The British Library 2020: Manuscript Index

            The British Library houses Codex Sinaiticus (most of it, at least) and Codex Alexandrinus.  As reported at the British Library’s website, 905 Greek manuscripts in the British Library’s large collection of Greek manuscripts have been digitized.  This includes not only Codices À (Sinaiticus) and A (Alexandrinus), and assorted works by secular authors, and by patristic writers, but also the following New Testament manuscripts – 115 continuous-text manuscripts, and 62 lectionaries.

            Each link should take you to a page where each manuscript is briefly described, and where access to page-views of each manuscript is provided.

GA 011 (Codex Seidelianus I, Gospels, 800s, damaged)

GA 027 (Codex Nitriensis, 500s, palimpsest)

GA 0121a (900s)

GA 0133, 0269, 0271, 0272, 0273, 0297, Lect 334 (Codex Blenheimius, 700s lower writing, palimpsest)

GA 44 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 65 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 72 (Gospels, 1100s, interesting marginalia)

GA 81 (Acts, 1044)

GA 104 (New Testament, 1087)

GA 109 (Gospels, 1300s/1400s)

GA 110 (New Testament, 1100s)

GA 113 (Gospels, 1100s, illustrated)

GA 114 (Gospels, 1000s or later.  quatrefoil Ad Carpianus)

GA 115 (Gospels, 1000s, heavily damaged)

GA 116 (Gospels, 1100s/1200s)

GA 117 and Lect 1357 (Gospels and Acts, early 1500s)

GA 201 (New Testament, 1357)

GA 202 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 203 (New Testament except for Gospels, 1108)

GA 272 (Gospels, 1000s/1100s)

GA 308 (Acts and Epistles, 1300s)

GA 312 (Vol. 1) (Acts and Epistles, 1000s-1100s)

GA 312 (Vol. 2) (Epistles, 1000s-1100s)

GA 321 (Acts and Epistles, 1100s or later)

GA 322 (Acts and Epistles, 1500s)

GA 384 (Acts and Epistles, 1200s)

GA 385 (Acts, Epistles, Revelation, 1407)

GA 438 Vol. 1 (Mt & Mk, 1100s) (The Askew Gospels)

            Golden Canon Tables (500s or 600s – in situ with 438)

GA 438 Vol. 2 (Lk & Jn, 1100s)
GA 439 (Gospels, 1149)

GA 444 (Matthew-Jude, 1300s)

GA 445 (Gospels, 1506)

GA 446 (Gospels, 1400s)

GA 447 (Gospels, 1500s)

GA 448 (Gospels, 1478)

GA 449 (Mt & Mk), 1300s)

GA 449 (Lk & Jn), 1300s)

GA 476 (Gospels, 1000s)

GA 478 (Gospels, 900s-1000s)

GA 480 (Gospels and part of Hebrews, 1366)

GA 481 (Gospels, 900s-1100s, Evangelists portraits) (Burney Gospels 19)

GA 482 (Gospels, 1285, Evangelists’ portraits)

GA 484 (Gospels, 1291, quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 485 (Gospels, 1100s, semi-quatrefoil Ad Carpianus)

GA 490 (Gospels, 1000s, quatrefoil Ad Carpianus and quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 491 (New Testament except Revelation, 1000s)

GA 492 (Gospels, 1325)

GA 493 (Gospels, 1400s)

GA 494 (Gospels, 1300s)

GA 495 (Gospels, 1100s, Evangelists’ portraits)

GA 496 (New Testament except Revelation, 1200s)

GA 497 (Gospels, 1000s)

GA 498 (New Testament, missing some pages, 1300s)

GA 499 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 500 (Gospels, 1200s)

GA 501 (Gospels, 1200s, some later supplements)

GA 502 (Gospels, 1200s)
GA 503 (John, 1200s)

GA 504 (Gospels, 1033)

GA 505 (Gospels, 1100s, quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 547 (New Testament except Revelation, 1000s)

GA 548 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 549 (Gospels, 1000s, commentary)

GA 550 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 551 (Gospels, 1100s-1400s)

GA 552 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 553 (Gospels, 1200s)

GA 640 (James, fragment, 1000s-1100s, commentary)

