Minuscule 116
Encyclopedia
Minuscule 116 ε 249 (Soden), is a Greek
minuscule manuscript
of the New Testament
, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically
it has been assigned to the 12th century. It has complex contents with some marginalia
.
s on 300 parchment leaves (size ), 4 unfoliated paper leaves at the beginning, and 3 at the end. The text is written in one column per page, in 23 lines per page. The large initial letters are written in gold and colours.
The headpieces with geometric and foliate decoration in gold and colours (folios 15r, 93r, 145r, 229r). The end of John is written in cruciform
.
The text is divided according to the (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, and their (titles of chapters) at the top of the pages. There is also another division according to the smaller Ammonian Sections (in Mark 241 sections – the last numbered section ends in 16:20). It has no references to the Eusebian Canons.
It contains the Eusebian Canon tables with geometric decorations in gold and colour (on folios 9-13), tables of the (tables of contents) before each Gospel, (lessons), numbers of στιχοι
, and synaxaria. The Menologion was added in the 13th century (folios 1-8, 291-296v). The initial letters in colours. Scholia are written in red or purple.
There is an inscription on folio 1 'Bernard Mould Smyrna 1724'.
. Kurt Aland
placed it in Category V.
According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents mixed Byzantine text (mixture of Byzantine textual families) in Luke 1 and Luke 10. In Luke 20 it belongs to the textual cluster 1167.
On folio 92 verso it has inscription "Nikolaos Kataphaga of Katharak". According to the inscriptions on folio 92 verso and folio 141 verso it belonged to Athanasios, hieromonk at St John Prodromos.
In 1649 it belonged to Athananius, a Greek monk, in 1724 to Bernard Mould (b. c. 1683; d. 1744), English chaplain at Smyrna
, who owned it in 1724 (as minuscule 115
). It was sold to Edward Harley on 28 July 1725. In 1753, it was purchased by the British government along with the collections for the British Museum
.
It was examined by Griesbach
, Bloomfield
, Henri Omont
, and Cyril Ernest Wright. C. R. Gregory saw it in 1883.
It was rebound in 1967.
It is currently housed at the British Library
(Harley Collection
5567), at London
.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
minuscule manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically
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...
it has been assigned to the 12th century. It has complex contents with some marginalia
Marginalia
Marginalia are scribbles, comments, and illuminations in the margins of a book.- Biblical manuscripts :Biblical manuscripts have liturgical notes at the margin, for liturgical use. Numbers of texts' divisions are given at the margin...
.
Description
The codex contains a complete text of the four GospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s on 300 parchment leaves (size ), 4 unfoliated paper leaves at the beginning, and 3 at the end. The text is written in one column per page, in 23 lines per page. The large initial letters are written in gold and colours.
The headpieces with geometric and foliate decoration in gold and colours (folios 15r, 93r, 145r, 229r). The end of John is written in cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
.
The text is divided according to the (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, and their (titles of chapters) at the top of the pages. There is also another division according to the smaller Ammonian Sections (in Mark 241 sections – the last numbered section ends in 16:20). It has no references to the Eusebian Canons.
It contains the Eusebian Canon tables with geometric decorations in gold and colour (on folios 9-13), tables of the (tables of contents) before each Gospel, (lessons), numbers of στιχοι
Stichometry
Stichometry is a term applied to the measurement of ancient texts by στίχοι or verses of a fixed standard length.It was the custom of the Greeks and Romans to estimate the length of their literary works by measured lines...
, and synaxaria. The Menologion was added in the 13th century (folios 1-8, 291-296v). The initial letters in colours. Scholia are written in red or purple.
There is an inscription on folio 1 'Bernard Mould Smyrna 1724'.
Text
The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-typeByzantine 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...
. Kurt Aland
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...
placed it in Category V.
According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents mixed Byzantine text (mixture of Byzantine textual families) in Luke 1 and Luke 10. In Luke 20 it belongs to the textual cluster 1167.
History
The manuscript is dated to the 12th century.On folio 92 verso it has inscription "Nikolaos Kataphaga of Katharak". According to the inscriptions on folio 92 verso and folio 141 verso it belonged to Athanasios, hieromonk at St John Prodromos.
In 1649 it belonged to Athananius, a Greek monk, in 1724 to Bernard Mould (b. c. 1683; d. 1744), English chaplain at Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, who owned it in 1724 (as minuscule 115
Minuscule 115
Minuscule 115 , ε 1096 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has marginalia.- Description :...
). It was sold to Edward Harley on 28 July 1725. In 1753, it was purchased by the British government along with the collections for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
It was examined by Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach , German biblical textual critic, was born at Butzbach, a small town in the state of Hesse, where his father, Konrad Kaspar , was pastor...
, Bloomfield
Samuel Thomas Bloomfield
Samuel Thomas Bloomfield was an English clergyman and Biblical textual critic. His Greek New Testament was widely used, in England and the United States.-Life:His surname was also spelled Blomfield or Blumfield...
, Henri Omont
Henri Omont
Henri Auguste Omont, was a librarian, philologist and French historian, born on September 15, 1857, died December 9, 1940.- Life :In 1881 he wrote a thesis De la ponctuation and was employed in the École Nationale des Chartes as an archivist. He became general inspector in the Bibliothèque...
, and Cyril Ernest Wright. C. R. Gregory saw it in 1883.
It was rebound in 1967.
It is currently housed at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
(Harley Collection
Harley Collection
The Harleian Collection is one of main collections of the British Library, London, England.The manuscript collection of more than 7,000 volumes, more than 14,000 original legal documents, and 500 rolls, formed by Robert Harley , and his son Edward Harley...
5567), at 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...
.
See also
- List of New Testament minuscules
- Biblical manuscriptBiblical manuscriptA biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek biblia ; manuscript comes from Latin manu and scriptum...
- Textual criticismTextual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
Further reading
- J. J. Griesbach, Symbolae criticae ad supplendas et corrigendas variarum N. T. lectionum collectiones (Halle, 1793), p. CLXXXXVIII
- Henri OmontHenri OmontHenri Auguste Omont, was a librarian, philologist and French historian, born on September 15, 1857, died December 9, 1940.- Life :In 1881 he wrote a thesis De la ponctuation and was employed in the École Nationale des Chartes as an archivist. He became general inspector in the Bibliothèque...
, Notes sur les manuscrits grecs du British Museum, Bibliothèque de l'École des Chartes, 45 (1884), 314-50, 584 (pp. 342, 349). - Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 246, 459.
External links
- Harley 5566 at the British Library