The Codex Veronensis, designated by the siglum b (used in the critical editions of Nestle-Åland and the UBS Greek New Testament) or 4 (in the Beuron system), is a 5th-century Latin manuscript of the four Gospels, written on vellum which has been dyed purple. The text is written in silver and occasionally gold ink, and is a version of the old Latin New Testament Gospels. The Gospels follow in the Western order.[1]
The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book), containing the Latin text of the four Gospels written on purple parchment, with 1 column and 18 lines per page. It has several missing sections (Matthew 1:1-11; 15:12-23; 23:18-27; John 7:44-8:12; Luke 19:26-21:29; Mark 13:9-19; 13:24-16:20).[2] On the several pages which are missing, they also include the pages which contained John 7:44-8:11. Space-considerations show that the missing pages included John 7:53-8:11, the passage known as the Pericope Adulterae.
Gold ink is used for the first page of each Gospel book, and all nomina sacra (special names/titles employed in early Christian writings and copies of the New Testament books) are also written in gold ink.
In Luke 8:21 it reads αυτον instead of αυτους; the reading αυτον is supported by, and Minuscule 705.[3]
In John 1:34 reads ὁ ἐκλεκτός together with the manuscripts,, א, e, ff, syr.
In John 14:14 the entire verse is omitted along with manuscripts X f 565 1009 1365 ℓ 76 ℓ 253 vg sy arm geo Diatessaron.[4]
The Latin text of the codex is a representative of the Western text-type in its European/Italian recension.[5] The codex is one of the principal witnesses to the Old Latin Text-Type I along with manuscripts Codex Corbeiensis II (VL8) and Codex Vindobonensis (VL17), although in John 1:1-10:13 it has a slightly earlier type of the Old Latin text.[6]
In biblical scholar Francis Crawford Burkitt's opinion, it represents the type of text that Jerome used as the basis of the Vulgate.[7]
The manuscript was examined by Giuseppe Bianchini in the mid-18th century. The text was edited by Bianchini, Belsheim,[8] and Jülicher.
It was named Veronensis after Verona, the city where it was located.
It is currently located in the Chapter Library, at the Verona Cathedral (Biblioteca Capitolare della Cattedrale di Verona).
