The Edgar J. Goodspeed Manuscript Collection comprises 68 early Greek, Syriac, Ethiopic, Armenian, Arabic, and Latin manuscripts ranging in date from the 5th to the 19th centuries. The acquisition of these hitherto unknown manuscripts was spearheaded by Edgar J. Goodspeed in the first half of the twentieth century in order to support new scholarship in the humanities.

With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grants for Libraries - Building Digital Resources program, the University of Chicago Library is providing a unique digital resource based on this collection. All 68 New Testament manuscripts have been digitized in their entirety and are presented with high-quality zoomable images through an interface that supports browsing within individual manuscripts and across the collection. The Goodspeed Manuscript Collection digitization continues the scholarly tradition of the Goodspeed Collection itself and will support new types of research and teaching made possible by digital technologies.

About The Collection

Edgar Johnson Goodspeed was born in Quincy, Illinois, and graduated in the final preparatory class of the original (Old) University of Chicago in 1886. After receiving a B.A. from Denison... (read more)

About The Digital Project

All manuscripts were assessed for condition and ability to be digitally photographed by a staff team, including the Preservation Manager in Special Collections, the Head of Conservation, the project manager and the photographer.... (read more)

About Copyright and Reproductions

All materials in the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection may be used for educational and scholarly purposes, but any such use requires that a credit line be included with any material used.... (read more)

Progress and Assessment Reports

View reports that describe the project’s progress and its impact on scholarly research.

The University of Chicago Library Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center

Visit the home of the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection.

Supported by:

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.