Codex Seidelianus I, also known as ''Codex Wolfii A'' and ''Codex Harleianus'', is a Greek

uncial Uncial is a majuscule script (written entirely in capital letters) commonly used from the 4th to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters were used to write Greek and Latin, as well as Gothic, and are the current style for ...

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

of the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...

written on

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

. It is designated by the

siglum Scribal abbreviations, or sigla (singular: siglum), are abbreviations used by ancient and medieval scribes writing in various languages, including Latin, Greek, Old English and Old Norse. In modern manuscript editing (substantive and mecha ...

G or 011 in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts, and ε 87 in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts. Using the study of comparative writing styles (

palaeography Palaeography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, UK) or paleography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, US) (ultimately from , , 'old', and , , 'to write') is the study and academic disciplin ...

), it has been assigned to the 9th or 10th century. The manuscript has some missing portions.

Description

The manuscript is a

codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

(precursor to the modern

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

format), containing the text of the four

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

s written on 252 parchment leaves (), with some gaps ( Matthew 1:1-6:6, 7:25-8:9, 8:23-9:2, 28:18-Mark 1:13, Mark 14:19-25, Luke 1:1-13, 5:4-7:3, 8:46-9:5, 12:27-41, 24:41-end, John 18:5-19, 19:4-27). The text is written 2 columns per page, 21 lines per page, by a "coarse hand." The text is divided according to the Ammonian Sections, whose numbers are given in the margin, with references to the

Eusebian Canons Eusebian canons, Eusebian sections or Eusebian apparatus, 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 of the Bible, chapters ...

(both early divisions of the gospels into referential sections). It contains the chapter titles (known as / ''titloi''). It has breathings and accents, but often irregularly. Each person mentioned anew in the genealogy in Luke 3 forms a separate line. Some of the missing portions are supplied on new pages by a later hand.

Text

The Greek text of this

is considered to be a secondary representative of the

Byzantine text-type In the textual criticism of the New Testament, the Byzantine text-type (also called Traditional Text, Ecclesiastical Text, Constantinopolitan Text, Antiocheian Text, or Syrian Text) is one of the main Textual criticism#New Testament, text types. ...

, with many of the non-Byzantine readings appearing to reflect the

Caesarean text-type In textual criticism of the New Testament, 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 Koine Greek manuscripts of the four Gospels, but ...

. The text-types are groups of different New Testament manuscripts which share specific or generally related readings, which then differ from each other group, and thus the conflicting readings can separate out the groups. These are then used to determine the original text as published; there are three main groups with names: Alexandrian,

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

. The Caesarean text-type however (initially identified by biblical scholar

Burnett Hillman Streeter Burnett Hillman Streeter (17 November 1874 – 10 September 1937) was an English Anglican theologian, biblical scholar, and textual critic. Life Streeter was born in Croydon, London, on 17 November 1874 and educated at The Queen's College, ...

) has been contested by several text-critics, such as Kurt and Barbara Aland. Kurt Aland gave it the textual profile 176 87 4 21: this means the text agrees with the Byzantine majority in 176 readings, 87 readings which it shares with the Byzantine and the "original" text, 4 agreements with the original text, and 21 distinctive readings; all of these are from specific "test" passages, chosen by Kurt Aland. Aland placed it in Category V of his New Testament manuscript classification system. Category V manuscripts are described as having "a purely or predominantly Byzantine text." Textual critic

Hermann von Soden Baron Hermann von Soden (16 August 1852 – 15 January 1914) was a German Biblical scholar, minister, professor of divinity, and textual theorist. Life Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 16, 1852, Soden was educated at the University of Tübinge ...

classified it to the family K. According to the

Claremont Profile Method The Claremont Profile Method is a method for classifying ancient manuscripts of the Bible. It was elaborated by Ernest Cadman Colwell and his students. Professor Frederik Wisse attempted to establish an accurate and rapid procedure for the classi ...

(a specific analysis of textual data), it belongs to the textual family K in Luke chapter 1, 20, and 20.

History

The codex was brought from the East to Germany by scholar Andrew Erasmus Seidel († 1718). After his death in 1718, it was acquired by Maturin Veyssière de La Croze, the royal librarian in Berlin, and presented to

Johann Christoph Wolf Johann Christoph Wolf (February 21, 1683, at Wernigerode – July 25, 1739, at Hamburg) was a German Christian Hebraist, polymath, and collector of books. He studied at Wittenberg, and traveled in Holland and England in the interest of science, c ...

, who published extracts from its text in 1723. The codex was barbarously mutilated in 1721 in order to send pieces to Bentley. Most of them were purchased by Eduard Harley. Some fragments were found by biblical scholar Samuel P. Tregelles in 1845. Tregelles collated its text in 1847. The codex was known to textual critic Johann J. Wettstein, who gave it the siglum G. Textual critic Johann J. Griesbach designated it by the same siglum.J. J. Griesbach
''Novum Testamentum Graece''
Londini 1809, s. XCIX It later became part of the library of Edward Harley, and is now located in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

(shelf number Harley MS 5684), and one page, which Wolff gave to

Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellenis ...

, is in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

(

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

B. XVII. 20).

References

External links

* R. Waltz
Codex Seidelianus G^e (011)
at the ''Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism'' (2007)
Images
at the ''British Library''
Harley MS 5684
BL {{DEFAULTSORT:Seidelianus I Greek New Testament uncials 9th-century biblical manuscripts Harleian Collection

Description

Text

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links