Minuscule 644
Encyclopedia
Minuscule 644 α 476 (von Soden), is a Greek
minuscule manuscript
of the New Testament
, on parchment. Palaeographically
it has been assigned to the 14th century. The manuscript is very lacunose
. Gregory labelled it by 220a and 275p, Scrivener by 229a (for the Catholic epistles) and 270p (for the Pauline epistles).
and Catholic epistles, on 94 parchment leaves (size ), with lacunae
(Romans, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11:25; James 4:4-5:4; 1 Peter 3:15-Jude). It is written in one column per page, 21 lines per page. According to Scrivener it is very neatly written.
It contains Prolegomena, tables of the (chapters) before every epistle, (titles), lectionary markings on the margin, Menologion, subscriptions, and numbered at the margin.
According to Gregory it could be written by the same hand as Minuscule 502
.
The order of books: Pauline epistles
and Catholic epistles. Epistle to the Hebrews
is placed after Epistle to Philemon
.
. Kurt Aland
placed it in Category V.
to the 14th century.
The manuscript was bought from Constantine Simonides
, the most versatile forger of the nineteenth century, for the British Museum
in 1853. It is one of the very few authentic Simonides pieces. The manuscript was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Scrivener
(229a, 270p) and Gregory (220a, 275p). It was examined and described by Bloomfield
. Gregory
saw the manuscript in 1883. In 1908 Gregory gave the number 644 to it.
The manuscript currently is housed at the British Library
(Additional Manuscripts 19388), 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. 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 14th century. The manuscript is very lacunose
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
. Gregory labelled it by 220a and 275p, Scrivener by 229a (for the Catholic epistles) and 270p (for the Pauline epistles).
Description
The codex contains the text of the Pauline epistlesPauline epistles
The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
and Catholic epistles, on 94 parchment leaves (size ), with lacunae
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
(Romans, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11:25; James 4:4-5:4; 1 Peter 3:15-Jude). It is written in one column per page, 21 lines per page. According to Scrivener it is very neatly written.
It contains Prolegomena, tables of the (chapters) before every epistle, (titles), lectionary markings on the margin, Menologion, subscriptions, and numbered at the margin.
According to Gregory it could be written by the same hand as Minuscule 502
Minuscule 502
Minuscule 502 , 589 , ε 245 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. It was adapted for liturgical use...
.
The order of books: Pauline epistles
Pauline epistles
The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
and Catholic epistles. Epistle to the Hebrews
Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Its author is not known.The primary purpose of the Letter to the Hebrews is to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The central thought of the entire Epistle is the doctrine of the Person of Christ and his...
is placed after Epistle to Philemon
Epistle to Philemon
Paul's Epistle to Philemon, usually referred to simply as Philemon, is a prison letter to Philemon from Paul of Tarsus. Philemon was a leader in the Colossian church. This letter, which is one of the books of the New Testament, deals with forgiveness.Philemon was a wealthy Christian of the house...
.
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.
History
The manuscript is dated by the INTFInstitute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is an institute for the investigation of the text of the New Testament. The INTF was founded in Münster in 1959 by Professor Kurt Aland , the first director of the Institute...
to the 14th century.
The manuscript was bought from Constantine Simonides
Constantine Simonides
Constantine Simonides , palaeographer, dealer of icons, man with extensive learning, knowledge of manuscripts, miraculous calligraphy...
, the most versatile forger of the nineteenth century, 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...
in 1853. It is one of the very few authentic Simonides pieces. The manuscript was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Scrivener
Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener
The Reverend Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener, LL.D. was an important text critic of the New Testament and a member of the English New Testament Revision Committee which produced the Revised Version of the Bible...
(229a, 270p) and Gregory (220a, 275p). It was examined and described by 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...
. Gregory
Caspar René Gregory
Caspar René Gregory was a American-born German theologian theologian.-Life:Gregory was born in Philadelphia. He studied theology at two Presbyterian seminaries: in 1865-67 at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton Theological Seminary...
saw the manuscript in 1883. In 1908 Gregory gave the number 644 to it.
The manuscript currently is 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,...
(Additional Manuscripts 19388), 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...