Gospel lectionary (Saturdays and Sundays) (Cambridge, Clare College, MS 31)
This Gospel lectionary manuscript, copied in the years around 1500, belongs to the briefer of the two main types, the "Saturday-Sunday" lectionary, giving the lections for Saturdays and Sundays only, except for Holy Week and the period from Easter to Pentecost, for which weekdays are also included.
It retains an early binding, perhaps the original one, which combines features of the traditional Greek style of binding, such as protruding endbands, with the western European method of supported sewing. The blind-tooled ornament on the front cover includes abstract designs made with a small rectangular stamp, which has also been used to mark crude letters forming the names of the four Evangelists and the customary inscription "Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νίκα" surrounding the image of the Cross in the centre of the board. That symbol has itself been tooled in the same way, but there are holes implying the former presence of pins attaching a small metal cross which would have covered the tooled design, perhaps an embellishment added at a later date.
Dr Christopher Wright
Information about this document
- Physical Location: Clare College Library
- Classmark: Cambridge, Clare College, MS 31
- Alternative Identifier(s): Diktyon 11820
- Subject(s): Bible
- Date of Creation: late 15th or early 16th century
- Note(s): Defective at the end: ends during the third lection of the eothina (Mk 16:14); Gregory-Aland l 1534; Scrivener Evst. 488.1
- Extent: Codex 208 Leaf height: 207 mm, width: 159 mm.
- Collation:
The manuscript consists of 26 quires, all quaternia.
- Quires 1-268 ff. [1-206b]
- Material: ff. [1-32], 41-[42], [47-48] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 80 mm, width: 34 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2536, 2541. These examples are dated to 1492-1508. ff. 33-[40], [43-46], 105-[112], 169-[176] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 65 mm, width: 33 mm. ) in the gutter, comparable to Briquet 2522, but with a different countermark. This example is dated to 1497-1498.ff. 49-[96] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 50 mm, width: 25 mm. ) in the gutter.ff. 97-[104] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 33 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2522. This example is dated to 1497-1498.ff. 113-[144] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 30 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Piccard online 116851, 116869. These examples are dated to 1501.ff. 145-[152] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 40 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2600. This example is dated to 1500-1501.ff. 153-[168], 177-206 Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Bull's head ( Watermark height: c. 170 mm, width: 42 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to WZMA 4659-4664. These examples are dated to 1490-1498.
- Format: Codex
- Condition: The lower margins of ff. [45] and [88] have been cut away. There is extensive pest damage throughout and some small tears from the edges of some folios; the more serious instances of this damage have been repaired with Japanese paper. There is extensive water staining, areas of dirt and drops of wax.
- Binding:
Early modern binding of eastern Mediterranean origin.
Textblock cut flush to the size of the boards.
The sewing is an unsupported loop stitch. There are four sewing stations prepared with shallow v-shaped recesses.
Remnants of laid paper pastedowns remain on the inner face of the right and left boards.
Projecting compound endbands are present at the head and tail. The primary sewing is a single core woven endband sewn in natural coloured thread and sewn through the centre fold of each gathering. To facilitate the weaving, warp threads have been created by winding thread around the primary endband. The weaving is in a chevron pattern made with alternate red and yellow silk threads. The endbands extend approximately one quarter of the way onto each board. Where they extend onto the boards the endband is tied down to the head-most sewing stations and the tailband is tied down to the tail-most sewing stations.
Evidence of an overall spine lining can be seen at the inner joints and through damage in the covering, extending at least a third of the board width.
The board attachment is a zig zag pattern consistent with the Eastern Mediterranean tradition.
There are four attachment stations, each consisting of a pair of holes perpendicular to the spine, with a recess cut between each hole. The sewing thread is wound between each pair of holes (the sewing path on the outside of the board is obscured by the covering).
The start/end of the sewing thread can be seen at the head-most station of the left board and the tail-most section of the right board, tied off to the sewing thread as it passes to the next attachment station.
The boards are made from wood. The head-, tail- and fore-edges of the boards are square cut, measuring 10mm thick. The outer spine edge of the boards are shaped to a gentle round to meet the spine of the textblock.
Full covering in a dark red-brown tanned skin. The turn-ins suggest the skin was originally a red colour. The turn-ins are rough-trimmed and the corners are sewn-mitres.
Through the thickness of the left board is a hole, in the centre towards the foredge, which likely held a metal fastening. There are two corresponding holes through the right board, in the centre toward the foredge, which would have held a strap.
The cover is decorated with blind tooling. The tooling is of a varied design using only two tools - a wide double lines and a rectangular tool with a central dash.