GA 641 (Acts and Epistles, 1000s, commentary)

GA 643 (Vol. 1) (Pauline Epistles, 1300s, Chrysostom commentary)

GA 643 (Vol. 2) (Pauline Epistles w/Chrysostom comm., and General Epistles, 1300s)

GA 644 (Pauline Epistles, incomplete, 1300s)

GA 645 (Gospels, 1304)

GA 686 (Gospels, 1337)

GA 687 (fragments of Matthew, 1000s)

GA 688 (Gospels, 1179)

GA 689 (Gospels, 1200s)

GA 690 (Gospels, 1200s-1300s)

GA 691 (Gospels, 1200s-1300s)

GA 692 (Gospels, 1200s-1300s, quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 693 (Gospels, 1200s-1300s)

GA 694 (Gospels, 1400s)

GA 695 (Gospels, 1200s)

GA 696 (Gospels, 1300s)

GA 697 (Gospels, 1200s) (decorated, fox & snake initial)

GA 698 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, 1300s)

GA 699 / GA 699 (Guest-Coutts NT) (Gospels, Acts, Epistles, 900s)

GA 700 (Gospels, 1000s) (Hoskier’s Codex)

GA 714 (Gospels, 1100s-1200s)

GA 715 (Gospels, 1200s, quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 716 (Gospels, 1300s, quatrefoil headpiece)

GA 892 (Gospels, 800s with later supplements)

GA 910 (Acts and Epistles, 1009)

GA 911 (Acts and Epistles, 1000s)

GA 911(2040) (Revelation, 1000s)

GA 912 (Acts and Epistles, 1200s)

GA 913 (Acts and Epistles, 1300s)

GA 1268 (Gospels, 1200s, commentary)

GA 1274 (Vol. 1) (Palimpsest – parts of Matthew and Mark, 1100s/1400s)

GA 1274 (Vol. 2) – Luke, Matthew, Mark) and GA 2823  and GA 2822 (Palimpsest – part of James and Jude, 1100s/1400s)

GA 1279 (Gospels, 1100s-1200s)

GA 1280 (Gospels, 1100s-1400s)

GA 1765 (Acts and Epistles, 1300s)

GA 1911 (Romans-Jude, 1500s.  This is Harley MS 5552, likely a transcript of Erasmus’ first edition)

GA 1956 (Pauline Epistles, 1200s, catena)

GA 2041 (Revelation, 1300s)

GA 2099 (Gospels, 1200s)

GA 2277 (Gospels, 1000s-1300s)

GA 2278 (Gospels, 1314)

GA 2279 (Acts and Epistles, 1300s)

GA 2280 (Gospels, 1100s)

GA 2290 (Gospels, 900s with supplements from 1600s)

GA 2291 (Vol. 1) (Matthew and Mark, 1200s)

GA 2291 (Vol. 2) (Luke and John, 1200s)

GA 2484 (Acts and Epistles, 1312)

LECTIONARIES

Lect 25a and 25b (partly palimpsest)

Lect 150 (995, uncial)

Lect 151 (1100s, quatrefoil headpiece)

Lect 152 (800s-900s, uncial)

Lect 169 (1200s, Acts and Epistles)

Lect 181 (980-1052.  uncial) (Parham XX – Cappadocian Lectionary)
Lect 182 (800s.  uncial.)

Lect 183 (nice uncial lectionary)

Lect 184 (late 900s)

Lect 187 (1100s-1200s)

Lect 188 (Vol. 1) (1032)

Lect 188 (Vol. 2) (1032)

Lect 189 (1100s)

Lect 190 (1000s, fragment)

Lect 191 (1100s)

Lect 192 (1200s)

Lect 193 (1334)

Lect 233 (1100s, cruciform text)

Lect 237 & Lect 2310 (1100s and 1600s)

Lect 238 (1000s-1100s)

Lect 257 (1306, Acts and Epistles)

Lect 318 (1000s)

Lect 319 (1100s-1200s, quatrefoil headpiece)

Lect 320 (1300s, damaged)

Lect 321 (1100s-1200s)

Lect 322 (1000s)

Lect 323 (1100s-1200s)

Lect 324 (1200s)

Lect 325 (1200s)

Lect 326 (1100s)

