Minuscule 761 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), ε476 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts),[1] [2] is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been assigned to the 14th century.[3] [4] Biblical scholar Frederick H. A. Scrivener labelled it as 850.[5]
The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book) containing the text of the four Gospels on 281 parchment leaves (size). The text is written in one column per page, 22 lines per page.
The text is divided according to the chapters (known as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια / kephalaia), whose numbers are given in the margin, and their titles (known as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τιτλοι / titloi) at the top of the pages. There is also a division into smaller sections, the Ammonian sections with references to the Eusebian Canons (an early system of dividing the four Gospels into different sections), of which in the Gospel of Mark there are 233 sections, the last appearing at Mark 16:8. The manuscript is also ornamented.
It contains the lectionary books Synaxarion (a list of saint's days) and Menologion (a list of readings to be read each calendar month), Eusebius' Epistle to Carpianus (a letter outlying Eusebius' Gospel division system), the Eusebian Canon tables (an early system of dividing the four Gospels into different sections), Prolegomena to each gospel, lectionary markings in the margin, subscriptions at the end of each gospel, tables of contents (also known as Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεφαλαια) before each Gospel, and pictures.[6]
The Greek text of the codex is considered a representative of the Byzantine text-type. The text-types are groups of different New Testament 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. These are then used to determine the original text as published; there are three main groups with names: Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine.[7] Textual-critic Hermann von Soden classified it to his Antiocheian commentated text (K), meaning it is a Byzantine commentated text. Biblical scholar Kurt Aland placed it in Category V of his New Testament manuscripts classification system.[8] Category V manuscripts are described as "manuscripts with a purely or predominantly Byzantine text."
According to the Claremont Profile Method (a specific analysis of textual data) it represents textual family K in Luke 1 and Luke 20. In Luke 10 no profile was made. It belongs to the textual cluster 46, and creates a pair with Minuscule 995 in Luke 1 and Luke 10.[9]
The codex was added to the list of New Testament manuscripts by Scrivener (as his 850) and Gregory to his list as number 761. Gregory saw the manuscript in 1886. It was presented to the museum in Aegina.
Scrivener dated the manuscript to the 14th century; but Gregory dated the manuscript to the 15th century. The manuscript is currently dated by the INTF to the 14th century.
The manuscript is now housed at the National Library of Greece (154) in Athens.