Codex Koridethi
Encyclopedia
The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 050 (Soden), 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. There are gaps in the text: Matthew
1:1–9, 1:21–4:4, and 4:17–5:4 are missing.
The letters are written in a rough, inelegant hand. The scribe who wrote the text is believed to have been unfamiliar with Greek.
The codex is located now in Tbilisi
(Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
, Gr. 28).
Kala/Caucasia:
In the year 1853 a certain Bartholomeé visited a long abandoned monastery in Kala, a little village in the Caucasian mountains near the Georgian/Russian border (some miles south east of the 5600m high Elbrus). There, in an old church, far off every civilisation, he discovered the MS. The MS rested there probably for several hundred years (Beermann: ca. 1300–1869).
Koridethi:
Before this time the MS was in a town called Koridethi. This was a village near the Black Sea
, near today's Batumi
in Georgia
. There should still be some ruins of a monastery. Notes in the Gospel indicate dates from ca. 965 CE on. At around this time, according to a note, the book has been rebound. The book was there until around 1300 CE.
Further south, Armenia:
A Greek inscription mentions the city of Tephrice or Tephrike : "I, Kurines, Comes of the comandant of the city Tephrice came to the castelles and went back to the fort of the Great Martyrs(?)." Even though the content and meaning is not completely clear, the city Tephrice is clear. The town was destroyed in 873. It was on a line between today's Sivas and Malatya in Turkey/Armenia. Beermann's conclusion therefore is (p. 581) that the codex must be older than 873 CE. Beermann speculates that the "fort of the Great Martyr
s" (if correctly deciphered) might have been Martyropolis, a town near the Wan Lake, near today's Batman in Turkey.
Witness of Byzantine text-type
In 2007 the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
edited The Gospel According to John in the Byzantine Tradition. Koridethi is cited in the apparatus. In the Introduction to this edition is written: "Manuscript 038 (Θ) represents a text on the boundary of what might reasonably be considered a manuscript of the Byzantine tradition in John".
ch. 1-14, Luke
, and John
is more or less Byzantine
, while Mark
is Caesarean
. The text of the Matthew
ch. 14-28 is Alexandrian
. Aland
placed it in Category II
. It lacks the text of the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11).
Matthew 1:11
Matthew 8:13
Matthew 10:12
Matthew 20:23
Matthew 27:16
Matthew 27:35
In Mark 9:49 it has unique textual variant πας γαρ πυρι αναλωθησεται instead of πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται.
In Luke 14:5 it has singular reading ὄνος υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς for υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς;
In Luke 23:34 omitted words: "And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do." This omission is supported by the manuscripts Papyrus 75
, Sinaiticusa, B, D*, W
, 0124
, 1241, a
, Codex Bezaelat, syrs, copsa, copbo.
In John 6:1 it reads της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος – along with D
, 892
, 1009, 1230, 1253
;
In John 7:71 it reads απο Καρυωτου for Ισκαριωτου, the reading of the codex is supported by Sinaiticus, f13, syrh;
John 18:11
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. It is written in Greek with 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:...
script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page. There are gaps in the text: 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...
1:1–9, 1:21–4:4, and 4:17–5:4 are missing.
The letters are written in a rough, inelegant hand. The scribe who wrote the text is believed to have been unfamiliar with Greek.
The codex is located now in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
(Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
The Georgian National Center of Manuscripts is a research and educational institution dedicated to studying old manuscripts and historical documents. The Center is based in Tbilisi . Was founded as Institute of Manuscripts on June 30, 1958...
, Gr. 28).
Name and history
Many people think that the text gets its name from the town in which it was discovered. This is not correct. The Editio Princeps by Beermann and Gregory states:Kala/Caucasia:
In the year 1853 a certain Bartholomeé visited a long abandoned monastery in Kala, a little village in the Caucasian mountains near the Georgian/Russian border (some miles south east of the 5600m high Elbrus). There, in an old church, far off every civilisation, he discovered the MS. The MS rested there probably for several hundred years (Beermann: ca. 1300–1869).
Koridethi:
Before this time the MS was in a town called Koridethi. This was a village near the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, near today's Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. There should still be some ruins of a monastery. Notes in the Gospel indicate dates from ca. 965 CE on. At around this time, according to a note, the book has been rebound. The book was there until around 1300 CE.
