Biblical Manuscripts in the Freer Collection
Encyclopedia
The Biblical Manuscripts in the Freer Collection, is a collection of six biblical manuscript
s, dating from the 3rd to 6th centuries. Most manuscripts are written in Greek
, one in Coptic
. They are important witnesses of the history of the text of New Testament
and Septuagint.
It was established by Charles Freer
(1854–1919), industrialist from Detroit, Michigan
.
The collection is located at the Freer Gallery of Art
in Washington. It is a noted collection of biblical manuscripts outside Europe.
All these manuscripts were purchased at the beginning of the 20th century in Egypt
by Charles Freer.
Four manuscripts were bought on 19 December 1906 from an Arab dealer named Ali in Giza, not afar from Cairo
. Freer paid £1,600.
Upon the next expedition to Egypt, Freer met with Ali and acquired a Coptic codex of the Psalms and the earliest papyrus codex of the Minor Prophets.
Formerly these manuscripts were held in Detroit, Michigan
, in the private collection of Freer. He gave to the United States his art collections and funds for a building to house them. The building cost $1,000,000, all of which was paid by Freer.
The Freer Gallery of Art
was opened in 1923.
Biblical manuscript
A 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...
s, dating from the 3rd to 6th centuries. Most manuscripts are written in 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;...
, one in Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
. They are important witnesses of the history of the text of 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....
and Septuagint.
It was established by Charles Freer
Charles Lang Freer
Charles Lang Freer was an American railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit, Michigan who gave to the United States his art collections and funds for a building to house them. The Freer Gallery of Art founded by him is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C..-Early life:Freer was...
(1854–1919), industrialist from Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
The collection is located at the Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer Gallery of Art joins the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to form the Smithsonian Institution's national museums of Asian art. The Freer contains art from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as a significant collection of...
in Washington. It is a noted collection of biblical manuscripts outside Europe.
All these manuscripts were purchased at the beginning of the 20th century in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
by Charles Freer.
Four manuscripts were bought on 19 December 1906 from an Arab dealer named Ali in Giza, not afar from Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. Freer paid £1,600.
Upon the next expedition to Egypt, Freer met with Ali and acquired a Coptic codex of the Psalms and the earliest papyrus codex of the Minor Prophets.
Formerly these manuscripts were held in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, in the private collection of Freer. He gave to the United States his art collections and funds for a building to house them. The building cost $1,000,000, all of which was paid by Freer.
The Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer Gallery of Art joins the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to form the Smithsonian Institution's national museums of Asian art. The Freer contains art from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as a significant collection of...
was opened in 1923.
Manuscripts
- Codex WashingtonianusCodex WashingtonianusThe Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the fourth or fifth century...
, contains the four GospelGospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s from the 5th century (some material from 6th century) - Greek parchment codex, containing Deuteronomy and Joshua, from the early 5th century
- Incomplete Greek parchment codex of the PsalmsPsalmsThe Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
from 5th century - Fragmentary Codex FreerianusCodex FreerianusCodex Freerianus, designated by I or 016 , α 1041 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Pauline Epistles, is a 5th century manuscript in an uncial hand on vellum in Greek....
, contains Pauline epistlesPauline epistlesThe 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...
from the 5th century - Coptic manuscript of PsalmsPsalmsThe Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
from the 5th century - Twelve ProphetsMinor prophetMinor prophets is a book of the Hebrew Bible, so named because it contains twelve shorter prophetic works. In Christian Bibles the twelve are presented as individual books...
on papyri - before the discovery of the Dead Sea ScrollsDead Sea scrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
, this was the oldest Greek manuscript of Twelve Prophets
External links
- Freer + Sackler Galleries
- The finding aid for this collection from The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Includes biographical information, relevant name and subject terms, and descriptions of the series.
Further reading
- Henry A. Sanders, The Old Testament Manuscripts in the Freer Collection, New York, 1917.
- Henry A. Sanders, The New Testament Manuscripts in the Freer Collection, The Macmillan Company, New York – London 1918.
- Larry W. Hurtado, The Freer Biblical Manuscripts. Fresh Studies of an American Treasure Trove, Brill 2007.