Minuscule 540
Encyclopedia
Minuscule 540 ε 334 (in Soden's numbering), is a Greek
minuscule manuscript
of the New Testament
, on a parchment. Palaeographically
it has been assigned to the 14th century.
Scrivener labelled it by number 553.
It has marginalia
. The manuscript has no complex context.
, on 27 parchment leaves (size ), with some lacunae
(3:21-4:13; 4:37-7:29; 8:15-27; 9:9-10:5; 10:29-12:32). It is written in one column per page, 17-21 lines per page. According to Scrivener it is neatly written. The original codex consist 48 leaves.
The error of itacism
is rare (20 occurrences); it has iota subscript
um; error of homoioteleuton is found only in Mark 9:38; N εφελκυστικον occurs 25 times, mostly with ειπεν.
The text is divided according to the (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, with their (titles of chapters) at the top of the pages. There is also a division according to the smaller Ammonian Sections
, with references to the Eusebian Canons (written below Ammonian Section numbers).
. Aland
placed it in Category V.
In 1864 the manuscript was purchased from a dealer at Janina
in Epeiros, by Baroness Burdett-Coutts
(1814–1906), a philanthropist, together with other Greek manuscripts (among them codices 532
-546
). They were transported to England in 1870-1871.
The manuscript was presented by Burdett-Coutts to Sir Roger Cholmely's School, and was housed at the Highgate (Burdett-Coutts II. 26. 1), in London. It was examined and collated by Scrivener in his Adversaria critica sacra (as m).
It was added to the list of the New Testament manuscripts by F. H. A. Scrivener (553) and C. R. Gregory (540). Gregory saw it in 1883.
It was digitalised by the CSNTM.
It is currently housed at the University of Michigan
(Ms. Inv. No. 23a) in Ann Arbor
.
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;...
minuscule 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....
, on a 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 14th century.
Scrivener labelled it by number 553.
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...
. The manuscript has no complex context.
Description
The codex contains the text of the Gospel of MarkGospel 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...
, on 27 parchment leaves (size ), with some 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...
(3:21-4:13; 4:37-7:29; 8:15-27; 9:9-10:5; 10:29-12:32). It is written in one column per page, 17-21 lines per page. According to Scrivener it is neatly written. The original codex consist 48 leaves.
The error of itacism
Iotacism
Iotacism is the process by which a number of vowels and diphthongs in Ancient Greek converged in pronunciation so that they all sound like iota in Modern Greek....
is rare (20 occurrences); it has iota subscript
Iota subscript
Iota subscript in Greek polytonic orthography is a way of writing the letter iota as a small vertical stroke beneath a vowel. It was used in the so-called "long diphthongs" in Ancient Greek, that is, diphthongs the first part of which is a long vowel: and...
um; error of homoioteleuton is found only in Mark 9:38; N εφελκυστικον occurs 25 times, mostly with ειπεν.
The text is divided according to the (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, with their (titles of chapters) at the top of the pages. There is also a division according to the smaller 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).
Text
The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the ByzantineByzantine 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...
. 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 V.
History
C. R. Gregory dated the manuscript to the 14th century. Currently it is dated by the INTF to the 14th century.In 1864 the manuscript was purchased from a dealer at Janina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
in Epeiros, by Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts , born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a nineteenth-century philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and the former Sophia Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts...
(1814–1906), a philanthropist, together with other Greek manuscripts (among them codices 532
Minuscule 532
Minuscule 532 , ε 255 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.Scrivener labeled it number 545....
-546
Minuscule 546
Minuscule 546 , ε 511 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. It is dated palaeographically to the 13th century. It has some marginalia, the scribe has made numerous errors....
). They were transported to England in 1870-1871.
The manuscript was presented by Burdett-Coutts to Sir Roger Cholmely's School, and was housed at the Highgate (Burdett-Coutts II. 26. 1), in London. It was examined and collated by Scrivener in his Adversaria critica sacra (as m).
It was added to the list of the New Testament manuscripts by F. H. A. Scrivener (553) and C. R. Gregory (540). Gregory saw it in 1883.
It was digitalised by the CSNTM.
It is currently housed at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(Ms. Inv. No. 23a) in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
.
See also
- List of New Testament minuscules
- 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
- Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener, Adversaria Critica Sacra: With a Short Explanatory Introduction (Cambridge, 1893), pp. XLVI-XLVII. (as m)
- Kenneth W. Clark, A Descriptive Catalogue of Greek New Testament Manuscripts in America (Chicago, 1937), pp. 293-294.
External links
- Images of the minuscule 540 at the CSNTM