Minuscule 554 Explained

Minuscule 554 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 332 (in the Soden numbering),^[1] is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. It is dated by a Colophon to the year 1271 or 1272.^[2] Scrivener labelled it by number 541.^[3]

Description

The codex contains a complete text of the four Gospels on 230 parchment leaves (size). The writing is in one column per page, 20-22 lines per page. It contains numerals of the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια at the margin, the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τιτλοι, and lectionary markings at the margin.^[4]

The text of Luke 1:34-56 was supplied by a later hand.

Text

The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Hermann von Soden classified it to the textual family K^x. Aland placed it in Category V.^[5] According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents the textual family K^x in Luke 10 and Luke 20. In Luke 1 it has mixed Byzantine text.^[6]

The Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) is omitted.^[4]

History

The manuscript was held in the monastery Mar Saba. In 1834 Robert Curzon, Lord Zouche, brought this manuscript to England (along with the codices 548, 552, 554).^{[3] [4]} The entire collection of Curzon was bequeathed by his daughter in 1917 to the British Museum, where it had been deposited, by his son, since 1876.^[7]

The manuscripts was added to the list of the New Testament minuscule manuscripts by F. H. A. Scrivener (541) and C. R. Gregory (553).^{[3] [4]}

The manuscript was examined by Scrivener, Dean Burgon, and Gregory.^[4]

It is currently housed at the British Library (Add MS 39597) in London.^[2]

See also

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

Further reading

• S. Emmel, Catalogue of Materials for Writing, Early Writings on Tablets and Stones, rolled and other Manuscripts and Oriental Manuscript Books, in the Library of the Honourable Robert Curzon (London 1849).
• A. Turyn, Dated Greek Manuscripts of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries in the Libraries of Great Britain, Dumbarton Oaks Series XVII (Washington, D.C., 1980); plates pp. 8, 9, 10; description pp. 21–22.

Notes and References

1. Book: Gregory, Caspar René. Caspar René Gregory. Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament. 1908. J. C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung. Leipzig. 67.
2. Book: Aland , K. . Kurt Aland . M. Welte . B. Köster . K. Junack . Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments . . 1994 . Berlin, New York . 79 . 3-11-011986-2 .
3. Book: Scrivener , Frederick Henry Ambrose . Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener . Edward Miller . A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, vol. 1 . . 1894 . London . 4 . 253 .
4. Book: Gregory , Caspar René . Caspar René Gregory . Textkritik des Neuen Testaments . J.C. Hinrichs . 1900 . Leipzig . 1 . 202 .
5. Book: Aland , Kurt . Kurt Aland . Aland . Barbara . Barbara Aland . Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.) . The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism . . 1995 . Grand Rapids . 139 . limited . 978-0-8028-4098-1.
6. Book: Wisse , Frederik . The Profile Method for the Classification and Evaluation of Manuscript Evidence, as Applied to the Continuous Greek Text of the Gospel of Luke . . 1982 . Grand Rapids . 63 . 0-8028-1918-4 . registration .
7. Heike Behlmer, ... `As Safe as in the British Museum`: Paul de Lagarde and His Borrowing of Manuscripts from the Collection of Robert Curzon The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Vol. 89, (2003), pp. 231-238.