Minuscule 279 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 293 (Soden),[1] is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.[2] It has full marginalia.
The codex contains a complete text of the four Gospels on 250 parchment leaves . The text is written in one column per page, in 23-26 lines per page.[2]
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 a division according to the Ammonian Sections (in Mark 241 Sections, the last in 16:20), with references to the Eusebian Canons (written below Ammonian Section numbers).
It contains the Eusebian tables at the beginning, tables of the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια (tables of contents) before each Gospel, lectionary markings at the margin (for liturgical reading), synaxaria, and pictures.[3] [4]
The manuscripts has subscription:
το παρον τετραβαγγελον εκομισθει εκ της πατμω βιβλιοθηκης, παρ' εμου ιωσηφ γεωργειρηνη ταπεινου αρχιεπισκοπου σαμου και επεδωθει τω ευσεβεστατω και κραταιω βασιλει λοδοβικω τω μεγα εν ετουσ χυ αχος μαρτιου κε.[5]The same subscription appears in the codex 294.[5]
The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Kurt Aland the Greek text of the codex did not place in any Category.[6] According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents textual family Kx in Luke 1, in Luke 20 it has a mixture of the Byzantine text-families. In Luke 10 no profile was made.[7]
This manuscript together with codex 294 were brought from Patmos and given to Louis XIV in 1686 by Joseph Georgeirenus, Archbishop of Samos.[4] It was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Scholz (1794-1852).[8] It was examined and described by Paulin Martin.[9] C. R. Gregory saw the manuscript in 1885.[3]
The manuscript is currently housed at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gr. 86) at Paris.[2]