THE NEW CODEX OF THE GOSPELS.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3841, 21 April 1881, Page 1

THE NEW CODEX OF THE GOSPELS.

The Deutscher Merkur contains ah account by Professor Scburer of tbie new oodex of tbe Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, which has been discovered by bis colleagues, Professor Harnnck, of Giessen, and Professor Yon Gebhardt, of Gettingen, in the archiepiscopal library at Possano, in Calabria. The two German •Professors of Theology, who are ProtesV tants, were mfornied'by" the canbns during their tour that,there was a remarkable old book in the possession of the archiepiscopal curia. The travellers asked to see it, and discovered to their great surprise and delight that it was a splendid Greek codex of the Gospels in uncial writing, and that its great antiquity was beyond doubt. Tbe 48 memwrs of the archiepiscopal chapter canuot boast of much learning, for they actually asked the professors in what language it was written. The codex, which had been brbught forth ! from its centuries of seclusion by the happy accident'of the tour of the two Gferman scholars, consists of 188 parch • ment leaves, and contains thl* whole of the Gospel of St.. Matthew. and St. Mark. It is important to notice that the only portion of St. Mark's Gospel which is wanting is the closing portion of Chnpler xvi*; which is now universally-recognised by ; scholars to be, an interpolation. The codex must originally hare contained all the four Gos|jol3 v The text, is written in silver Ifttera upon fine blueish-purple tinted parchment. It is unique on this accouut. inr hitherto only one Greek purple cotk-x of the | Gospels has been known to exist (Cordex N), and this-is very fragmentary. The text is written in double columns, without accents, without partition of tho words, and with 20 lines in each column. The' Greek uncial-lettering is peculiarly regular and beautifully formed.. On palaiological 'grounds it may be concluded with tolerable certainty that the MS. cannot belong, to a Inter date than the sixth century. As a help to textual critjeism it is of no great value. But is of considerable significance for the history of early Christian art. Eight of the ■beets are ' adorned with very finely, executed miniatures, representing scenes from the Passion of Christ. ■They belong to the epoch of transition from the antique classical to the Jjyzantin<« style of painting. Very few miniatures of this period are extant, and ay none of those previously known represeut scenes from the Passion, the new discovery is of the greatest importance in this respect. Tracings of them have been obtained by the two professors.