6th century Italian Gospel Book (British Library, Harley 1775)
Encyclopedia
British Library, Harley 1775 is an illuminated
Gospel Book
produced in Italy
during the last quarter of the 6th century. The text is in Latin
and is a mixture of the Vulgate
and Old Latin
translations. This text is called "source Z" in critical studies of the Latin New Testament
.
It is written in an uncial
text with the running titles written in rustic capitals
. The manuscript has enlarged initials and the opening lines of major text divisions are written in red. There are contemporary corrections in slanting uncial script which employ a Greek
syllabification similar to that used by Victor of Capua
.
There are 468 vellum
folios that are 177 by 120 mm. The text is written in a single column of 130 by 85 mm. Each Gospel is started on a new quire. The quires are numbered so as to aid in the assembly of the codex
.
The manuscript's decoration includes eighteen canon tables under architectural arcades, display capitals, and a colophon decoration. There is a nineteenth canon table that is more simply decorated.
On folio 11 there are Tironian notes
in a 9th century French
hand. The manuscript was owned by Cardinal Mazarin (d. 1668). In the early 18th century it was in the French Royal Library
. It was stolen along with several other manuscripts in 1707 by Jean Aymon. It was purchased in Holland by Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (d. 1724). It was sold by the widow of Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford
and their daughter to Parliament
as part of the Harley Collection
which was one the founding collections of the British Museum
.
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
Gospel Book
Gospel Book
The Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament...
produced in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the last quarter of the 6th century. The text is in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and is a mixture of the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
and Old Latin
Vetus Latina
Vetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jerome's Vulgate Bible became the standard Bible for Latin-speaking Western Christians. The phrase Vetus Latina is Latin for Old Latin, and the Vetus Latina is sometimes known as the Old Latin Bible...
translations. This text is called "source Z" in critical studies of the Latin 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....
.
It is written in an uncial
Uncial
Uncial is a majuscule script commonly used from the 3rd to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters are written in either Greek, Latin, or Gothic.-Development:...
text with the running titles written in rustic capitals
Rustic capitals
Rustic capitals is an ancient Roman calligraphic script. As the term is negatively connotated supposing an opposition to the more 'civilized' form of the Roman square capitals Bernhard Bischoff prefers to call the script canonized capitals.Rustic capitals are similar to Roman square capitals, but...
. The manuscript has enlarged initials and the opening lines of major text divisions are written in red. There are contemporary corrections in slanting uncial script which employ a Greek
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;...
syllabification similar to that used by Victor of Capua
Victor of Capua
Victor of Capua was a sixth-century bishop of Capua, in Italy.About his life nothing is known except what is found in his epitaph , which has been preserved, though the tomb itself has disappeared. This inscription simply states that his episcopate of thirteen years ended in April, 554...
.
There are 468 vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
folios that are 177 by 120 mm. The text is written in a single column of 130 by 85 mm. Each Gospel is started on a new quire. The quires are numbered so as to aid in the assembly of the codex
Codex
A codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings typically bound together and given a cover.Developed by the Romans from wooden writing tablets, its gradual replacement...
.
The manuscript's decoration includes eighteen canon tables under architectural arcades, display capitals, and a colophon decoration. There is a nineteenth canon table that is more simply decorated.
On folio 11 there are Tironian notes
Tironian notes
Tironian notes is a system of shorthand said to have been invented by Cicero's scribe Marcus Tullius Tiro. Tiro's system consisted of about 4,000 signs, somewhat extended in classical times to 5,000 signs. In the European Medieval period, Tironian notes were taught in monasteries and the system...
in a 9th century French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
hand. The manuscript was owned by Cardinal Mazarin (d. 1668). In the early 18th century it was in the French Royal Library
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
. It was stolen along with several other manuscripts in 1707 by Jean Aymon. It was purchased in Holland by Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (d. 1724). It was sold by the widow of Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford
Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , styled Lord Harley between 1711 and 1724, was a British politician, bibliophile, collector and patron of the arts.-Background:...
and their daughter to Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
as part of the 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...
which was one the founding collections of 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...
.
Further reading
- Brown, M. P. A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600 (London, 1990), pl.5.
- Kenyon, F. C.Frederic G. KenyonSir Frederic George Kenyon GBE KCB TD FBA FSA was a British paleographer and biblical and classical scholar. He occupied from 1889 to 1931 a series of posts at the British Museum...
Facsimiles of Biblical Manuscripts in the British Museum (London, 1900), no.IX. - Lowe, E. A. Codices latini antiquiores (1934–1971), vol. 2, no. 197.
- McGurk, P. Latin Gospel Books, Les Publications de Scriptorium v (Brussels and Amsterdam, 1961), pp. 35–6.
- McGurk, P. Gospel Books and Early Latin Manuscripts, Variorum Collected Studies Series (Aldershot, 1998), passim.
- Nordenfalk, C., Die Spatantiken Kanontafeln (Goteborg, 1938) pp. 209 ff.