Codex Beratinus

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Codex Beratinus designated by Φ or 043 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 17 (von Soden), is a Greek uncial codex of the New Testament. Dated paleographically to the 6th century, the manuscript is written in an uncial hand on purple vellum with silver ink. The codex is preserved at the Albanian National Archives Nr. 1 at Tirana.<ref name = Aland/> Formerly it was in the possession of the church of St. George at Berat in Albania, hence the name Codex Beratinus.

Description

It contains only the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, with several considerable lacunae (Matt. 1:1-6:3, 7:26-8:7, 18:23-19:3, and Mark 14:62-end are lacking). The codex contains 190 parchment leaves (31.4 x 26.8 cm). The leaves have almost the same size as the Codex Alexandrinus, and have two columns per page, but the letters are much larger.<ref name = Kenyon>Kenyon F.G., Handbook to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament, London2, 1912, p. 120.</ref> It is written with 17 lines per page,<ref name=Aland>Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, 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, Michigan, p. 118. </ref> 8-12 letters per line, in very regular letters, in silver ink.<ref name = Metzger>Bruce M. Metzger, Bart D. Ehrman, "The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration", Oxford University Press (New York - Oxford, 2005), p. 84. </ref> Title and first line in Mark written in gold.<ref name = Gregory>C. R. Gregory, "Textkritik des Neuen Testaments", Leipzig 1900, vol. 1, p. 93. </ref> The writing is continuous in full lines without stichometry. Quotations from the Old Testament are marked with an inverted comma (<). Above the pages are inserted κεφαλαια, and on the margin the Ammonian sections, and the Eusebian Canons were added by a later hand in the 8th century. A note in the manuscript states that the loss of the other two Gospels is due to "the Franks of Champagne", i.e. some of the Crusaders, who may have seen it at Patmos, where it is believed formerly to have been.<ref name = Kenyon/>

Text

In Matt 27:9 in the sentence επληρωθη το ρηθεν δια Ιερεμιου του προφητου (fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet) the word Ιερεμιου (Jeremiah) is omitted, just like in manuscripts: Minuscule 33, Old-Latin Codex Vercellensis (a), and Codex Veronensis (b), in syr^s, syr^p, and cop^bo.

The Greek text of the codex is generally of the Byzantine text-type, but it contains the long Western addition after Matthew 20:28, occurring in Codex Bezae.<ref name = Metzger/>

"But seek to increase from that which is small, and to become less from which is greater. When you enter into a house and are summoned to dine, do not sit down at the prominent places, lest perchance a man more honorable than you come in afterwards, and he who invited you come and say to you, "Go down lower"; and you shall be ashamed. But if you sit down in the inferior place, and one inferior to you come in, then he that invited you will say to you, "Go up higher"; and this will be advantageous for you."<ref>Bruce M. Metzger, Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 71. </ref>

Matthew 21:9:

και εξελθον εις υπαντησιν αυτω πολλοι χαιροντες και δοξαζοντες τον θεον περι παντων ων ειδον.

This interpolation has also Syriac Curetonian.<ref>ΝΑ26, p. 58. </ref>

According to B. H. Streeter, the manuscript is a tertiary witness of the Caesarean text.<ref>B. H. Streeter, The Four Gospels. A Study of Origins the Manuscripts Tradition, Sources, Authorship, & Dates, MacMillan and Co Limited, Oxford 1924. </ref> Codex Beratinus, along with the manuscripts N, O, and Σ, belongs to the group of the Purple Uncials. Aland placed all four manuscripts of the group (the Purple Uncials) in Category V,<ref name=Aland/> and it is certain that they are more Byzantine than anything else.

History

It is believed it had been at Patmos. In Berat, in Albania it was held since 1356.<ref name = Gregory/> The text of the codex was published by P. Batiffol in 1887. "During World War II, Hitler learned of it and sought it out. Several monks and priests risked their lives to hide the manuscript."<ref>Albania Expedition at the CSNTM. </ref> Formerly it was held in a church of Berat, since 1971 in Albanian National Archives at Tirana. Codex Beratinus is now registered with UNESCO as a world treasure.

See also

• List of New Testament uncials
• Textual criticism
• Purple parchment

References

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External links

• High res images at the CSNTM
• Codex Beratinus ɸ (043): at the Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism
• A Codex Purpureus Beratinus a UNESCO honlapján
• Website of Unesco
• Kodikët e Shqipërisë (’Albániai kódexek’)

For further reading

• Pierre Batiffol, Evangeliorum codex Graecus purpureus Beratinus ɸ, in: Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, de l'école française de Rome 5 (Paris and Rome, 1882), pp. 358-376.
• Pierre Batiffol, Les manuscrits grecs de Berat d'Albanie et le Codex Purpureus ɸ, Paris 1886.
• W. H. P. Hatch, The Principal Uncial Manuscripts of the New Testament, 1939, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
• J. Koder, Zur Wiederentdeckung zweier Codices Beratini, Byz Z 65 (1972), 327-328.
• Shaban Sinani, Kodikët e Shqipërisë dhe 2000-vjetori i krishtërimit, në "Media", 2000/6.