f1, f13, 28
Minuscule 28
Minuscule 28 , ε 168 , formerly known as Colbertinus 4705, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has marginalia. It is lacunose.- Description :The codex contains the text of the four Gospels on 292...

, 565
Minuscule 565
Minuscule 565 , ε 93 , also known as the Empress Theodora's Codex. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on purple parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...

, 700
Minuscule 700
Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the Gospels. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogues , Gregory gave it the number 700....

, 1009, 1010 and many other manuscripts.

In Luke 9:10 it has textual variant εις πολιν καλουμενην Βηθσαιδα (to a city called Bethsaida), as have codices B, L, 33, but the later hand inserted at the margin εις τοπον ερημον πολεως καλουμενην Βηδσαιδα (into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida).

Palimpsest

It is a palimpsest
Palimpsest
A palimpsest is a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped off and which can be used again. The word "palimpsest" comes through Latin palimpsēstus from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος originally compounded from πάλιν and ψάω literally meaning “scraped...

. The upper text was written by a minuscule hand, it contains lectionary 299 ( 299) from the 12th or 13th century. The parchment leaves were folded in half. The lectionary text is not complete, it is written on 176 leaves , in one column per page, 33-36 lines per page. It contains lessons from the four Gospels (Evangelistarium). The manuscript is lacunose.

The manuscript contains weekday Gospel lessons. Tregelles did not collate its text because of its secondary value. Scrivener designated it by siglum 200,
Gregory by 299.

Lectionary 299 in Mark 6:33 has textual reading ἐκεῖ καὶ προῆλθον αὐτούς along with Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...

, Codex Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...

, 0187
Uncial 0187
Uncial 0187 , ε 024 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 6th century.- Description :...

 (omit εκει), 892
Minuscule 892
Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.- Description :...

, 49
Lectionary 49
Lectionary 49, designated by siglum ℓ 49 . It is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 10th or 11th century.- Description :...

, 69
Lectionary 69
Lectionary 69, designated by siglum ℓ 69 , is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on vellum leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.- Description :...

, 70
Lectionary 70
Lectionary 70, designated by siglum ℓ 70 , is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on vellum leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.- Description :...

, 303
Lectionary 303
Lectionary 303 , designated by siglum ℓ 303 in the Gregory-Aland numbering, is a 12th-century Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...

, 333, 1579, ( 950 αυτους), itaur, vg, (copsa, bo
Coptic versions of the Bible
There have been many Coptic versions of the Bible, including some of the earliest translations into any language. Several different versions were made in the ancient world, with different editions of the Old and New Testament in all four of the major dialects of Coptic: Bohairic , Fayyumic, Sahidic...

).

The text of lectionary is cited in some critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3). It is not cited in UBS4.

UBS3 cited it in the following places: Matthew 10:4; 11:17; 12:47; 13:13; 14:22; 18:10; 22:30; 26:27; 28:9; Mark 1:27; 2:10.26; 4:16.20; 6:2.2.3.33.

History

The early history of the manuscript is unknown. In 1821 it came from the island Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...

, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...

, and was brought by general Colin Macaulay
Colin Macaulay
Colin Macaulay , general, slavery abolitionist and campaigner. Macaulay was a son of the Rev. John Macaulay , minister in the Church of Scotland, grandson of Dòmhnall Cam. and his mother was Margaret Campbell. He had two brothers: Rev...

 to England. Since 1821 the manuscript was kept in the library of the British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....

 (Mss 24) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Scholz saw the manuscript in 1845 and Paul de Lagarde
Paul de Lagarde
Paul Anton de Lagarde was a polymath German biblical scholar and orientalist. He also took some part in politics. He belonged to the Prussian Conservative party, and was a violent antisemite. The bitterness which he felt appeared in his writings...

 in 1853, but they did not decide to decipher manuscript. The lower text of the codex was deciphered, transcribed and edited by Tregelles
Samuel Prideaux Tregelles
Samuel Prideaux Tregelles was an English biblical scholar, textual critic, and theologian.- Life :Tregelles was born at Wodehouse Place, Falmouth, of Quaker parents, but he himself for many years was in communion with the Plymouth Brethren and then later in life became a Presbyterian...

 in 1861 (page for page, and line for line). Tregelles used types cast for printing the Codex Alexandrinus
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...

, which only approximately represents the shape of the letters of the codex. The size of the letters is much smaller. Tregelles included in this edition one page of typographical facsimile. Tregelles did not decipher the small Patristic writing and he doubted that can be read without chemical restoration.

Nicholas Pocock found some errors in Tregelles' edition, but according to William Hatch
William Hatch
William Henry Paine Hatch, Ph.D., D.D. was an American theologian, born at Camden, N. J. He attended Harvard, graduating in 1898 . Afterward, he graduated at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and from the General Theological Seminary in New York City...

 the edition of Tregelles is satisfactory. Greenlee corrected errors of Tregelles, and edited the list of corrections in 1957. It was examined by William Hatch
William Hatch
William Henry Paine Hatch, Ph.D., D.D. was an American theologian, born at Camden, N. J. He attended Harvard, graduating in 1898 . Afterward, he graduated at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and from the General Theological Seminary in New York City...

. In 1959 Greenlee published the text of a commentary. Probably there is a need of another examination of the text of the codex with modern technology.

Tischendorf cited it in his Editio Octava Critica Maior
Editio Octava Critica Maior
Editio Octava Critica Maior is a critical edition of the Greek New Testament produced by Constantin von Tischendorf. It was Tischendorf's eighth edition of the Greek Testament, and the most important, published between 1864 and 1894.- Edition :...

 in 564 places.
It is often cited in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament.

In 1985 it was moved to the Cambridge University Library
Cambridge University Library
The Cambridge University Library is the centrally-administered library of Cambridge University in England. It comprises five separate libraries:* the University Library main building * the Medical Library...

 (BFBS Ms 213), where it is housed now.

Further reading


External links

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