Lectionary 300
Encyclopedia
Lectionary 300 designated by siglum ℓ 300 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering) is a Greek
manuscript
of the New Testament
, written on parchment. Palaeographically
it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript is written in gold and contains Gospel lessons for selected days. It was named as "Gospel of Theodosius".
, Matthew
, and Luke
(Evangelistarium) on 204 parchment leaves measuring . The text is written in large golden letters described by at least one observer as beautiful.
It contains breathings (rough breathing and smooth breathing) and accents and some images. The text is divided into verses as in modern editions of the Bible.
The text is written in Greek uncial letters in two columns per page and 16 lines per page. The manuscript contains lessons for selected days, opening with the Gospel lessons for the first five days of Easter
week and followed by 65 more lessons from other parts of the yearly services.
to the 11th century.
The manuscript was probably seen in 1761 by the Italian traveller, Vitaliano Donati
, when he visited the Monastery of Saint Catherine
at Sinai. His diary, published in 1879, notes:
The "Bible on beautiful vellum" noted above is probably the Codex Sinaiticus
and the gold evangelistarium is likely Lectionary 300.
Others who saw it later include Dean Burgon (1862), M. E. Young, J. Dury Geden (1864), and Victor Gardthausen
. The manuscript was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Caspar René Gregory
as number 300e. Frederick Scrivener
cataloged the manuscript as 286e on his list.
The manuscript is not cited in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3,UBS4).
Currently the codex is housed at the Saint Catherine's Monastery
(Gr. 204) in Sinai Peninsula
.
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;...
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 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....
, written on parchment. 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...
it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript is written in gold and contains Gospel lessons for selected days. It was named as "Gospel of Theodosius".
Description
The codex contains lessons from the Gospel of JohnGospel 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...
, 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...
, and 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...
(Evangelistarium) on 204 parchment leaves measuring . The text is written in large golden letters described by at least one observer as beautiful.
It contains breathings (rough breathing and smooth breathing) and accents and some images. The text is divided into verses as in modern editions of the Bible.
The text is written in Greek uncial letters in two columns per page and 16 lines per page. The manuscript contains lessons for selected days, opening with the Gospel lessons for the first five days of Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
week and followed by 65 more lessons from other parts of the yearly services.
History
According to tradition it was supposedly written by the Emperor Theodosius († 395). However, in 1864, J. Dury Geden called this absurd and suggested that Theodosius III (716) was probably intended. Today, it is now dated on palaeographical grounds as much later still. Scrivener dated the manuscript to the 9th-11th century, Gardthausen and C. R. Gregory dated it to the 10th or 11th century. It is presently assigned by the INTFInstitute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is an institute for the investigation of the text of the New Testament. The INTF was founded in Münster in 1959 by Professor Kurt Aland , the first director of the Institute...
to the 11th century.
The manuscript was probably seen in 1761 by the Italian traveller, Vitaliano Donati
Vitaliano Donati
Vitaliano Donati , born in Padua in Italy, was an Italian doctor, archeologist, and botanist. He took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1739....
, when he visited the Monastery of Saint Catherine
Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Saint Catherine's Monastery lies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in the city of Saint Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
at Sinai. His diary, published in 1879, notes:
"In questo monastero ritrovai una quantità grandissima di codici membranacei... ve ne sono alcuni che mi sembravano anteriori al settimo secolo, ed in ispecie una Bibbia in membrane bellissime, assai grandi, sottili, e quadre, scritta in carattere rotondo e belissimo; conservano poi in chiesa un Evangelistario greco in caractere d'oro rotondo, che dovrebbe pur essere assai antico".
In this monastery I found a great number of parchment codices ... there are some which seemed to be written before the seventh century, and especially a Bible (made) of beautiful, very large, thin and square parchments, written in round and very beautiful letters; moreover there are also in the church a Greek Evangelistarium in gold and round letters, it should be very old.
The "Bible on beautiful vellum" noted above is probably the 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...
and the gold evangelistarium is likely Lectionary 300.
Others who saw it later include Dean Burgon (1862), M. E. Young, J. Dury Geden (1864), and Victor Gardthausen
Victor Gardthausen
Victor Emil Gardthausen was a German ancient historian, palaeographer, librarian, and Professor from Leipzig University. He was author and co-author of some books; editor of ancient texts.- Life :...
. The manuscript was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Caspar René Gregory
Caspar René Gregory
Caspar René Gregory was a American-born German theologian theologian.-Life:Gregory was born in Philadelphia. He studied theology at two Presbyterian seminaries: in 1865-67 at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton Theological Seminary...
as number 300e. Frederick Scrivener
Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener
The Reverend Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener, LL.D. was an important text critic of the New Testament and a member of the English New Testament Revision Committee which produced the Revised Version of the Bible...
cataloged the manuscript as 286e on his list.
The manuscript is not cited in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3,UBS4).
Currently the codex is housed at the Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Saint Catherine's Monastery lies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in the city of Saint Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
(Gr. 204) in Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
.
See also
- List of New Testament lectionaries
- 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...
- Lectionary 297Lectionary 297Lectionary 297 , designated by siglum ℓ 297 is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment...