Western Medieval Manuscripts : Table of contents of a Homiliary

Western Medieval Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> This fragment is a single leaf, containing the <i> Table of contents of a Homiliary</i>, attributed in the manuscript to Xiphilinus, who must probably be identified as John Xiphilinus (ca. 1010-1075), <i> nomophylax</i> of the law school in Constantinople, monk and later patriarch of Constantinople (1064-1075). The indication of each homily is accompanied by a reference to a specific leaf number. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The homiliary comprises the Sundays of the ecclesiastical year from the Sunday before the birth of Christ, until the 11th Sunday of Luke. The attribution to Patriarch John VIII Xiphilinus is disputed and generally rejected, in favour of his nephew John Xiphilinus or other authors as, for example, Theophylaktos of Bulgaria (see A. Ehrhard, <i> Überlieferung und Bestand der hagiographischen und homiletischen Literatur der griechischen Kirche von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts</i>, I. Teil : Die Überlieferung. I-III, Leipzig-Berlin, 1937-1952, III, pp. 525-559; H.-G. Beck, <i> Kirche und theologische Literatur im byzantinischen Reich</i>, München 1959, pp. 629-630). </p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The fragment is currently housed in an album as part of a collection of fragments of medieval manuscripts, probably compiled in the 19th century.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr Erika Elia</p>