Oriental MS 424
Encyclopedia
Codex Oriental Ms. 424, designated by siglum A1 (Horner), t (Lagrange), is written in two languages Bohairic-Arabic
, uncial manuscript
of the New Testament
, on paper. It is dated by a colophon
to the year 1308.
Many leaves of the codex were lost.
, Catholic epistles, and Acts of the Apostles
in quarto, on 217 paper leaves (size 25.1 by 17.8 cm). The volume is bound in two parts (Romans–Colossians, 1 Thessalonians–Acts), much of the text being lost. The nomina sacra
are written in an abbreviated way.
At the end of the Pauline epistles, and at the end of the Acts (see image), are two important Arabic colophons, in which the pedigree of the manuscript is given. From these we learn that both portions of this manuscript were written A. Mart. 1024, i.e. A.D. 1308, by Abu Said ben Said al Dar ibn Abu al Fadl, the Christian. They were copied, however, from a previous manuscript in the handwriting of the patriarch Abba Gabriel and bearing the date A. Mart. 966, i.e. A.D 1250. This manuscript of Abba Gabriel again was copied from two earlier manuscripts, that of the Pauline epistles in the handwriting of Abba Yuhanna, bishop of Sammanud, that of the Catholic epistles and Acts in the handwriting of "Jurja ibn Saksik the famous scribe" (or Zagazig).
The corrections were made in red ink.
Boetticher designated corrections by siglum t*.
, and was purchased for the British Museum
at the sale of his books. It was designated "tattamianus", by Boetticher. Horner
used the manuscript in his edition of the Bohairic New Testament as a basis for the text of the Epistles and Acts.
The manuscript was examined by Bp Lightfoot
and Arthur Headlam
.
Currently it is housed at the British Library
in London
and assigned shelfmark Oriental 424.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, uncial 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 paper. It is dated by a colophon
Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...
to the year 1308.
Many leaves of the codex were lost.
Description
It 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...
, Catholic epistles, and Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
in quarto, on 217 paper leaves (size 25.1 by 17.8 cm). The volume is bound in two parts (Romans–Colossians, 1 Thessalonians–Acts), much of the text being lost. The nomina sacra
Nomina sacra
Nomina sacra means "sacred names" in Latin, and can be used to refer to traditions of abbreviated writing of several frequently occurring divine names or titles in early Greek language Holy Scripture...
are written in an abbreviated way.
At the end of the Pauline epistles, and at the end of the Acts (see image), are two important Arabic colophons, in which the pedigree of the manuscript is given. From these we learn that both portions of this manuscript were written A. Mart. 1024, i.e. A.D. 1308, by Abu Said ben Said al Dar ibn Abu al Fadl, the Christian. They were copied, however, from a previous manuscript in the handwriting of the patriarch Abba Gabriel and bearing the date A. Mart. 966, i.e. A.D 1250. This manuscript of Abba Gabriel again was copied from two earlier manuscripts, that of the Pauline epistles in the handwriting of Abba Yuhanna, bishop of Sammanud, that of the Catholic epistles and Acts in the handwriting of "Jurja ibn Saksik the famous scribe" (or Zagazig).
The corrections were made in red ink.
Boetticher designated corrections by siglum t*.
History
The manuscript belonged to Archdeacon Henry TattamHenry Tattam
Henry Tattam was a Church of England clergyman and Coptic scholar.-Life:Tattam was Rector of St Cuthbert's Bedford, 1822-1849, and from 1831 to 1849 also Rector of Great Woolstone, Buckinghamshire...
, and was purchased 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...
at the sale of his books. It was designated "tattamianus", by Boetticher. Horner
George William Horner
George William Horner , was a biblical scholar, editor of the text of the New Testament in dialects of Coptic language.Bohairic version Horner edited in 4 volumes from 1898 to 1905, Sahidic version edited in 7 volumes from 1911 to 1924....
used the manuscript in his edition of the Bohairic New Testament as a basis for the text of the Epistles and Acts.
The manuscript was examined by Bp Lightfoot
Joseph Barber Lightfoot
Joseph Barber Lightfoot was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham, usually known as J.B. Lightfoot....
and Arthur Headlam
Arthur Cayley Headlam
The Right Reverend Arthur Cayley Headlam CH was an English theologian who served as Bishop of Gloucester from 1923 to 1945....
.
Currently it 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,...
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...
and assigned shelfmark Oriental 424.
See also
- List of the Coptic New Testament manuscripts
- Coptic versions of the BibleCoptic versions of the BibleThere 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...
- 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...
- Huntington MS 20Huntington MS 20Huntington 20, is a Bohairic-Greek, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century.- Description :...
- Codex Marshall Or. 99Codex Marshall Or. 99Codex Marshall Or. 6, is a Bohairic, uncial manuscript of the New Testament, on a paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 16th century.- Description :...
Further reading
- George Horner, The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Northern Dialect, otherwise called Memphitic and Bohairic, 3 vol. 1905, pp. X-XIII