The tooling on the left board consists of two concentric frames created with double lines. Additional double diagonal lines start at the corners of the board, intersecting the corners of the frames and terminating at the innermost frame. Where the diagonals intersect the frames the rectangular tool is used. To fill the space between the outside of the board and the outer frame the rectangular tool is used to form a ‘zig-zag’ pattern, with each impression made perpendicular to the previous, running along the border. Between the frames the rectangular tool has been used to spell out the name of the four evangelists. Within the second (and central) frame is a cross formed of the same rectangular tool. There is evidence in the form of pin holes that there was once a metal furniture cross in this position. Surrounding the cross is the inscription "Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νίκα", made with the same rectangular tool.
The tooling on the right board consists of two concentric frames created with double lines. Additional double lines diagonals start at the corners of the board, intersecting the corners of the frames, each pair from the head corners and tail corners terminate as they meet, approximately 80mm from the head and tail, respectively. The rectangular tool is used where the diagonals intersect the frames. Additional diagonal double lines are used, intersecting at the centre, passing out perpendicular to one another and terminating at the innermost frame. To fill the spaces between the outside of the board and each of the frames the rectangular tool is used to form a zig-zag pattern.
The same zig-zag pattern runs along the head-, tail- and fore-edges of both boards.
The former classmark G.3.9 appears on a patch on the spine.
Binding height: 222 mm, width: 174 mm, depth: 71 mm.
Leather covering material has been lost in places, and there is pest damage to the leather and the boards. Both outer joints are splitting. - Accompanying Material:
Inserted loose between ff. [95] and [96] is a slip of paper with some Greek financial notes in modern hands.
Housed along with the manuscript are a note identifying it as the gift of J. Rendell Harris and a rusty pin, with a label indicating that it was found with ff. [34-35].
- Script:
The text was copied in mixed minuscule script, upright or slanting to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra. Accents are sometimes joined to letters, breathings, abbreviations and nomina sacra strokes. Marginal quotation marks are in use.
The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present, and there are inclusions of letters within omicron.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma and full stop. There is also a common normal punctuation mark consisting of two points in brown ink, arranged vertically like a colon, with a larger round mark in red ink, between them and to their right, usually joining or overlaying them.
Headings are written in the same style in red ink.
Some headings to major sections are written in epigraphic display majuscule, in red ink.
- Foliation:
The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [1-8], 9, [10-14], 15, [16], 17, [18-24], 25, [26-32], 33, [34-40], 41, [42-48], 49, [50-56], 57, [58-64], 65, [66-72], 73, [74-80], 81, [82-88], 89, [90-96], 97, [98-104], 105, [106-112], 113, [114-120], 121, [122-128], 129, [130-136], 137, [138-144], 145, [146-152], 153, [154-158], 159, [160], 161, [162-168], 169, [170-176], 177, [178-184], 185, [186-192], 193, [194-200], 201, [202-205], 206, [206a-206b], in Arabic numerals, in pencil, recto, upper right. The folios numbered are the first folio of each quire, the last folio of the manuscript, f. 15, and f. 159, whose recto faces the beginning of the menologion.
- Layout: A single column of 21-23 lines. Written height: 140-146 mm, width: 90 mm.
- Decoration: The beginning of the text on f. [1]r is preceded by a thin rectangular headpiece, outlined in brown ink with red infill. Another precedes the beginning of the menologion on f. [158]v.
Lections begin with ornamented minor initials in red ink.
Some major sections are preceded by vignettes in red and brown ink (e.g. ff. [186]v, [205]r, [94]v).
Headings to other major sections are accompanied by line-fillers in red ink or red and brown ink (e.g. ff. [43]v, [66]r, [94]v). - Additions:
There is a note in Greek on f. [1]r.
The former classmark G.3.9 is marked on the Clare College bookplate inside the left board, along with the current classmark and the beginning of another incomplete classmark, Kk.
- Origin: This manuscript was copied in the late 15th or early 16th century, as indicated by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
- Acquisition: Given to Clare College Library by the Biblical scholar J. Rendell Harris (1852-1941), Fellow of Clare.
- Funding: The Polonsky Foundation
- Author(s) of the Record: Christopher Wright
- Bibliography:James, M. R. (Montague Rhodes) (ed.), A descriptive catalogue of the Western manuscripts in the library of Clare College Cambridge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1905).
Section shown in images 3 to 87
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections for the weeks of John
Want to know more?
Under the 'More' menu you can find metadata about the item, and information about sharing this image.
