Minuscule 156 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 206 (Soden),[1] is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.[2] It has marginalia.
The codex contains a complete text of the four Gospels on 244 parchment leaves (size).[2] The text is written in one column per page, in 23 lines per page (size of text 8.2 by 6.7 cm).[2] Titles are in gold.[3]
The text is divided according to the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, and their Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τιτλοι (titles of chapters) at the top of the pages. There is also another division into smaller the Ammonian Sections (in Mark 241 sections - the last in 16:20), but without references to the Eusebian Canons.[3]
It contains tables of the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια (tables of contents) before each Gospel, synaxaria, and numbers of stichoi.[3]
The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Hermann von Soden included it to the textual family Family Kx. Aland placed it in Category V.[4] According to the Claremont Profile Method it belongs to the textual family Family Kx in Luke 10 and Luke 20. In Luke 1 it has mixed Byzantine text.[5]
On the first of its page it is written: "Ex bibliotheca [Melchioris] Goldasti" († 1625).[3] [6]
The manuscript was given by Christina of Sweden to Cardinal Decio Azzolino, and bought from him by Pope Alexander VII — like codices 154, 155, 181.
It was examined by Birch (about 1782), Scholz, and Oscar von Gebhardt (in 1882). C. R. Gregory saw it in 1886.[3]
It is currently housed at the Vatican Library (Reg. gr. 189), at Rome.[2]