Catholic Epistles

Accession number:

MS M.572

Title:

Catholic Epistles

Created:

Egypt, ca. 822/23-913/14.

Binding:

Current binding: Rebound by Marguerite Duprez Lahey in 1952; current binding incorporates two single parchment flyleaves.

Credit:

Purchased for J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) in 1911.

Description:

16 leaves (2 columns, 31-36 lines), bound : vellum, ill. ; 219 x 276 mm

Provenance:

Monastery of Saint Michael (Dayr al-Malāk Mīkhāʼil); found in 1910 near the village of Hamuli, Fayyūm Province, Egypt, at the site of the Monastery of Saint Michael; purchased in Paris in 1911 for J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) from Arthur Sambon, a dealer acting in behalf of a consortium of owners including a certain J. Kalebdian; J.P. Morgan (1867-1943).

Notes:

Manuscript Catholic Epistles; written and illuminated in Egypt, ca. 822/23-913/14.
Colophon: 1) fol. 5v (in Cairo): Donation and memorial in Coptic: To the Monastery of St. George Martyr at Narmoute, or Medinet Madi; memorial for Apa Enōkh, Papa Abraham, Papa Samouēl, Papa Suēros, Deacon Apaioulei (or Apa Ioulei), schoolteacher (?), Deacon Apaioule (or Apa Ioulei) son of Apa Semōn, and the novices Deacon Khouleip and Deacon [---] together with the other minor brothers the reader Ab[raham], Deacon Khou[leip], and other names, if any, now wanting.
Written area ca. 264 x 212 mm. Divisions: Brown leather tabs fastened to fore-edge at beginning of Epistles; each Epistle preceded and followed by its title, the 2 titles being set off together above and below by a dividers and separated from one another by dividers; ekthesis, major initial, or enlarged or greatly enlarged initial (mostly reddened), paragraphus sign (budded diple or obelus), and ancient chapter number setting off paragraphs. Exceeding letters of laast line of the page written below end of the line on rectos of fols. 9, 12, 16, and on fol. 8v at end of quire.
Script: Upright (titles right-sloping). 10 lines = ca. 78 mm
Superlineation: Almost none; non-standard. Punctuation: Raised dot in conjunction with a space; spacefillers at the end of textual units. No tremas.
Collation: Signed on first and last page of the quire, top inner margin. No remains of quire ornaments, monograms, headlines or catchwords.
Decoration: headpiece on fol. 1r: tablet framing title, infilled with twisted rope interlace, 2 columns wide, followed by major initial and vine-scroll coronis. Marginal ornaments: tail of fols. 1r, 6r, 8r, 9r: dove beside vine-scroll coronis (and between columns on fols. 6v, 8r). Paragraphus signs: coronis: budded, vine-scroll, both painted; obelus reddened. Page numbers with horizontal rule above and below. Extended letters. Colors: at least red, chemically altered.
Related fragments: Completing the text block, the last five leaves of the present manuscript are in the Coptic Museum, Cairo (Mathạf al-Qibtị̄ (Cairo, Egypt), Ms 3813 ( =Cairo Ham. C, formerly JdE 47549)).

Language:

Coptic, the Sahidic dialect

Resources:

Description/Bibliography

Century:

9th century

Genres:

Illuminated manuscripts

Headpieces (layout features)

Vellum

Catalog Link:

See more information »

Classification:

Manuscript

Department:

Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts