Codex Basilensis A. N. IV. 2

New Testament manuscripts
papyri • uncials • minuscules • lectionaries

Minuscule 1
Luke 1:1-2 (facsimile)
Name	Basiliensis A.N.IV.2
Text	New Testament (except Apocalypse)
Date	12th century
Script	Greek
Now at	Basel University Library
Cite	K. Lake, Codex 1 of the Gospels and its Allies, (Cambridge 1902)
Size	18.5 cm by 11.5 cm
Type	Caesarean, Byzantine text-type
Category	III, V
Hand	elegantly written
Note	member of f1

Codex Basilensis A. N. IV. 2, Minuscule 1 (on the list of Gregory-Aland), δ 254 (in von Soden's numbering);^[1] formerly it was designated by 1^eap (to distinguish it from minuscule 1^rK, which previously used number 1). It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, usually dated palaeographically to the 12th century.^[2] The codex has complex contents.

The codex is located now at the Basel University Library with the shelf number A. N. IV, 2 (earlier B. VI. 27).^[3]

Description

The codex contains the entire New Testament except of Book of Revelation in the order: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, General epistles, and Pauline epistles (Hebrews is the last book in Paul). The text is written in one column per page, 38 lines per page, on 297 parchment leaves (18.5 cm by 11.5 cm),^[2] with a beautiful miniatures which were stolen before 1860-1862, except one before Gospel of John.^[4]

The dimensions of the text are 13.6 cm by 6.8 cm.^[3] It was written on parchment continuously and without separation in "elegant and minute" minuscule, furnished with breathings (spiritus asper and spiritus lenis), and accents. It uses Iota adscript. The initial letters are gilt, and on the first page of each Gospel the full point is a large gilt ball.^[4]

The text is divided according to the κεφαλαια (chapters), whose numbers are given at the margin, with their the τιτλοι (titles) at the top of the pages. The text of the Gospels is also divided according to the smaller Ammonian Sections (in Matthew 352, in Mark 236 with last numbered section in 16:12, in Luke 340, in John 227), but a references to the Eusebian Canons are absent.^[5]

It contains Prolegomena, synaxaria, lectionary markings at the margin (for liturgical use), and pictures (portrait of John the Evangelist and Prochorus). It has also αναγνωσεις (lessons) at the margin of the text in the Gospels, but they were added by a later hand. In Matthew – 116 αναγνωσεις, in Mark – 70, in Luke – 114, in John – 67.^[5] Book of Acts and epistles have the Euthalian Apparatus.^[5] Lectionary markings and αναγνωσεις were added by a second hand (in red). In the 15th century the later hand added Prolegomena.^[6]

It contains a scholion questioning the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20. The Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) is placed after John 21:25.^[5]

Text of the codex

Matthew 15:1-2 (facsimile)

The Greek text of the Gospels is a representative of the Caesarean text-type. According to Kurt and Barbara Aland it agrees with the Byzantine standard text 119 times, and 80 times with the Byzantine when it has the same reading as the original text, it agrees 60 times with the original text against the Byzantine, it has 69 independent or distinctive readings in the Gospels. Alands placed it in Category III. In rest of the books of the New Testament the text of this codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Aland placed it in Category V.^[7] It belongs to the Family 1 together with the manuscripts 118, 131, and 209.^[8] It was supported by the Claremont Profile Method.^[9]

Griesbach was the first who remarked its similarities to the text of Origen's commentary to the Gospel of Matthew.^[10] According to Hort its text preceded the byzantine text-type.

Kirsopp Lake compared the text of the codex with the text of Stephanus and showed that in the sections comprising Matthew 1-10; Matthew 22 – Mark 14; Luke 4-23; John 1-13; 18 there are in this codex 2243 variants from the Textus Receptus.^[11]

In Matthew 27:16 it has famous textual variant "Ιησουν τον Βαραββαν". This variant also appears in the Codex Koridethi, Minuscule 700, and in other members of the group f¹.

History of the codex

Old University Basel

Wettstein, Tischendorf, Scrivener, and Gregory dated the manuscript to the 10th century.^[12] Henri Omont and Kirsopp Lake dated it to the 12th century, Dean Burgon dated to the 12th or 13th century. Actually it is dated to the 12th century, because the frequent occurrence of enlarged letters, rounded breathing marks, flourishes, and ligatures would seem to eliminate earlier date.^[3]

The manuscript was presented to the monastery of the Preaching Friars by Cardinal Ragusio (1380–1443), general of Dominicans.^[5] It was borrowed by Reuchlin and was used by Desiderius Erasmus in the first edition of his Novum Testamentum (1516). In result some of its readings came to the Textus Receptus. Erasmus used this codex very little, because its text was different from other manuscripts with which he was acquainted. Oecolampadius and Gerbelius, Erasmus's sub-editors, insisted that he use more readings from this codex in his third edition, but according to Erasmus the text of this codex was altered from the Latin manuscripts, and had secondary value.^[13] Since 1559 it was held in the University of Basel.^[5] Its later story is the same as that of Codex Basilensis and minuscule 2 (GA).