Further south, Armenia:
A Greek inscription mentions the city of Tephrice or Tephrike : "I, Kurines, Comes of the comandant of the city Tephrice came to the castelles and went back to the fort of the Great Martyrs(?)." Even though the content and meaning is not completely clear, the city Tephrice is clear. The town was destroyed in 873. It was on a line between today's Sivas and Malatya in Turkey/Armenia. Beermann's conclusion therefore is (p. 581) that the codex must be older than 873 CE. Beermann speculates that the "fort of the Great Martyr
Great martyr
Great Martyr or Great-Martyr is a classification of saints who are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople....
s" (if correctly deciphered) might have been Martyropolis, a town near the Wan Lake, near today's Batman in Turkey.
Witness of Byzantine text-type
In 2007 the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft is a religious foundation regulated by public law. It is involved in publishing and in spreading the message of the Bible....
edited The Gospel According to John in the Byzantine Tradition. Koridethi is cited in the apparatus. In the Introduction to this edition is written: "Manuscript 038 (Θ) represents a text on the boundary of what might reasonably be considered a manuscript of the Byzantine tradition in John".
Text of the codex
The text-type of MatthewGospel 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...
ch. 1-14, 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...
is more or less Byzantine
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...
, while Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
is Caesarean
Caesarean text-type
Caesarean text-type is the term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings that is claimed to be apparent in certain Greek manuscripts of the four Gospels, but which is not found in any of the other commonly recognized New Testament text-types; the Byzantine...
. The text of the 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...
ch. 14-28 is Alexandrian
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...
. Aland
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...
placed it in Category II
Categories of New Testament manuscripts
New Testament manuscripts in Greek are categorized into five groups, according to a scheme introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in Der Text des Neuen Testaments. The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the various text-types. Generally speaking, earlier Alexandrian...
. It lacks the text of the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11).
Matthew 1:11
- It reads Ιωσιας δε εγεννησεν τον Ιωακειμ, Ιωακειμ δε εγεννησεν τον Ιεχονιαν instead of Ιωσιας δε εγεννησεν τον Ιεχονιαν. The reading is supported by Codex CampianusCodex CampianusCodex Campianus designated by M or 021 , ε 72 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...
, f1Family 1Family 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...
, 33Minuscule 33Minuscule 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...
, 258Minuscule 258Minuscule 258 , ε 388 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 13th century.- Description :...
, 478Minuscule 478Minuscule 478 , α 1126 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 10th century. Scrivener labeled it by number 575...
, 661, 791Minuscule 791 (Gregory-Aland)Minuscule 791 , ε464 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...
, 954, 1216, 1230, 1354, 1604, ℓ 54Lectionary 54Lectionary 54, designated by siglum ℓ 54 . It is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on paper leaves. It is dated by a colophon to the year 1470.- Description :...
.
Matthew 8:13
- It has additional text: (and when the centurion returned to the house in that hour, he found the slave well) as well as codices אCodex SinaiticusCodex 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...
*, CCodex Ephraemi RescriptusCodex Ephraemi Rescriptus is an early 5th century Greek manuscript of the Bible, the last in the group of the four great uncial manuscripts...
, (NCodex Petropolitanus PurpureusCodex 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...
), 0250, f1Family 1Family 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...
, (33Minuscule 33Minuscule 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), g1Codex Sangermanensis IThe Codex Sangermanensis I, designated by g1 or 7 , is a 7th or 8th century Latin manuscript of the New Testament. The text, written on vellum, is a version of the Latin. The manuscript contains the Vulgate Bible, on 191 leaves of which, in the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew contain Old...
, syrh.
Matthew 10:12
- It reads λεγοντες ειρηνη τω οικω τουτω instead of αυτην. The reading is used by manuscripts: Sinaiticus*,2Codex SinaiticusCodex 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...
, BezaeCodex BezaeThe Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
, RegiusCodex Regius (New Testament)Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
, 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...
, f 1Family 1Family 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...
1010 (1424), it vgcl.
Matthew 20:23
- phrase (and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with) omitted, as in codices Sinaiticus, B, DCodex BezaeThe Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
, LCodex Regius (New Testament)Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
, ZCodex DublinensisCodex Dublinensis designated by Z or 035 , ε 26 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 6th century. The manuscript is lacunose.- Description :...
, 085Uncial 085Uncial 085 , ε 23 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated palaeographically to the 6th century.- Description :...
, f1, f13, it, syrs, c, copsa.
