Codex Basilensis
Encyclopedia
Codex Basilensis designated by Ee or 07 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 55 (von Soden), is a Greek uncial
manuscript
of the four Gospels, dated paleographically
to the 8th century (Burgon suggested the 7th century, Palau the 9th century). The codex is located, as its name indicates, in Basel
.
The manuscript is lacunose, it has marginalia
, and was adapted for liturgical reading.
It contains all spurious biblical passages, but they are marked as a doubtful. The text of the manuscript has been cited in all critical editions of the Greek New Testament.
s. The Gospel of Luke
contains five small lacunae
(1:69-2:4, 3:4-15, 12:58-13:12, 15:8-20, 24:47-end). Three of them were supplied by a later, cursive hand (1:69-2:4, 12:58-13:12, 15:8-20).
The text is written in 1 column per page, 24 lines per page. The letters Θ
Ε
Ο Σ
are round, the strokes of Χ
Ζ
Ξ are not prolonged below the line. It has a regular system of punctuation.
Certain disputed passages are marked with an asterisk
s – Matthew 16:2b-3 (signs of the times), Luke 22:43-44
(Christ agony), Luke 23:34, Pericope Adulterae (John 8:2-11).
It contains the tables of the (tables of contents) before each Gospel, the text is divided according to the (chapters), which numerals are placed at the margin. The text is also divided into much smaller the Ammonian Sections
with references to the Eusebian Canons (written below Ammonian Section numbers), and the harmony at the foot of the pages,
although full references to all parallel texts are given on the margin and the tables are not needed. It is written carefully and well. The initial letters at the beginning sections stand out on the margin as in codices A
, C.
The codex was bound together with the minuscule codex 2087 – which contains portions of the Apocalypse, written in the twelfth century. Three leaves of the codex are palimpsest
s (folio 160, 207, 214).
is a representative of the Byzantine text-type
. According to Kurt
and Barbara Aland
it agrees with the Byzantine text-type 209 times, and 107 times with the Byzantine when it has the same reading as the original text. Only one reading agrees with the original text against the Byzantine. It has only 9 independent or distinctive readings. Alands placed its text in Category V.
It belongs to the textual Family E
(the early Byzantine text). It stands in in a close relationship to the Codex Nanianus
, and the Codex Athous Dionysiou
. Probably it is the oldest manuscript with a pure Byzantine text (with almost a complete text of the Gospels) and it is one of the most important witnesses of the Byzantine text-type.
In Matthew 8:13 it has interpolation – marked by asterisk – και υποστρεψας ο εκατονταρχος εις τον οικον αυτου εν αυτη τη ωρα ευρεν τον παιδα υγιαινοντα (and when the centurion returned to the house in that hour, he found the slave well). The reading of the codex is supported by: Codex Sinaiticus
, Ephraemi Rescriptus
, Codex Campianus
, (Petropolitanus Purpureus
), Codex Nanianus
, Codex Koridethi
, (0250), f1
, (33
, 1241), g1, syrh.
Some textual variants
Words before the bracket are the readings of the Textus Receptus
, words after the bracket, are the readings of the codex
it was written in the early 8th century. Some former palaeographers proposed even the 7th century (Dean Burgon), but according to Cataldi Palau
it was written later in the 9th century. From the palaeographical point of view it looks older, but the regularity of the accentuation and the abundant colourful decoration, are uncharacteristic for the eighth century. The number of errors is remarkable small. According to Palau it was copied by a non-Greek, probably Latin scribe, in the 9th century, in an Italian location.
It probably was brought to Basel by Cardinal Ragusio
(1380–1443), who probably brought it from Constantinople when he visited the Council of Florence
in 1431. It might have been a present from the Byzantine emperor. In time of that council several other manuscripts came to Europe from Byzantium: Codex Basiliensis A.N.IV.2, Minuscule 10
, and probably Codex Vaticanus
. In 1559 it was presented to the monastery of the Preaching Friars
.
The codex was available to Erasmus
for his New Testament, but he never used it. Probably the brethren of the monastery where it was kept, were unaware of its existence. It was transferred to the public library in 1559. The manuscript was used by John Mill
in his edition of the Greek New Testament. The text of the manuscript was collated by Johann Jakob Wettstein
. The manuscript is cited in the printed editions of the Greek New Testament since the 18th century.
Now it is housed in the Basel University Library
(A. N. III. 12), Switzerland
. Formerly it was held under the shelf-number B VI. 21 then K IV. 35.
The manuscript has been cited in all critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3, UBS4, NA26, NA27). It is rarely cited in NA27, as a witnesses of the third order.
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:...
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 four Gospels, dated paleographically
Palaeography
Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...
to the 8th century (Burgon suggested the 7th century, Palau the 9th century). The codex is located, as its name indicates, in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
The manuscript is lacunose, it has marginalia
Marginalia
Marginalia are scribbles, comments, and illuminations in the margins of a book.- Biblical manuscripts :Biblical manuscripts have liturgical notes at the margin, for liturgical use. Numbers of texts' divisions are given at the margin...
