Versional Manuscripts at the Library of Congress

            The website of the Library of Congress provides page-views of dozens and dozens of Greek New Testament manuscripts, to which I provided links in earlier posts.  It also contains quite an impressive assortment of versional New Testament manuscripts – Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Georgian, Slavonic, and Syriac are all represented.

            The members of the 1949-1950 expedition that photographed these manuscripts must have worked in a preternatural energetic flurry in order to collect all these page-views.  The manuscripts listed here represent just a fraction of the work involved; a total of 1,073 manuscripts were photographed.  They included not only manuscripts of Scripture but also patristic and liturgical works. Some of the compositions fall into such obscure categories that one might need a jargon-dictionary to sort it all out.  Such a resource is provided at the Library of Congress’ website, helping viewers to know the difference between a Sticherarion and a Synaxarion.  Also provided at the Library of Congress’ archives:  a tour of Saint Catherine’s monastery in pictures! It’s like visiting the monastery as it existed seventy years ago, minus the sand.    

            Without further ado, here is a list of 163 versional New Testament manuscripts at Jerusalem and Sinai, consisting of 56 Arabic manuscripts (this is not all of them!), 20 Armenian manuscripts, 1 Ethiopic manuscript, 27 Georgian manuscripts, 6 Slavonic manuscripts, and 53 Syriac manuscripts:      

Arabic New Testament Manuscripts at Jerusalem:

A page from Arabic MS
68 at St. Catherine's.

Arabic 6 (Persian) – Evangelion (Made in 1791)

Arabic 11 – Evangelion with Commentary (Made in 1500)

Arabic 15 – Evangelion (Made in 1700s)

Arabic 18 – Evangelion (Made in 1500s)

Arabic 22 – Evangelion for Sundays and Feast-days (Made in 1736)

Arabic 27 – Evangelion with Commentary (Made in 1646)

Arabic 28 – Evangelion with Commentary (1300s)

Arabic 29 – Apostolos (Made in 1642)

Arabic 30 – Evangelion (Made in 1405)

Arabic 36 – Four Gospels (1300s)

Arabic 39 – Evangelion (1500s)

Arabic 60 – Evangelion (Made in 1615)

Arabic 67 – Evangelion with Commentary (1300s)

Arabic 71 – Apostolos (Made in 1764)

Arabic 72 – Evangelion (1300s)

Arabic 87 – Evangelio-Apostolos (Made in 1771)

Arabic 90 – Evangelion for Sundays (Made in 1762)

Arabic 103 – Four Gospels (1100s/1200s)

Arabic 104 – Apostolos (1700s)

Arabic 124 – Evangelion (1700s)

Arabic 125 – Evangelion, Sermons, etc. (1600s/1700s)

Arabic 135 – Four Gospels (Made in 1618)

Arabic 194 – Four Gospels (Made in 1689)

Arabic 207 – Four Gospels (Made in 1793)

Arabic 208 – Evangelion (Made in 1669)

Arabic 213 – Four Gospels (1400s)

Arabic 220 – Four Gospels (Made in 1322)

Arabic 222 – Evangelion (Made in 1666)

Arabic 226 – Apostolos (Made in 1764)

Arabic 234 – Evangelion (1800s)

Arabic 235 – Four Gospels (1700s)

Arabic 236 – Evangelion (Made in 1738)

Some Arabic New Testament Manuscripts at St. Catherine’s:

Arabic MS 74, page-view 68,
at Saint Catherine's.

Arabic Manuscripts 54 – Four Gospels – Four Gospels (900s)

Arabic Manuscripts 68 – Four Gospels (1300s), a decorated copy

Arabic Manuscripts 69 – Four Gospels (made in 1065)
Arabic Manuscripts 70 – Four Gospels (from the 800s)

Arabic Manuscripts 71 – Four Gospels (900s)

Arabic Manuscripts 72 – Four Gospels (made in 897)

Arabic Manuscripts 73 – Epistles of Paul (800s)

Arabic Manuscripts 74 – Four Gospels (800s)

Arabic Manuscripts 75 – Four Gospels (c. 800)

Arabic Manuscripts 76 – Four Gospels (1200s)

Arabic Manuscripts 80 – Four Gospels (made in 1479)

Arabic Manuscripts 84 – Four Gospels (made in 1262)

Arabic Manuscripts 85 – Revelation (1200s-1300s)

Arabic Manuscripts 90 – Four Gospels (made in 1281)

Arabic Manuscripts 106 – Four Gospels (made in 1056)

Arabic Manuscripts 112 – Four Gospels (made in 1259)

Arabic Manuscripts 117 – Gospels-lectionary (made in 1203)

Arabic Manuscripts 138 – Gospels-lectionary (made in 1117)

Arabic Manuscripts 144 – Gospels-lectionary (made in 1052)

Arabic Manuscripts 151 – Epistles and Acts (made in 867)  Unusual formatting of the text.