Bengel made a few extracts from the codex. Wettstein was the first who thoroughly examined this codex. According to him in the Gospels its text agrees with the most ancient codices and patristic quotations. Wettstein gave for it number 1.^[14] In 1751 he changed his high opinion (Novum Testamentum Græcum).^[15] Wettstein dated codex to the 10th century. Wettstein collated this manuscript twice, but with many errors. According to Tregelles his collation was incorrect in more than 1200 readings. Hug supported last opinion of Wettstein that codex was latinizated.^[16] Tregelles, and Roth collated the text of this codex again. Tregelles noticed that this codex is similar to minuscule 118. Dean Burgon noticed that also codices 131 and 209 are similar. All this group was examined by Kirsopp Lake in 1902. It was named "the Lake Group", or Family 1. The text of the family was established on the basis of minuscule 1.^[17]

F. H. A. Scrivener (1813–1891) showed, that at least 22 verses of Erasmian text came from minuscule 1:

Matthew 22:28; 23:25; 27:52; 28:3.4.19.20;

Mark 7:18.19.26; 10:1; 12:22; 15:46;

Luke 1:16.61; 2:43; 9:1.15; 11:49;

John 1:28; 10:8; 13:20.^[18]

See also

Bible portal

• List of New Testament minuscules
• Novum Instrumentum omne
• Textual criticism

References

1. ^ Gregory, Caspar René (1908). Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung. p. 48. http://www.archive.org/stream/diegriechischen00greggoog#page/n59/mode/2up. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Aland, K.; M. Welte, B. Köster, K. Junack (1994). Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter. p. 47. ISBN 3110119862. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Amy S. Anderson, The Textual tradition of the Gospels: Family 1 in Matthew, Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2004, p. 108.
4. ^ ^{a b} Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose; Edward Miller (1894). A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament. 1 (4th ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. pp. 190–191. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Gregory, Caspar René (1900). Textkritik des Neuen Testaments. 1. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung. p. 127. http://www.archive.org/stream/textkritikdesne00greggoog#page/n139/mode/2up. 
6. ^ Kirsopp Lake, Codex 1 of the Gospels and its Allies, Texts and Studies, volume VII, Cambridge, 1902, p. X.
7. ^ Aland, Kurt; Barbara Aland; Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.) (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1. 
8. ^ Metzger, Bruce M.; Ehrman, Bart D. (2005). The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration. New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-0-19-516122-9. 
9. ^ Wisse, Frederik (1982). The profile method for the classification and evaluation of manuscript evidence, as Applied to the Continuous Greek Text of the Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 53. ISBN 0-8028-1918-4. 
10. ^ J. J. Griesbach, Symbolae criticae ad supplendas et corrigendas variarum N. T. lectionum collectiones (Halle, 1785, 1793), 1, pp. CCII-CCXXIII.
11. ^ Kirsopp Lake, Codex 1 of the Gospels and its Allies, Texts and Studies, volume vii, Cambridge, 1902, p. XXIV.
12. ^ Tischendorf, Novum Testamentum Graece. Editio Septima, Lipsiae 1859, p. CXCIV.
13. ^ S. P. Tregelles, An Introduction to the Critical study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, London 1856, p. 208.
14. ^ J. J. Wettstein, Prolegomena ad Novi Testamenti Graeci, 1730, p. 57.
15. ^ Wettstein, J. J. (1751). Novum Testamentum Graecum editionis receptae cum lectionibus variantibus codicum manuscripts. Amsterdam: Ex Officina Dommeriana. pp. 42–44. http://www.archive.org/stream/hekainediatheken00clem#page/42/mode/2up. 
16. ^ John Leonard Hug, Writings of the New Testament, translated by Daniel Guildford Wait (London 1827), p. 165.
17. ^ Kirsopp Lake, Codex 1 of the Gospels and its Allies, Texts and Studies, volume vii, Cambridge, 1902, collates 1 with 118, 131, and 209.
18. ^ Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose; Edward Miller (1894). A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament. 1 (4 ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. pp. 183–184. 

Further reading

• Amy S. Anderson, The Textual tradition of the Gospels: Family 1 in Matthew, Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2004.
• Kirsopp Lake, Codex 1 of the Gospels and its Allies, Text and Studies VII 3, Cambridge 1902.
• Henri Omont, Catalogue des mss grecs des bibliothèques de Suisse, Leipzig 1886.

External links

• Minuscule 1 at the Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism
• IDS BS BE Archive
• Images NT.VMR