Lect 327 (1300s)

Lect 328 (1300s)

Lect 329 (900s-1000s)

Lect 330 & 331 (1272)   

Lect 332 (1300s)

Lect 333 1200s)

Lect 335 (1100s)

Lect 336 (1100s-1300s)

Lect 337 (1200s)

Lect 338 (900s lower writing, palimpsest)

Lect 339 (1100s)
Lect 340 (1200s) 

Lect 344 (1100s-1300s)

Lect 346 (1100s-1300s)

Lect 927 (1200s-1300s)

Lect 930 (1200s)

Lect 932 (1200s)

Lect 939 (1100s)

Lect 940 (1200s)

Lect 941 (1100s)

Lect 1053 (1000s-1100s, fragment)

Lect 1234 (1300s)

Lect 1317 (800s and 1400s, palimpsest)

Lect 1490 (1100s)

Lect 1491 (1008)

Lect 1492 (late 1000s)

Lect 1493 (1000s)

Lect 1494 (1100s-1200s)

Lect 1495 (1200s)

Lect 1496 (1413)

Lect 1742 (late 1300s)

Lect 1743 (1256)

Lect 2376 (1000s, quatrefoil headpiece)

Also of interest:

Collation of Codex A (Harley MS 1837)

Psalter with Odes (Rahlfs 1656) (includes selections from Luke 1-2)

Collation of GA 71 (Codex Ephesinus), made in 1679

Add. MS 34186 – Wax Tablets  (Probably similar to what Zachariah used in Luke 1:63)

In addition, the British Library’s website offers several essays on subjects relevant in one way or another to the field of New Testament textual criticism, including the following:

● Scribes and Scholars in Byzantium (Georgi Parpulov)

● Manuscripts of the Christian Bible (Scot McKendrick)

● Ancient Books (Cillian O’Hogan)

● Ancient Libraries (Matthew Nicholls)

● Book Illumination in Antiquity (Cillian O’Hogan) (featuring Codex N)

● Biblical Illumination (Kathleen Doyle)

● Byzantine Bookbindings (Ann Tomalak)

● Byzantine Book Epigrams (Julie Boeten and Sien De Groot)

● Illuminated Gospel-books (Kathleen Maxwell)

● The Earliest Greek Bibles (David C. Parker) (featuring Papyrus 5)



Readers are invited to double-check the data in this post.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: P38 vs. GA 2401 (Round 1)

            “The older the manuscript, the better the text” . . . right?  It seems perfectly reasonable to expect the text in manuscripts closer to the original documents to be more accurate than the text in medieval manuscripts.  But at the same time, it’s also perfectly reasonable to reckon that a text that has passed through ten generations of careful copying will be more accurate than a text that has passed through five generations of careless copying.  Today, let’s compare an early copy – Papyrus 38, a fragment produced in the 200s, containing text from Acts 18:27-19:6 and 19:12-16 – to the medieval manuscript GA 2401, which was produced in the 1100s. 

            Henry Sanders described P38 in 1927 in an article that appeared in Harvard Theological Review – A Papyrus Fragment of Acts in the Michigan Collection – and his data was further refined in Chapter XXIII of The Beginnings of Christianity – Part One, The Acts of the Apostles, Vol. 5; that chapter, The Michigan Papyrus Fragment 1271 was written by Silva New (1933) and includes an uncial transcription.

         GA 2401, meanwhile, is a Praxapostolos manuscript (containing Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and the General Epistles, with book-summaries and some other supplemental compositions).  It is part of the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection at the University of Chicago.

          

         Contrary to the claim of James White that “Every one of the papyrus manuscripts we have discovered has been a representative of the Alexandrian text-type,” (See The King James Only Controversy, p. 195, 2009 ed.) it is well-established that the text of Papyrus 38 is not Alexandrian.  It is very far from Alexandrian, as we shall see. 

         This hand-to-hand contest will take two rounds; one side of P38 will be considered in each round.   Let’s review the ground-rules:  contractions of sacred names are not counted as variants; transpositions are mentioned but not counted; NA27 is used as the standard of comparison (i.e., for the purposes of this contest, NA27 is the proxy for the original text), and bracketed words in NA27 are counted as text.  In addition, because 2401 contains some secondary corrections, I will make two calculations of 2401’s closeness to NA27:  one with the corrections taken into consideration, and one without the corrections in the equation.  Also, although it would be possible to reconstruct non-extant readings in P38, I will only consider extant readings throughout P38.