Arabic Manuscripts 154 – Acts and Epistles (700s-800s)

Arabic Manuscripts 155 – Sirach and the Pauline Epistles (c. 900)

Arabic Manuscripts 159 – Acts and Epistles (made in 1199)

Arabic Manuscripts 310 – Epistles of Paul (late 900s)  Neatly written.

Armenian New Testament Manuscripts: 

A page from the
King Gagek Gospels.

Armenian 251 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1260)

Armenian 1796 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1287)

Armenian 1924 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1064) braided cross frontispiece

Armenian 1935 – Four Gospels (A.D 1746)

Armenian 1938 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1611)

Armenian 1944 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1589)

Armenian 1949 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1312)

Armenian 1950 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1316)

Armenian 1956 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1265)

Armenian 1973 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1346)

Armenian 2360 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1331)

Armenian 2555 – Four Gospels (1000s)

Armenian 2556 (Treasury 1) King Gagek Gospels (1000s)

Armenian 2562 (Treasury 7) – Four Gospels (1000s)

Armenian 2563 – Queen Keran Gospels (A.D. 1272)

Armenian 2568 (Treasury 13) Prince Vassak Gospels (1200s)

Armenian 2625 (Treasury 70) – Four Gospels (A.D. 1612)

Armenian 2649 – The “Miracle Gospels” (A.D. 1332)

Armenian 2650 (Treasury 95) – Four Gospels (A.D. 1424)

Armenian 2660 (Treasury 105) – Four Gospels (A.D. 1262)

Ethiopic New Testament Manuscript: 

Saint John in Ethiopic MS 11,
at Jerusalem.

Ethiopic 11 – Evangelion, Gospel of John (1600s) (at Jerusalem)

Georgian New Testament Manuscripts at St. Catherine’s:

Georgian 10 – Praxapostolos (c. 1000)

Georgian 15 – Four Gospels (A.D. 978)

            Braided cross page.

Georgian 16 – Four Gospels (900s)

Georgian 19 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1074)

Georgian 30 – Four Gospels (900s)

Georgian 37 – Apostolo-Evangelion (c. 1000)

Georgian 38 – Luke and John (A.D. 979)

Georgian 39 – Acts and Epistles (A.D. 974)

Georgian 60 – Apostolos fragment (A.D. 977)

Georgian 81 – Four Gospels (c. 1200)

Georgian New Testament Manuscripts at Jerusalem:

A page from Georgian MS
102 at Jerusalem.

Georgian 19 – Praxapostolos (1100s/1200s)

Georgian 28 – Evangelion (1400s/1500s)

Georgian 29 – Evangelion (1400s/1500s

Georgian 49 – Four Gospels (1000s)

Georgian 76 – Apostolos (1500s)

Georgian 82 – Apostolos (1000s/1100s)

Georgian 93 – Four Gospels (1200s-1400s)

Georgian 95 – Apostolos and Euchologion (1500s)

Georgian 102 – Four Gospels (1100s-1300s)

Georgian 103 – Four Gospels (1100s-1300s)

Georgian 109 – Apostolos (1100-1300s)

Georgian 115 – Praxapostolos (Made in 1755)

Georgian 116 – Apostolos (1200s-1300s)

Georgian 122 – Four Gospels (1200s/1300s)

Georgian 129 – Praxapostolos (1300s/1400s)

Georgian 153 – Four Gospels (1100s) 

Georgian 160 – Four Gospels (1600s/1700s)

            Also notable: 

            Georgian 6 – Ephrem Syrus: Commentary on Epistles (1100s)

Slavonic New Testament Manuscripts:

Slavonic (Slavic) Manuscripts 1 – Four Gospels (at St. Catherine’s) (production-date unknown)

Slavonic (Slavic) Manuscripts 2 – Four Gospels (at St. Catherine’s) (Made in 1532)

Slavonic (Slavic) Manuscripts 3 – Four Gospels (at St. Catherine’s) (production-date unknown)

Slavonic (Slavic) Manuscripts 4 – Acts and Epistles (at St. Catherine’s)

Slavonic (Slavic) 39 – Apostolos (production-date unknown)

Slavonic Abraam 3 – Four Gospels (at Jerusalem) (1200s)

The beginning of Matthew
in Slavonic MS Abraam 3.

