Codex Copticus Tischendorfianus I
Encyclopedia
Codex Copticus Tischendorfianus I, is a Coptic
uncial manuscript
of the four Gospel
s, dated palaeographically
to the 10th or 11th century. Originally it contained the text of the four Gospel
s. It is written in Sahidic dialect of Coptic language
. It is classified on the list of Coptic manuscripts of the New Testament on the position sa 181. The manuscript has survived in a fragmentary condition.
The column block seems as much as possible breaking the words on the banks; punctuation mark are given in the centre of lines, with only small spaces. Diaeresis is used after the usual circumference. The Old Testament
quotation in John 1:23 is marked by an obelus
at the margin. It is unusual because the quotations usually are marked by inverted comma, obelus is used only for a spurious text.
The text is divided into κεφαλαια (chapters), whose numbers are given at the left margin. The text of Matthew and Luke is divided according to the Greek way, the text of John - according to the Coptic way.
The Nomina Sacra
are written in contracted way.
It contains only fragments of the Gospels: Matthew
, Luke
, and John
.
Contents
The text of the codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
.
in 1853 in Sinai and was brought by him to Petersburg.
It was examined by George William Horner
and Oscar Eduardovich Lemm
. Lemm edited text of the codex.
Currently it is housed at the National Library of Russia (K.N.S. 49-50) in Saint Petersburg
and in Pushkin Museum
(Golishneff Copt. 6) in Moscow
.
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...
uncial 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 Gospel
Gospel
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, dated palaeographically
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 10th or 11th century. Originally it contained the text of the four Gospel
Gospel
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. It is written in Sahidic dialect of Coptic language
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...
. It is classified on the list of Coptic manuscripts of the New Testament on the position sa 181. The manuscript has survived in a fragmentary condition.
Description
The codex contains 6-7 fragmentary leaves, and seven small fragments. The size of original page was (37 centimetres (14.6 in) by 27.5 centimetres (10.8 in)). The text is written in two columns per page, in 12-18 lines per page (original in 20 lines per page). The initial letters are written at the margin of column; they are increased simply and are formed about 3 lines or 3-5 lines.The column block seems as much as possible breaking the words on the banks; punctuation mark are given in the centre of lines, with only small spaces. Diaeresis is used after the usual circumference. The Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
quotation in John 1:23 is marked by an obelus
Obelus
An obelus is a symbol consisting of a short horizontal line with a dot above and below. It is mainly used to represent the mathematical operation of division. It is therefore commonly referred to as the division sign.- History :The word "obelus" comes from the Greek word for a sharpened stick,...
at the margin. It is unusual because the quotations usually are marked by inverted comma, obelus is used only for a spurious text.
The text is divided into κεφαλαια (chapters), whose numbers are given at the left margin. The text of Matthew and Luke is divided according to the Greek way, the text of John - according to the Coptic way.
The Nomina Sacra
Nomina sacra
Nomina sacra means "sacred names" in Latin, and can be used to refer to traditions of abbreviated writing of several frequently occurring divine names or titles in early Greek language Holy Scripture...
are written in contracted way.
It contains only fragments of the Gospels: Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
, 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...
, and John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
.
Contents
- Matthew 26:65-66; 27:3-6.11-17.23-24.37-40.49-51.57-58;28:1-2.3-5.10-11.13;
- Luke 7:16-24.26-33.36-8:3; 24:1-7.11-17.19-25.29-35.39-44.49-53;
- John 1:4-10.13-17.20-25.29-33.37-42.45-50.52-2:8.11-15.19-24; 3:2-6.10-15.19-23.27-31.34-4:5.9-13.18-22.25-29.35-38.
The text of the codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
.
History
The manuscript was discovered by Constantin von TischendorfConstantin von Tischendorf
Lobegott Friedrich Constantin Tischendorf was a noted German Biblical scholar. He deciphered the Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, a 5th century Greek manuscript of the New Testament, in the 1840s, and rediscovered the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century New Testament manuscript, in 1859.Tischendorf...
in 1853 in Sinai and was brought by him to Petersburg.
It was examined by George William Horner
George William Horner
George William Horner , was a biblical scholar, editor of the text of the New Testament in dialects of Coptic language.Bohairic version Horner edited in 4 volumes from 1898 to 1905, Sahidic version edited in 7 volumes from 1911 to 1924....
and Oscar Eduardovich Lemm
Oscar Eduardovich Lemm
Oscar Eduardovich Lemm , Egyptologist and Coptologist, one of the best Russian researchers of Coptic writings.-Life:Lemm had studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the University of Leipzig ....
. Lemm edited text of the codex.
Currently it is housed at the National Library of Russia (K.N.S. 49-50) in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and in Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
(Golishneff Copt. 6) in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
See also
- List of the Coptic New Testament manuscripts
- Coptic versions of the BibleCoptic versions of the BibleThere have been many Coptic versions of the Bible, including some of the earliest translations into any language. Several different versions were made in the ancient world, with different editions of the Old and New Testament in all four of the major dialects of Coptic: Bohairic , Fayyumic, Sahidic...
- 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...
Further reading
- Horner, Southern Dialect (Oxford 1911, 325)
- Franz-Jürgen Schmitz, Gerd Mink, Liste der koptischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments (Walter de GruyterWalter de GruyterWalter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG is a scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. Its origins date back to 1749 when it was given the right to print books by King Frederick II of Prussia. -De Gruyter Mouton:...
: 1986), pp. 451–452