         (I thought about trimming away parts of 2401’s text along the contours of P38, so that 2401 would not be at a disadvantage, but after seeing initial results of the comparison, such a step seemed unnecessary.)

        

         Now let’s get ready to rumble!

Here’s the text of Acts 18:27-19:6 (with corrections) in GA 2401, compared to the text of Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece:

Acts 18:27-19:6:  2401 Compared to NA27

18:27 – 2401^c reads εις τὴν Ἀχαϊαν after παραγενόμενος (+12, -1)

18:28 – 2401 reads διακατηλεγχε instead of διακατηλέγχετο (+0, -2)

18:28 – 2401^c reads διαλεγόμενος και after δημοσια (+15, -0)

19:1 – 2401 reads ευρων instead of ευρειν (+1, -2)

19:2 – 2401 reads ειπε instead of ειπεν τε (+0, -3)

19:2 – 2401 reads ειπον after οι δε (+5, -0)

19:2 – 2401 reads ουδε instead of ουδ’ (+1, -0)

19:3 – 2401 reads ειπε δε instead of ειπεν τε (+1, -2)

19:3 – 2401 reads ειπον instead of ειπαν (+1, -1)

19:4 – 2401 reads ειπε instead of ειπεν (+0, -1)

19:4 – 2401 reads μεν before εβαπτισεν (+3, -0)

19:4 – 2401 reads εβαπτισε instead of εβαπτισεν (+0, -1)

19:4 – 2401 reads πιστευσωσι instead of πιστευσωσιν (+0, -1)

19:4 – 2401 reads Χν Ιν instead of Ιησουν (+2, -0)  

19:5 – no variations

19:6 – 2401 reads προεφήτευον instead of επροφήτευον (+1, -1)

            Thus, the text of Acts 18:27-19:6 in 2401, including corrections, has 42 non-original letters, and is missing 15 original letters, for a total of 57 letters’ worth of scribal corruption in this passage.  If we undo the effects of the corrections in 2401 (generally detectable due to the darker ink used by the corrector), then 2401 has 15 non-original letters, and is missing 14 original letters, for a total of 29 letters’ worth of scribal corruption in this passage.

Now let’s consider the text of Acts 18:27-19:6 in P38.  Letters which were only tentatively identified by those who studied the manuscript are shown in red, and are not included in the calculations.

Acts 18:27-19:6:  P38 Compared to NA27

18:27 – P38 reads –ς τὴν Ἀχαϊα after παραγενόμενος (+9, -0)

18:27 – P38 transposes to read πολυ συνε–

18:28 – P38 reads δια[λεγόμεν]ος after δημοσια (+2, -0)       

18:28 – P38 reads θελονι-[ος] after Ιην (+6, -0)

19:1 – P38 reads [Π]αυλου κατα τη[ν] (+11, -0)

19:1 – P38 reads [βου]λη[ν] (+2, -1)

19:1 – P38 does not include εγενετο δε εν τω τον Ἀπολλω (+0, -22)

19:1 – P38 reads –ι εις Ιεροσόλυμα (+14, -0)

19:1 – P38 reads το (+2, -0)

19:1 – P38 reads –εφειν εις τ- (+7, -0)

19:1 – P38 reads –ρχετα- instead of κατελθειν (+4, -9) 

19:1 – P38 reads μαθηταις instead of μαθητας (+1, -0)

19:2 – P38 does not include –πεν τε προς αυτους (+0, -15)

19:2 – P38 reads δ’ instead of δε (+0, -1)

19:2 – P38 reads απεκρειναντο (+7, -0)

19:2 – P38 reads λαμβαν[ουσιν τι]νες (+8, -0)

19:3 – P38 reads ο δε Παυλος προς αυ[του]ς instead of ειπεν τε (+16, -7)

19:3 – P38 reads ελεγον instead of ειπαν (+5, -4)

19:4 – no variations

19:5 – P38 reads -φεσιν αμαρτιων (+4, -0)

19:5 – P38 reads επε[πεσεν] instead of ηλθε (+2, -4)

            Thus, in the extant text of Acts 18:27-19:6 in P38, there are 90 non-original letters, and 62 original letters are missing, for a total of 152 letters’ worth of corruption.  (It should be emphasized that this only takes the extant text into consideration.)    