, and was adapted for liturgical reading.
It contains all spurious biblical passages, but they are marked as a doubtful. The text of the manuscript has been cited in all critical editions of the Greek New Testament.
Description
The text is written in one column per page, 23 and more lines per page. The codex contains 318 parchment leaves (size ), with almost complete text of the four GospelGospel
A 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. The Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
contains five small lacunae
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
(1:69-2:4, 3:4-15, 12:58-13:12, 15:8-20, 24:47-end). Three of them were supplied by a later, cursive hand (1:69-2:4, 12:58-13:12, 15:8-20).
The text is written in 1 column per page, 24 lines per page. The letters Θ
Theta
Theta is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth...
Ε
Epsilon
Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a close-mid front unrounded vowel . In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 5. It was derived from the Phoenician letter He...
Ο Σ
Sigma
Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and carries the 'S' sound. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used, e.g...
are round, the strokes of Χ
Chi (letter)
Chi is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced as in English.-Greek:-Ancient Greek:Its value in Ancient Greek was an aspirated velar stop .-Koine Greek:...
Ζ
Zeta
-Science:* Zeta functions, in mathematics** Riemann zeta function* Zeta potential, the electrokinetic potential of a colloidal system* Tropical Storm Zeta , formed in December 2005 and lasting through January 2006* Z-pinch, in fusion power...
Ξ are not prolonged below the line. It has a regular system of punctuation.
Certain disputed passages are marked with an asterisk
Asterisk
An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star...
s – Matthew 16:2b-3 (signs of the times), Luke 22:43-44
Christ's agony at Gethsemane
Christ's agony at Gethsemane is a passage in the Gospel of Luke , describing a prayer of Jesus, after which he receives strength from an angel, on the Mount of Olives prior to his betrayal and arrest...
(Christ agony), Luke 23:34, Pericope Adulterae (John 8:2-11).
It contains the tables of the (tables of contents) before each Gospel, the text is divided according to the (chapters), which numerals are placed at the margin. The text is also divided into much smaller the Ammonian Sections
Ammonian Sections
Eusebian canons or Eusebian sections, also known as Ammonian Sections, are the system of dividing the four Gospels used between late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The divisions into chapters and verses used in modern texts date only from the 13th and 16th centuries, respectively...
with references to the Eusebian Canons (written below Ammonian Section numbers), and the harmony at the foot of the pages,
although full references to all parallel texts are given on the margin and the tables are not needed. It is written carefully and well. The initial letters at the beginning sections stand out on the margin as in codices A
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, C.
The codex was bound together with the minuscule codex 2087 – which contains portions of the Apocalypse, written in the twelfth century. Three leaves of the codex are palimpsest
Palimpsest
A palimpsest is a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped off and which can be used again. The word "palimpsest" comes through Latin palimpsēstus from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος originally compounded from πάλιν and ψάω literally meaning “scraped...
s (folio 160, 207, 214).
Text
The Greek text of this codexCodex
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...
is a representative of the Byzantine text-type
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
. According to Kurt
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
and Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland, née Ehlers is a German theologian and was a Professor of New Testament Research and Church History at Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster until 2002.- Biography :...
it agrees with the Byzantine text-type 209 times, and 107 times with the Byzantine when it has the same reading as the original text. Only one reading agrees with the original text against the Byzantine. It has only 9 independent or distinctive readings. Alands placed its text in Category V.
It belongs to the textual Family E
Family E
Family E is a textual group of the New Testament manuscripts. It belongs to the Byzantine text-type as one of its textual families, it is one of the primary early families of the Byzantine text-type...
(the early Byzantine text). It stands in in a close relationship to the Codex Nanianus
Codex Nanianus
Codex Nanianus, designated by siglum U or 030 , ε 90 , is a Greek uncial manuscripts of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript has complex contents, with full marginalia . The codex is named after its last owner...
, and the Codex Athous Dionysiou
Codex Athous Dionysiou
Codex Athous Dionysiou, designated by Ω or 045 , ε 61 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament...
. Probably it is the oldest manuscript with a pure Byzantine text (with almost a complete text of the Gospels) and it is one of the most important witnesses of the Byzantine text-type.
In Matthew 8:13 it has interpolation – marked by asterisk – και υποστρεψας ο εκατονταρχος εις τον οικον αυτου εν αυτη τη ωρα ευρεν τον παιδα υγιαινοντα (and when the centurion returned to the house in that hour, he found the slave well). The reading of the codex is supported by: Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, Ephraemi Rescriptus
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus is an early 5th century Greek manuscript of the Bible, the last in the group of the four great uncial manuscripts...
, Codex Campianus
Codex Campianus
Codex Campianus designated by M or 021 , ε 72 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...
, (Petropolitanus Purpureus
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus, designated by N or 022 , ε 19 , is a 6th century Greek New Testament codex gospel book. Written in majuscules , on 231 parchment leaves, measuring 32 x 27 cm...
), Codex Nanianus
Codex Nanianus
Codex Nanianus, designated by siglum U or 030 , ε 90 , is a Greek uncial manuscripts of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript has complex contents, with full marginalia . The codex is named after its last owner...
