University of Chicago Library, Goodspeed Manuscript Collection Ms. 972, New Testament. Gospels. Mark (Archaic Mark). Greg. 2427. Greece? 14th century?

Contents

Gospel of Mark in Greek. Formerly Goodspeed Ms. Grk. 38.

The manuscript is commonly known as the Archaic Mark because of the characteristics evident in its text.

  1. fols. 2r-5v Mark 1.
  2. fols. 5v-7r Mark 2.
  3. fols. 7r-8v Mark 3.
  4. fols. 8v-11r Mark 4.
  5. fols. 11r-11v fols. 13r-13v Mark 5.
    Note: Bifolium 12 r-v and 13 r-v folded in reverse and bound in. For correct sequence of text, read: 11r-v, 13r-v, 12r-v, 14r...
  6. fols. 12r-12v fols. 14r-16v Mark 6.
    Note: Bifolium 12 r-v and 13 r-v folded in reverse and bound in. For correct sequence of text, read: 11r-v, 13r-v, 12r-v, 14r....
  7. fols. 16v-18r Mark 7.
  8. fols. 18r-20v Mark 8.
  9. fols. 20v-24r Mark 9.
  10. fols. 24r-26v Mark 10.
  11. fols. 26v-29r Mark 11.
  12. fols. 29r-31v Mark 12.
  13. fols. 31v-33r Mark 13.
  14. fols. 33r-37v Mark 14.
  15. fols. 37v-41v Mark 15.
  16. fols. 41v-43v Mark 16.

Decoration

17 miniatures consisting of a portrait of the Evangelist Mark, and depictions of events drawn primarily from the cycles of Christ's Miracles and Passion.

Miniatures

  1. fol. 1vEvangelist, Mark, Portrait: Mark writes, seated in high-backed chair before writing table; buildings in background.
  2. fol. 4vChrist, Miracle of healing Peter's wife's mother: Christ stands at right, holds arm of the mother of Peter's wife who is seated in bed; Peter and other disciples wait behind Christ.
  3. fol. 5vChrist, Miracle of healing paralytic: Christ stands at left, right hand raised in blessing; paralytic man lies on pallet at center, lowered from roof of building by two men; crowd, left background.
  4. fol. 12rChrist, Miracle of raising daughter of Jairus: Christ stands at right, touches arm of Jairus's daughter who lies in bed, foreground; her mother and father wait, left background.
  5. fol. 15vChrist, Miracle of loaves: Christ stands at center, looks down at two boys, seated at right, with baskets of fish and bread; mountains, in background.
  6. fol. 19vChrist, Miracle of healing blind man: A blind man stands at left, holds cane, eyes closed. Christ, at center, touches the blind man's eyes.
  7. fol. 21rChrist, Transfiguration: Christ, at center, on mountain; the prophets Elijah at left, and Moses to the right.
  8. fol. 27vChrist, Entry into Jerusalem: Christ seated on donkey, at center; disciples and crowd in background; boy lays robe in road; man stands at right, arm raised.
  9. fol. 34vChrist, Last Supper: Christ seated at center, a sleeping disciple to his left; other disciples sit on either side; wine cups, a compote, and plates of bread on table; buildings, in background.
  10. fol. 37vChrist, Before Pilate: Pilate seated at left on throne behind cloth-covered table; Christ waits at right, eyes downcast, hands bound with rope held by soldier.
  11. fol. 38rChrist, Barabbas released: Pilate, left hand raised, stands between prisoners Barabbas and Christ; men gesture, at right.
  12. fol. 38vChrist, Mocked: Christ, kneels at center, crown of thorns on head; gesturing soldiers stand on either side, and in left background.
  13. fol. 39rSimon of Cyrene, Bearing cross: Soldier leads Christ whose hands are bound with rope; Simon of Cyrene follows at left, carries cross on shoulder.
  14. fol. 39vChrist, Crucifixion: Christ and two thieves crucified on crosses; Virgin Mary and disciple John stand at foot of cross, left; at center, soldier pierces Christ's side with spear; second soldier gazes upward, gestures; sun and moon above central cross-arm.
  15. fol. 40rChrist, Casting of Lots for garments: Soldiers, either kneeling or standing, cast lots on top of Christ's robe and tunic.
  16. fol. 41vJoseph of Arimathea, Before Pilate: Gesturing Pilate stands at left in front of throne; Joseph of Arimathea, hands crossed on chest, waits at right.
  17. fol. 42rHoly Women, At sepulchre: Three women stand at left, hands raised; angel seated at right on stone from Christ's tomb.

Headpieces

Headpiece composed of floral, foliate, and geometric designs (fol. 2r).

Initials

Initial A (10 mm) in rose outlined in blue, red, and gold with gold pen-flourishing. Minor initials in gold (traces of red) set off from the text.

Physical Description

Support

Parchment.119 x 84 mm.

Number of Leaves

44 leaves, of which 1 back is a flyleaf.

Foliation

1-44. Modern foliation in Arabic numerals in pencil.

Collation

6 quires, of which the first 5 contain 8 leaves, and the 6th consists of 4 leaves. The bifolium currently designated 12 r-v and 13 r-v was folded in reverse and bound in.

Dimensions

Written space 91 x 60 mm (fol. 9r). Variation in column length, 91 to 100 mm, and in column width, 55 to 60 mm.

Layout

1 column, 24-25 lines (fols. 3-16) and 20-22 lines (fols. 17-43). Ruling on both recto and verso with hard point. The lines previouly ruled on the outer bifolium of the third quire (fols. 17 and 24) stand at right angles to the lines of the later ruling pattern.

Writing

Written in minuscule script in medium brown ink. Minor initials duplicate letters in the text or replace letters erased.

Condition

Text abraded (fol. 18r). Some miniatures have pigment losses. Quire 2 (fols 9-16) detached from binding.

Binding Description

Bound in blind stamped goatskin (reused), over thin wooden boards. Doublures of dark brown leather.

History

Origin

The manuscript may have been written and illuminated in Greece. Dating to the 14th century is in question.

Provenance

Belonged to John Askitopoulos (died ca. 1918), an Athenian collector and dealer in antiquities.

Acquisition

Acquired by the University of Chicago from the family of John Askitopoulos, July 1938.

Bibliography

  1. Kenneth W. Clark, A Descriptive Catalogue of Greek New Testament Manuscripts in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1937), p. 271.
  2. Harold Rideout Willoughby, "Archaic crucifixion iconography," in Munera studiosa, edited by Massey Hamilton Shepherd Jr. and Sherman Elbridge Johnson (Cambridge, Mass.: The Episcopal Theological School, 1946), pp. [123]-144.
  3. Merrill Mead Parvis, The Story of the Goodspeed Collection ([Chicago:] n.p., 1952), p. 23.
  4. New Testament manuscript traditions. An exhibition based on the Edgar J. Goodspeed Collection of the University of Chicago Library, the Joseph Regenstein Library, January-March, 1973. University of Chicago. Library. Dept. of Special Collections. Exhibition catalogs ([Chicago: n.p., 1973]), 36, nos. 64-65.
  5. Robert P. Casey, Review of Munera studiosa, edited by Massey Hamilton Shepherd Jr. and Sherman Elbridge Johnson, Journal of Religion 27 (April 1947), pp. 148-149.
  6. Margaret M. Mitchell and Patricia A. Duncan, "Chicago’s 'Archaic Mark' (Ms. 2427): A reintroduction to its enigmas and a fresh collation fo its readings," Novum Testamentum 48 (2006), pp. 1-35.