            We have a clear winner in Round One, ladies and gentlemen.  Although the seasoned veteran P38 entered the ring with the advantage of not having as much extant text as GA 2401, this advantage was not nearly enough.  The text of GA 2401 is far, far more accurate than the text in P38.      

            These results have some interesting implications regarding the transmission-streams that produced these two manuscripts.  In the transmission-stream of 2401 (prior to its “correction”), it took scribes about a thousand years to introduce 29 letters’ worth of corruption in this passage (and six of those letters constitute trivial orthographic variations).  Meanwhile in Egypt (if P38 was produced in the same vicinity where it was excavated), it took scribes less than 300 years to introduce 152 letters’ worth of corruption in this passage.

Readers are invited to double-check the data in this post, especially Joey McCollum.

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.”

The Stavros Collection - More MSS at Jerusalem

            Among the manuscripts kept by the Jerusalem Patriarchate is the Hagios Stavros collection, which formerly (as far as I can tell) was housed on Cyprus.  Images of those manuscripts, except for some relatively young copies, have been released by the Library of Congress. (The images, taken in 1949-1950 by an expedition led by Kenneth W. Clark, are mostly from microfilm.)  Of the 90 photographed manuscripts, 16 contain substantial portions of the New Testament. Here is a list of the New Testament manuscripts in the Hagios Stavros (“Holy Cross”) collection, with embedded links to their online page-views:

This page of GA 1895 has
patristic commentary along
with the text.
Acts 28:29 is included.

GA 1349:  Hagios Stavros 45 – Four Gospels (1000’s/1100’s)

GA 1350:  Hagios Stavros 46 – Four Gospels (1100’s, 1300’s) This was catalogued as an Evangelion, but it is a continuous-text manuscript of the four Gospels.  Beginning of Matthew.  Beginning of Mark.  Beginning of Luke. Beginning of John. 

GA 1351:  Hagios Stavros 74 – Gospels (900’s) (Damaged; begins with Mark)

            Beginning of Luke.  Beginning of John.  (Arabic note precedes the chapter-list for John.)

            (Damaged at the end; last page with text ends near the end of John 5:4.)

GA 1352:  Hagios Stavros 94 – New Testament (1100’s/1300’s)

GA 1353:  Hagios Stavros 95 – Four Gospels (c. 1200)

            Beginning of Matthew.  Beginning of Mark.  Beginning of Luke.  Beginning of John.

            Pericope adulterae (follows John 7:52).

GA 1354:  Hagios Stavros 101 – New Testament (but not Revelation) (1300’s)

GA 1355:  Hagios Stavros 104 – Four Gospels (1300’s)

GA 1895:  Hagios Stavros 25 – Acts and General Epistles, with Commentary (800’s/900’s) The commentary includes excerpts from the writings of Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, and others.  Scripture-texts, interspersed with the commentary, are indented and accompanied by diple-marks (>) in the margin.  Beginning of James. 

GA 1896:  Hagios Stavros 37 – Praxapostolos (without Galatians) (1300’s/1400’s) Beginning of James.

GA 1897:  Hagios Stavros 57 – Praxapostolos (c. 1200) Beginning of James.

Lectionaries:

Hagios Stavros 9 – Evangelion (A.D. 1534)

Hagios Stavros 26 – Evangelion (1000’s) Greek-Arabic in parallel columns

Hagios Stavros 44 – Evangelion (1000’s)

Hagios Stavros 51 – Evangelion (1000’s)

Hagios Stavros 67 – Apostolos (1000’s) An interesting copy with sporadic notes in the margin.

Hagios Stavros 110 – Evangelion (1200’s)

Also of note:

Hagios Stavros 96 – Psalter (800’s) This manuscript, written in a sloping uncial script, has an abundance of marginalia.    

Some of these manuscripts have not received much attention from researchers.  A few research-papers might be just waiting to happen as a result of the availability of these images.