, Codex Koridethi
Codex Koridethi
The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page...
, (0250), f1
Family 1
Family 1 is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the group Ih...
, (33
Minuscule 33
Minuscule 33 , δ 48 , formerly it was called Codex Colbertinus 2844, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia...
, 1241), g1, syrh.
Some textual variants
Words before the bracket are the readings of the Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
, words after the bracket, are the readings of the codex
- Mark 5:9 — λεγει αυτω ] απεκριθη λεγων
- John 1:22 — βηθαραβα ] βηθανια
- John 1:28 — τις ] συ
- John 4:1 — ο Ιησουυς ] ο Κυριος
- John 5:44 — ανθρωπων ] αλληλων
- John 8:9 — οι δε ακουσαντες εξερχοντο εις καθ εις ] οι δε ακουσαντες και υπο της συνειδησεως ελεγχομενοι εξερχοντο εις καθ εις
- John 10:8 — ηλθων προ εμου ] ηλθων
History
It is a commonly accepted by palaegraphers that the manuscript was written in the 8th century. According to Guglielmo CavalloGuglielmo Cavallo
Guglielmo Cavallo is an Italian Greek palaeographer and professor from the Sapienza University of Rome.- Life :Cavallo graduated from the University of Bari in 1961...
it was written in the early 8th century. Some former palaeographers proposed even the 7th century (Dean Burgon), but according to Cataldi Palau
Annaclara Cataldi Palau
Annaclara Cataldi Palau, professor at the King's College London, Greek palaeographer; area of interest: Greek mediaeval and renaissance palaeography, and history of book.- Life :...
it was written later in the 9th century. From the palaeographical point of view it looks older, but the regularity of the accentuation and the abundant colourful decoration, are uncharacteristic for the eighth century. The number of errors is remarkable small. According to Palau it was copied by a non-Greek, probably Latin scribe, in the 9th century, in an Italian location.
John of Ragusa
John of Ragusa was a Croatian Dominican theologian. He died at Lausanne, Switzerland in 1443.He was president of the Council of Basle, and a legate to Constantinople...
(1380–1443), who probably brought it from Constantinople when he visited the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
in 1431. It might have been a present from the Byzantine emperor. In time of that council several other manuscripts came to Europe from Byzantium: Codex Basiliensis A.N.IV.2, Minuscule 10
Minuscule 10
Minuscule 10 , ε 372 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 275 parchment leaves , dated palaeographically to the 13th century. It has complex contents with full marginalia.- Description :...
, and probably Codex Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...
. In 1559 it was presented to the monastery of the Preaching Friars
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
The codex was available to Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
for his New Testament, but he never used it. Probably the brethren of the monastery where it was kept, were unaware of its existence. It was transferred to the public library in 1559. The manuscript was used by John Mill
John Mill
John Mill was an English theologian. He is noted for his critical edition of the Greek New Testament which included notes on many variant readings.-Biography:...
in his edition of the Greek New Testament. The text of the manuscript was collated by Johann Jakob Wettstein
Johann Jakob Wettstein
Johann Jakob Wettstein was a Swiss theologian, best known as a New Testament critic.-Youth and study:...
. The manuscript is cited in the printed editions of the Greek New Testament since the 18th century.
Now it is housed in the Basel University Library
Basel University Library
The University Library of Basle is one of the biggest libraries in Switzerland. It is located at the University of Basel, at 18 – 20 Schönbeinstrasse. It is also Kantonsbibliothek of Basel-City....
(A. N. III. 12), Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Formerly it was held under the shelf-number B VI. 21 then K IV. 35.
The manuscript has been cited in all critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3, UBS4, NA26, NA27). It is rarely cited in NA27, as a witnesses of the third order.
See also
- List of New Testament uncials
- Family EFamily EFamily E is a textual group of the New Testament manuscripts. It belongs to the Byzantine text-type as one of its textual families, it is one of the primary early families of the Byzantine text-type...
- 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...
- Textual criticismTextual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
Further reading
- Russell Champlin, Family E and Its Allies in Matthew (Studies and Documents, XXIII; Salt Lake City, UT, 1967).
- J. Greelings, Family E and Its Allies in Mark (Studies and Documents, XXXI; Salt Lake City, UT, 1968).
- J. Greelings, Family E and Its Allies in Luke (Studies and Documents, XXXV; Salt Lake City, UT, 1968).
- F. Wisse, Family E and the Profile Method, Biblica 51, (1970), pp. 67–75.
- Annaclara Cataldi PalauAnnaclara Cataldi PalauAnnaclara Cataldi Palau, professor at the King's College London, Greek palaeographer; area of interest: Greek mediaeval and renaissance palaeography, and history of book.- Life :...
, “A Little Known Manuscript of the Gospels in ‘Maiuscola biblica’: Basil. Gr A. N. III. 12,” Byzantion 74 (2004): 463-516.
External links
- Codex Basilensis E (07): at the Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism
- Codex Basilensis E (07): at the Evangelecal Criticism