Syriac New Testament Manuscripts at St. Catherine’s:    

Syriac MS 1 – Lectionary (A.D. 1127)

Syriac MS 2 – Four Gospels (500s)

Syriac MS 3 – Epistles of Paul (c. 600) – An important manuscript.

Syriac MS 5 – Epistles and Acts (c. 500)

Syriac MS 6 – Gospels lectionary (A.D. 1178)

Syriac MS 7 – Gospels lectionary (1100s)

Syriac MS 11 – Four Gospels (c. 800)

Syriac MS 12 – Lectionary and Gospel of Luke (c. 600)

Syriac MS 13 – Gospels lectionary and Epistles lectionary (1000s)

Syriac MS 15 – Acts and Epistles (c. 700)

Syriac MS 17 – New Testament (c. 800)

Syriac MS 20 – Gospels lectionary (A.D. 1015)

Syriac MS 21 – New Testament lectionary (1000s)

Syriac MS 30 – Gospels (late 300s/early 400s) This is the Sinaitic Syriac palimpsest.  The upper writing consists of biographies and martyrologies of female saints.  The lower writing is the Gospels text.

Syriac MS 32 – Lectionary for Gospels and Epistles (1000s)

Syriac MS 42 – New Testament lectionary and Euchologion (1100s)

Syriac MS 45 – Apostolos (A.D. 1043)

Syriac MS 54 – New Testament (without Revelation) (c. 700)

Syriac MS 65 – Gospels lectionary and Kanonarion (1000s)

Syriac MS 74 – Four Gospels (1200s)

Syriac MS 75 – Acts lectionary and Epistles lectionary (A.D. 1295)

Two pages from Syriac MS
159 at St. Catherine's.

Syriac MS 76 – Gospels lectionary (1200s-1300s)

Syriac MS 81 – Epistles lectionary (A.D. 1232)

Syriac MS 92 – Praxapostolos (A.D. 1291)

Syriac MS 100 – Acts lectionary and Epistles lectionary (1200s)

Syriac MS 120 – Acts lectionary and Epistles lectionary (1100s-1300s)

Syriac MS 134 – Gospels of Matthew and Mark (1200s)

Syriac MS 135 – Four Gospels (1100s-1200s)

Syriac MS 145 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1188)

Syriac MS 159 – Gospels of Matthew and John (A.D. 1260)

Syriac MS 161 – New Testament lectionary (1300s-1400s)

Syriac MS 205 – Four Gospels (1300s)

Syriac MS 214 – Acts lectionary and Epistles lectionary (1200s)

Syriac MS 215 – Praxapostolos (A.D. 1219)

Syriac MS 216 – Praxapostolos (1200s)

Syriac MS 217 – Gospels lectionary (A.D. 1297)

Syriac MS 218 – Praxapostolos (1200s)

Syriac MS 219 – Gospels lectionary (1200s)

Syriac MS 222 – Praxapostolos (A.D. 1267)

Syriac MS 227 – Praxapostolos (A.D. 1293)

Syriac MS 229 – Praxapostolos (1200s)

Syriac MS 231 – Four Gospels (1200s-1300s)

Syriac MS 235 – Praxapostolos (A.D. 1215)

Syriac MS 236 – Gospels lectionary (A.D. 1294)

Syriac MS 238 – Gospels lectionary (1200s)

Syriac MS 259 – Gospels of Luke and John (1200s)

Syriac MS 269 – Gospels lectionary (1100s-1200s)

Syriac MS 271 – Gospels lectionary (A.D. 1288)

Syriac MS 272 – Four Gospels (A.D. 1297)

            Also notable:

            Syriac MS 59 – Homilies on John (c. 800)

            Syriac MS 19 – Homilies on Song of Songs (c. 700)

Syriac New Testament Manuscripts at Jerusalem:

Syriac 1 – Evangelion (Made in 1679)

Syriac 9 – New Testament (Made in 1261)

Syriac 33 – New Testament (Made in 1608)

Syriac-Arabic, St. James 1 – Evangelion (Made in 1591)

That is a lot of versional New Testament manuscripts!

This post is presented in memory of Vickey Rose McCorkle, cherished sister in Christ.

“She has been a helper of many, and of myself also.”