Codex Athous Lavrensis

The Codex Athous Laurae is a manuscript of the New Testament written in Greek uncial letters on parchment. It is designated by Ψ or 044 in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts, and δ 6 in the von Soden numbering of New Testament Manuscripts. The manuscript has many gaps in the text, as well as containing handwritten notes (known as marginalia). Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), the codex is dated to the 8th or 9th century.Template:R The codex is currently kept in the Great Lavra monastery (B' 52) on the Athos peninsula.

Description

The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book), containing 261 parchment leaves (sized ), with the text-block being . The text is written in small uncial letters, in one column of 31 lines per page.Template:R These letters have breathings (utilised to designate vowel emphasis) and accents (used to indicate voiced pitch changes).Template:R The codex contains a table of contents ("" / kephalaia) before each book, the Ammonian Sections and Eusebian Canons (early systems of dividing the four Gospels into different sections), lectionary notes in the margin (for liturgical use), musical notes (neumes), and subscriptions. It is considered one of the oldest manuscripts with musical notes.

Textual overview

The codex originally contained the entire New Testament except for the Book of Revelation, with several gaps at both the beginning and end. The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark 1:1-9:4,Template:R and one leaf from Hebrews with text 8:11-9:19 have subsequently been lost.

The order of the codex's books are as follows:

• the four Gospels
• the Acts of the Apostles
• the General epistles
• the Pauline epistles

The General epistles are in an unusual order (1-2 Peter, James, 1-3 John, and Jude; James usually comes before 1 Peter). There is also a shorter ending to the Gospel of Mark before the longer version. This is similar to the ending found in other Greek New Testament manuscripts, such as Codex Regius and all other Greek codices in which the general epistles appear.Template:RTemplate:Rp

History

The manuscript was seen by biblical scholar Caspar René Gregory on August 26, 1886. He described it as the first of its kind. In 1892, the biblical scholar J. Rendel Harris did not examine the codex even though he was on a visit to Mount Athos, as he was only inspecting the Septuagint (an early Greek translation of the Old Testament) manuscripts there. Von Goltz and Protestant theologian Georg Wobbermin had collated the text of Acts, the general epistles, and Pauline epistles for biblical scholar Hermann von Soden. The codex was examined by biblical scholar Kirsopp Lake in 1899, who thoroughly examined the Gospel of Mark and collated the text of the gospels of Luke and John. He did not examine the text of Acts and the epistles because, according to Soden, their text was ordinary. In 1903, Lake published the text of the Gospel of Mark 9:5-16:20, and a collation of the gospels of Luke, John, and the Epistle to the Colossians in Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica.Template:R

Textual variants

The Greek text of this codex is considered a representative of the Byzantine text-type, but with a large portion of Alexandrian readings, as well as some Western readings.Template:R The text-types are groups of different 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, which are then used to determine the original text as published; there are three main groups with names: Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine.Template:R

Despite being an unusually mixed text, von Soden lists it as generally Alexandrian due to the Gospel of Mark and the General Epistles being mostly in-line with the Alexandrian text-type. In the Gospel of Luke and John, the Byzantine element is predominate, but with a larger proportion of Alexandrian readings than in Codex Sangallensis 48.Template:R The text of the General Epistles appeared to be the same type as found in Codex Alexandrinus, Minuscule 33, Minuscule 81, and Minuscule 436. Biblical scholar Kurt Aland placed the text of the codex in Category III in the Gospels, Acts, Pauline Epistles, and its text of the General Epistles in Category II of his New Testament manuscript text classification system.Template:R Category III manuscripts are described as having "a small but not a negligible proportion of early readings, with a considerable encroachment of [Byzantine] readings, and significant readings from other sources as yet unidentified",Template:R and Category II manuscripts as those "of a special quality, i.e., manuscripts with a considerable proportion of the early text, but which are marked by alien influences. These influences are usually of smoother, improved readings, and in later periods by infiltration by the Byzantine text."Template:R

and , along with (the Pericope Adulterae), are omitted.Template:R

Some textual variants

(and every sacrifice shall be consumed) - Ψ

(and every sacrifice salted with salt) - Majority of manuscripts

omit. - B L Δ 0274 ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 28* 700 sy^s sa bo^pt.Template:Rp

(and be joined to his wife)

omit. – Ψ א‎ B 892 ℓ 48 sy^s goth

incl. - Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:Rp

(do not defraud)

omit. - Ψ B^* K W Δ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 28 579 700 1010 1079 1242 1546 2148 ℓ 10 ℓ 950 ℓ 1642 ℓ 1761 sy^s arm geo

incl. - B^c2 Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(the beloved, in Whom I am well pleased) – Ψ C³ D ℓ 19 ℓ 31 ℓ 47 ℓ 48 ℓ 49 ℓ 49^m ℓ 183 ℓ 183^m ℓ 211^m

(the chosen) – Template:Papyrus link Template:Papyrus link Template:Larger B L Ξ 892 1241

(the beloved) – Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(eternal life) – Ψ א‎ C^(*) D L 0100 ƒ¹³ it vg^mss sy^{p, h**} sa bo

(eternal life) - Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(from Jerusalem) – Ψ D 181 436 614 2412 ℓ 147 ℓ 809 ℓ 1021 ℓ 1141 ℓ 1364 ℓ 1439 ar d gig vg Chrysostom

