Christ's College : Liturgical texts and a Nomocanon

Christ's College

<p style='text-align: justify;'> This manuscript, copied probably in the 16th century, contains <i>Liturgical texts and a Nomocanon</i>.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> It is formed of four parts; although clearly distinguishable for the script, the layout and also in terms of dimensions, they seem to be fairly consistent in terms of chronology and provenance.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The first part comprises a <i> nomocanon</i> in modern Greek, an <i> akolouthia</i>, a liturgical office promulgated by the Council of Constantinople in 1484 for those renouncing the Latin faith, and some prayers. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The second and the fourth part are both smaller and contain parts of the <i> Liturgy of the Presanctified gifts</i>, a communion evening service, for use on days when there is no Eucharist, such as weekdays during Lent.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The third part contains a part of a <i> Euchologion</i>, a prayer book for various services of the Byzantine rite.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The manuscript was owned by the English teacher, classical scholar and educational reformer William Henry Denham Rouse (1863-1950), fellow of Christ's College. He cited it as " Nomocanon I" in an article he published in 1899 about " Folklore from the Southern Sporades" ( Rouse 1899), where he mentioned that he had acquired it, with other three Greek manuscripts ( Cambridge, Christ's College, 264, 265, and 266) in the neighbourhood of the Greek Isle of Cos. A note on <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(134);return false;'> f. 2:4v</a> confirms the provenance of the manuscript from the Dodecanese (Southern Sporades), as it attests that the codex, in 1723, was bought from a Kalymniot.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> Dr Erika Elia</p>