University of Chicago Library, Goodspeed Manuscript Collection Ms. 135, New Testament. Gospels (Hyacinthus Gospels). Greg. 2397. Greece or Asia Minor, 1303.

Contents

Four gospels in Greek. Lectionary tables of Synaxarion, Menologion, and Heothina. Ammonian section and Eusebian canon numbers. Formerly Goodspeed Ms. Grk. 14.

  1. fols. 1r-2v Kephalaia of Matthew.
  2. fols. 3r-85r Matthew.
  3. fols. 85r-86r Kephalaia of Mark.
  4. fols. 87r-142v Mark.
  5. fols. 143r-145r Kephalaia of Luke.
  6. fols. 146r-240r Luke.
  7. fol. 240v Kephalaia of John.
  8. fols. 241r-313v John.
  9. fol. 313v
    Colophon: The scribe Hyacinthus, dated 1303.
  10. fols. 314r-341v Lectionary tables (Synaxarion, Menologion, Heothina).

Decoration

Headpieces

Large and small headpieces of fret, basket weave, foliate, and geometric designs in red (fols. 3r, 87r, 146r, 241r).

Initials

Major initials (35-50 mm) of bead, ribbon, and foliate motifs in red. Minor initials in red set off from the text.

Physical Description

Support

Parchment. 223 x 156 mm.

Number of Leaves

343 leaves, of which 2 are flyleaves of paper. Flyleaves conjoint with pastedowns.

Foliation

1 (unfoliated paper flyleaf) + 341 + 1 (unfoliated paper flyleaf). Modern foliation in Arabic numerals in pencil 1-341.

Collation

43 quires of 8 leaves, with the exception of quire 1 of 6 leaves, quires 19, 31, and 43 of 7 leaves, and quire 41 of 10 leaves.

Quire numbers are found on the first (recto, upper right margin) and last (verso, lower right margin) leaves of each quire 1-43 (α-μγ).

Dimensions

Written space 160 x 105 mm (fol. 23r).

Layout

1 column, 20 lines. Ruling with hard point. Pricking in the lower margin of several leaves.

Writing

Written in minuscule script in dark brown ink (some flaking).

Punctuation includes high point, comma, marks of elision and interrogation. Quotation marks in left margin next to each line of quoted text.

Corrections in the margins marked by triple dots (inverted triangle form). Some erasure.

Text Divisions

Titles in red.

Condition

Corners of several leaves broken. Random holes. Partial paper repairs (fols 41, 224, 261). Tracing over of faded text in black ink. Water stains.

Binding Description

Bound in dark brown leather over boards. Fore-edge clasps (one remaining). Title on spine in gold: ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ.

Stamped floral ornament framed with floral and scrollwork border, back and front. Edge decoration in yellow.

History

Origin

The manuscript was written in 1303 by the scribe Hyacinthus (his colophon, fol. 313v), possibly in Greece or Asia Minor. Other manuscripts said to be the work of this scribe: 1. Athos, Iviron, Ms. 4153 (Gospels, 1297); 2. Milan, Bibliothecae Ambrosianae, Ms. 883 (John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis, 1302).

Provenance

Medieval to 20th century provenance unknown.

Prayers of Hyacinthus (fol. 1r), and of Maria who may have been a later owner (fol. 145r). University of Chicago Libraries bookplate (front pastedown).

Acquisition

Acquired by the University of Chicago in 1929 from Maurice Stora (Paris) with funds provided by Frederic C. Woodward, university vice-president, Shailer Matthews, dean of the Divinity School, M. Llewellyn Raney, director of the university libraries, and Chicago businessman Frederick T. Haskell.

Bibliography

  1. David O. Voss, "A study of the Isaac, Hyacinthus, and Exoteicho Gospels" (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1932).
  2. Seymour de Ricci, Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada (New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1935), vol. 1, p. 570.
  3. Kenneth W. Clark, A Descriptive Catalogue of Greek New Testament Manuscripts in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1937), pp. 245-247.
  4. Merrill Mead Parvis, The Story of the Goodspeed Collection ([Chicago]: s.n., 1952), p. 13.
  5. 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: s.n., 1973]), 36, no. 41.