(to Jerusalem) – א‎ B H L P 049 056 0142 81 88 326 330 451 629 1241 1505 1877 2492 2495 Majority of manuscripts Lect

(from Jerusalem) – Template:Papyrus link A 33 69 630 2127

(to Antioch) – 97^mg 110 328 424^mg 425^c

(to Antioch) – ℓ 38

(from Jerusalem to Antioch) – E 322 323

(from Jerusalem to Antioch) – 429 945 1739 e p sy^p sa geo

(to Jerusalem to Antioch) – 104 sa^mssTemplate:R

(with a written letter by their hand, having the following contents:) - Ψ

(being written by their hand) – Template:Papyrus link Template:Papyrus link א‎* A B bo

(having written this by their hand) – א‎^c E (33) Majority of manuscripts sy^h

(having written by their hand a letter, containing this:) – C ar c gig w geo

(having written a letter by their hand, containing this:) – D d

(having written a letter by their hand, and sent it containing this:) – 614Template:R

(the way of God) – Ψ P 049 0142 104 330 451 1241 1877 2127 2492 Majority of manuscripts Lect

(the way of God) – Template:Papyrus link Template:Larger A B 33 614 1175 vgTemplate:R

(remaining within Gullion. On the next day) - Ψ

(and remained in Trogyllium, on the next day) - Majority of manuscripts

(and on the next day) - Template:Papyrus link Template:Papyrus link Template:Larger A B C E 33 453 1175 1739 1891 2818 vg boTemplate:R

(of the Lord) – Ψ Template:Papyrus link A C* D E 33 36 453 945 1739 1891

(of God) - Template:Larger B 614 1175 1505 vg sy bo^ms; Cyr

(of the Lord and God) - C³ Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(Gauda) – Ψ

(Kauda) – 𝔓74 Template:Larger^c B 1175 lat sy^p

(Klauda) – Template:Larger* A^(vid) 33 81 614 945 1505 1739 vg^mss sy^h

(Klaudan) – L 323. 1241 Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves)

omit. – Ψ Template:Papyrus link א‎ A B E 048 33 81 1175 1739 2464

incl. - Majority of manuscriptsTemplate:R

(of Jesus, not living according to [the] flesh) – Ψ A D^b Minuscule 81 629 2127 vg

(of Jesus) – א‎^* B D G 1739 1881 it^{d, g} sa bo eth

(of Jesus, not living according to [the] flesh, but according to [the] Spirit) – א‎^c D^c K P 33 88 104 181 326 330 (436 omit μη) 456 614 630 1241 1877 1962 1984 1985 2492 2495 Majority of manuscripts LectTemplate:R

insert after – Ψ L 0209 181 326 330 451 460 614 1241 1877 1881 1984 1985 2492 2495

insert after – Template:Papyrus linkTemplate:R

(witness) – Ψ B D G P 33 81 104 181 326 330 451 614 629 630 1241 1739 1877 1881 1962 1984 2127 2492 2495 Majority of manuscripts Lect it vg sy^h sa arm eth

(mystery) - Template:Papyrus link^(vid) Template:Larger* A C ar r sy^p bo; Hipp BasA Ambst

(salvation) - 489 ℓ 598^pt ℓ 599 Template:R

(prayer) – Ψ Template:Papyrus link Template:Papyrus link א‎* A B C D G P 6 33 81 104 181 629 630 1739 1877 1881 1962 it vg cop arm eth.

(fasting and prayer) – Template:Larger² K L 365 1241 1505 Majority of manuscripts sy

(prayer and fasting) – 230 451 JoDamTemplate:R

(gifts of healing by the one Spirit) – Ψ A B 33 81 104 436 630 (1739 omits ) 1881 it vg

(gifts of healing by his Spirit) – א‎ C³ D G K P 0201 88 181 330 451 614 629 1241 1877 1962 1984 1985 2127 2492 2495 Majority of manuscripts Lect

(gifts of healing by the Spirit) – Template:Papyrus link

(gifts of healing) – CTemplate:R

(of God) – Ψ א‎ A B (D*) P 33 81 104 326 365 629 1175 1241 2464

(of [the] Lord) – F G; Cyp

omit. - Template:Papyrus link D² Majority of manuscripts r Marcion^TTemplate:R

(God was manifest) – Ψ Template:Larger^c3 A^c C^c2 D^c2 K L P 81 104 630. 1241. 1505. 1739. 1881 Majority of manuscripts vg^msTemplate:R

(Who was manifest) – Template:Larger* A* C* F G 33 365 1175; Did EpiphTemplate:R

(indeed by them He is insulted, but by you He is glorified) – Ψ K L P 1448 1611 Majority of manuscipts it vg^ww sy^h** sa^mss bo^ms Cyp

omit. - Template:Papyrus link Template:Larger A^(vid) B 049 33 81 323 614 630 945 1241 1739 vg sy^p boTemplate:R

See also

• List of New Testament uncials
• Textual criticism
• Biblical manuscript

Further reading

• Hermann von Soden, Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments in ihrer altesten erreibaren Textgestalt, I, III (Berlin, 1910), pp. 1664,-1666, 1841, 1921, 1928.
• M.-J. Lagrange, La critique rationnelle (Paris, 1935), pp. 109 f.