Matthew 27:16
- it has famous textual variant "Ιησουν τον Βαραββαν" (Jesus Barabbas). This variant contain Minuscule 700Minuscule 700Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the Gospels. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogues , Gregory gave it the number 700....
, and manuscripts of the textual family f1Family 1Family 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...
.
Matthew 27:35
- τα ιματια μου εαυτοις, και επι τον ιματισμον μου εβαλον κληρον — Δ, Θ, 0250Codex Climaci RescriptusCodex Climaci rescriptus, known as Uncial 0250 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament as well as a Christian Palestinian Aramaic uncial manuscript of the Old and New Testament. Paleographically the Greek section has been assigned to the 8th century , and the Christian Palestinian...
, f1Family 1Family 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...
, f13Family 13Family 13, also known Ferrar Group , is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings — especially in placing the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of Luke, rather than in...
, 537Minuscule 537Minuscule 537 , ε 334 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on a parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. Scrivener labelled it by number 550. The manuscript was prepared for liturgical use, its marginalia are not complete...
, 1424Minuscule 1424Minuscule 1424 , δ 30 is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on 337 parchment leaves . It has been dated paleographically to the 9th or 10th century).- Description :...
.
In Mark 9:49 it has unique textual variant πας γαρ πυρι αναλωθησεται instead of πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται.
In Luke 14:5 it has singular reading ὄνος υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς for υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς;
In Luke 23:34 omitted words: "And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do." This omission is supported by the manuscripts Papyrus 75
Papyrus 75
Papyrus 75 is an early Greek New Testament papyrus.- Description :Originally '[it] contained about 144 pages ... of which 102 have survived, either in whole or in part.' It 'contains about half the text of ... two Gospels' – Luke and John in Greek...
, Sinaiticusa, B, D*, W
Codex Washingtonianus
The 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...
, 0124
Uncial 070
Uncial 070 , ε 6 , is a Greek-Coptic diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 6th century....
, 1241, a
Codex Vercellensis
The title Codex Vercellensis refers to two manuscript codices preserved in the cathedral library of Vercelli, in the Piedmont Region, Italy.- Old Latin Codex Vercellensis :...
, Codex Bezaelat, syrs, copsa, copbo.
In John 6:1 it reads της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος – along with D
Codex Bezae
The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
, 892
Minuscule 892
Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.- Description :...
, 1009, 1230, 1253
Minuscule 1253
Minuscule 1253 , Θε64 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on paper. Palaeografically it has been assigned to the 15th century...
;
In John 7:71 it reads απο Καρυωτου for Ισκαριωτου, the reading of the codex is supported by Sinaiticus, f13, syrh;
John 18:11
- παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα απολουνταιν – Θ
Further reading
- K. LakeKirsopp LakeKirsopp Lake was a New Testament scholar and Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard Divinity School. He had an uncommon breadth of interests, publishing definitive monographs in New Testament textual criticism, Greek palaeography, theology, and archaeology...
, R. P. BlakeRobert Pierpont BlakeRobert Pierpont Blake was an American Byzantinist and scholar of the Armenian and Georgian cultures.Robert P. Blake was born in San Francisco on November 1, 1886. As a John Harvard Traveling Fellow, he chiefly studied and worked, between 1911 and 1918, in Russia where he mastered Russian and began...
, The Text of the Gospels and the Koridethi Codex, The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul. 1923), pp. 267–286. - B. H. StreeterBurnett Hillman StreeterBurnett Hillman Streeter was a British biblical scholar and textual critic.-Life:He was educated at Queen's College, Oxford. Streeter was ordained in 1899 and was a member of the Archbishop’s Commission on Doctrine in the Church of England...
, The Four Gospels. A study of origins the manuscript traditions, sources, authorship, & dates, Oxford 1924, ss. 77-107. - Herman C. HoskierHerman C. HoskierHerman Charles Hoskier , was a biblical scholar, British textual critic, and son of a merchant banker, Herman Hoskier .Hoskier, as textual critic, supported the Byzantine text-type against the Alexandrian text-type...
, Collation of Koridethi with Scrivener's Reprint of Stephen III, BBC 6 (1929), pp. 31–56. - F. G. KenyonFrederic 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...
, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts (4th ed.), London 1939.
External links
- The Koridethi MS. and the Text of Caesarea
- Codex Koridethi at the Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism