| Uncial 040 | |
|---|---|
Facsimile from Tregelles edition |
|
| Name | Zacynthius |
| Sign | Ξ |
| Text | Gospel of Luke † |
| Date | c. 550 |
| Script | Greek |
| Found | Colin Macaulay, 1820 |
| Now at | Cambridge University Library |
| Cite | Tregelles, Codex Zacynthius. Greek Palimpsest Fragments of the Gospel of Saint Luke, (1861) |
| Size | 36 cm by 29 cm |
| Type | Alexandrian |
| Category | III |
| Note | close to codex B |
Codex Zacynthius, designated by siglum Ξ or 040 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), A1 (von Soden),[1] is a Greek New Testament codex, dated paleographically to the 6th century.[2] Formerly it was dated to the 8th century (Scrivener, Gregory).[3] It is a palimpsest, a former text had been washed off its vellum pages. The lower text of the palimpsest was deciphered by biblical scholar and palaeographer Tregelles in 1861.
The manuscript has survived in a fragmentary condition. It came from Zakynthos, a Greek island, and housed in the Cambridge University. It is often used in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament.
Contents |
The manuscript contains the greater part of the Gospel of Luke 1:1-11:33 in a fragmentary condition. The codex extant 89 thick and coarse parchment leaves[2] (three half-leaves), measuring 36 x 29 cm.[4] The text is written in a single column, in well-formed uncial script (capital letters). The letters are large, round and narrow, without spiritus asper, spiritus lenis and accents.[4] It was written by two scribes.[5]
The abbreviations are rarely used in the codex. The handwriting is very close to the Rossanensis.[6] The errors of itacism occur in the codex, but not so often as in Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. It uses grammar forms typical for the ancient manuscripts (ειπαν, ηλθαν, ευραν).[6]
It has the same system of chapter divisions, which is peculiar to the Codex Vaticanus and codex 579. There is also another more common system of division according to the τιτλοι (titles).[4] The capitals are given at the beginning of the sections stand out in the margin as in codices Alexandrinus and Ephraemi.[4]
The text is surrounded by a marginal commentary, and it is the only one that has both text and commentary in uncial script. The commentary is a Catena of quotations of nine church fathers: Origen, Eusebius, Titus of Bostra, Basil, Isidore of Pelusium, Cyril of Alexandria, Sever from Antioch, Victor from Antioch, Chrysostom.[7] The commentary surrounds the single column text of Luke on three sides.[8] Patristic text is written in small uncial letters. Most of quotations are of authorship of Ciril of Alexandria (93 scholia), the second place is occupied by Titus of Bostra (45 scholia).[9][10] The commentary was written in a different kind of uncial script.[11]
The text of the codex is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type in a late stage, with a portion of non-alexandrian readings. The Alexandrian text is close to Codex Vaticanus. It has some Byzantine corrections. Textually it is close to Regius.[12] Kurt and Barbara Aland gave to it the following textual profile: 21 21/2 82 3s.[2] On the basis of this profile Alands placed the text of the codex in Category III.[2] According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents the Alexandrian text in Luke 10 and mixed Byzantine text in Luke 1.[13]
It has some typical for the Alexandrian text-type omissions:
In Luke 4:17 it has textual variant καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ βιβλίον (and opened the book) together with the manuscripts A, B, L, W, 33, 892, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syrs, h, pal, copsa, bo, against variant καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βιβλίον (and unrolled the book) supported by א, Dc, K, Δ, Θ, Π, Ψ, f1, f13, 28, 565, 700, 1009, 1010 and many other manuscripts.[15][16]
In Luke 9:10 it has textual variant εις πολιν καλουμενην Βηθσαιδα (to a city called Bethsaida), as have codices B, L, 33, but the later hand inserted at the margin εις τοπον ερημον πολεως καλουμενην Βηδσαιδα (into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida).[17]
It is a palimpsest. The upper text was written by a minuscule hand, it contains lectionary 299 (ℓ 299) from the 12th or 13th century.[18] The parchment leaves were folded in half. The lectionary text is not complete, it is written on 176 leaves (28.7 cm by 18.2 cm), in one column per page, 33-36 lines per page. It contains lessons from the four Gospels (Evangelistarium). The manuscript is lacunose.[19]
The manuscript contains weekday Gospel lessons.[20] Tregelles did not collate its text because of its secondary value.[21] Scrivener designated it by siglum 200,[22] Gregory by 299.[4]
Lectionary 299 in Mark 6:33 has textual reading ἐκεῖ καὶ προῆλθον αὐτούς along with Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, 0187 (omit εκει), 892, ℓ 49, ℓ 69, ℓ 70, ℓ 303, ℓ 333, ℓ 1579, (ℓ 950 αυτους), itaur, vg, (copsa, bo).[23]
The text of lectionary is cited in some critical editions of the Greek New Testament (UBS3).[24] It is not cited in UBS4.[25]
UBS3 cited it in the following places: Matthew 10:4; 11:17; 12:47; 13:13; 14:22; 18:10; 22:30; 26:27; 28:9; Mark 1:27; 2:10.26; 4:16.20; 6:2.2.3.33.[26]
The early history of the manuscript is unknown. In 1821 it came from the island Zakynthos, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, and was brought by general Colin Macaulay to England. Since 1821 the manuscript was kept in the library of the British and Foreign Bible Society (Mss 24) in London.[4]
Scholz saw the manuscript in 1845 and Paul de Lagarde in 1853, but they did not decide to decipher manuscript.[4] The lower text of the codex was deciphered, transcribed and edited by Tregelles in 1861 (page for page, and line for line).[18] Tregelles used types cast for printing the Codex Alexandrinus,[27] which only approximately represents the shape of the letters of the codex. The size of the letters is much smaller. Tregelles included in this edition one page of typographical facsimile.[28] Tregelles did not decipher the small Patristic writing and he doubted that can be read without chemical restoration.[29]
Nicholas Pocock found some errors in Tregelles' edition,[30] but according to William Hatch the edition of Tregelles is satisfactory. Greenlee corrected errors of Tregelles, and edited the list of corrections in 1957.[31] It was examined by William Hatch. In 1959 Greenlee published the text of a commentary.[32] Probably there is a need of another examination of the text of the codex with modern technology.[12]
Tischendorf cited it in his Editio Octava Critica Maior in 564 places.[33] It is often cited in the critical editions of the Greek New Testament.[34]
In 1985 it was moved to the Cambridge University Library (BFBS Ms 213), where it is housed now.[35]