- Physical Location: Clare College Library
- Classmark: Cambridge, Clare College, MS 31
- Alternative Identifier(s): Diktyon 11820
- Subject(s): Bible
- Date of Creation: late 15th or early 16th century
- Note(s): Defective at the end: ends during the third lection of the eothina (Mk 16:14); Gregory-Aland l 1534; Scrivener Evst. 488.1
- Extent: Codex 208 Leaf height: 207 mm, width: 159 mm.
- Collation:
The manuscript consists of 26 quires, all quaternia.
- Quires 1-268 ff. [1-206b]
- Material: ff. [1-32], 41-[42], [47-48] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 80 mm, width: 34 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2536, 2541. These examples are dated to 1492-1508. ff. 33-[40], [43-46], 105-[112], 169-[176] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 65 mm, width: 33 mm. ) in the gutter, comparable to Briquet 2522, but with a different countermark. This example is dated to 1497-1498.ff. 49-[96] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 50 mm, width: 25 mm. ) in the gutter.ff. 97-[104] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 33 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2522. This example is dated to 1497-1498.ff. 113-[144] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 30 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Piccard online 116851, 116869. These examples are dated to 1501.ff. 145-[152] Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Scales ( Watermark height: c. 75 mm, width: 40 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2600. This example is dated to 1500-1501.ff. 153-[168], 177-206 Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Bull's head ( Watermark height: c. 170 mm, width: 42 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to WZMA 4659-4664. These examples are dated to 1490-1498.
- Format: Codex
- Condition: The lower margins of ff. [45] and [88] have been cut away. There is extensive pest damage throughout and some small tears from the edges of some folios; the more serious instances of this damage have been repaired with Japanese paper. There is extensive water staining, areas of dirt and drops of wax.
- Binding:
Early modern binding of eastern Mediterranean origin.
Textblock cut flush to the size of the boards.
The sewing is an unsupported loop stitch. There are four sewing stations prepared with shallow v-shaped recesses.
Remnants of laid paper pastedowns remain on the inner face of the right and left boards.
Projecting compound endbands are present at the head and tail. The primary sewing is a single core woven endband sewn in natural coloured thread and sewn through the centre fold of each gathering. To facilitate the weaving, warp threads have been created by winding thread around the primary endband. The weaving is in a chevron pattern made with alternate red and yellow silk threads. The endbands extend approximately one quarter of the way onto each board. Where they extend onto the boards the endband is tied down to the head-most sewing stations and the tailband is tied down to the tail-most sewing stations.
Evidence of an overall spine lining can be seen at the inner joints and through damage in the covering, extending at least a third of the board width.
The board attachment is a zig zag pattern consistent with the Eastern Mediterranean tradition.
There are four attachment stations, each consisting of a pair of holes perpendicular to the spine, with a recess cut between each hole. The sewing thread is wound between each pair of holes (the sewing path on the outside of the board is obscured by the covering).
The start/end of the sewing thread can be seen at the head-most station of the left board and the tail-most section of the right board, tied off to the sewing thread as it passes to the next attachment station.
The boards are made from wood. The head-, tail- and fore-edges of the boards are square cut, measuring 10mm thick. The outer spine edge of the boards are shaped to a gentle round to meet the spine of the textblock.
Full covering in a dark red-brown tanned skin. The turn-ins suggest the skin was originally a red colour. The turn-ins are rough-trimmed and the corners are sewn-mitres.
Through the thickness of the left board is a hole, in the centre towards the foredge, which likely held a metal fastening. There are two corresponding holes through the right board, in the centre toward the foredge, which would have held a strap.
The cover is decorated with blind tooling. The tooling is of a varied design using only two tools - a wide double lines and a rectangular tool with a central dash.
The tooling on the left board consists of two concentric frames created with double lines. Additional double diagonal lines start at the corners of the board, intersecting the corners of the frames and terminating at the innermost frame. Where the diagonals intersect the frames the rectangular tool is used. To fill the space between the outside of the board and the outer frame the rectangular tool is used to form a ‘zig-zag’ pattern, with each impression made perpendicular to the previous, running along the border. Between the frames the rectangular tool has been used to spell out the name of the four evangelists. Within the second (and central) frame is a cross formed of the same rectangular tool. There is evidence in the form of pin holes that there was once a metal furniture cross in this position. Surrounding the cross is the inscription "Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νίκα", made with the same rectangular tool.
The tooling on the right board consists of two concentric frames created with double lines. Additional double lines diagonals start at the corners of the board, intersecting the corners of the frames, each pair from the head corners and tail corners terminate as they meet, approximately 80mm from the head and tail, respectively. The rectangular tool is used where the diagonals intersect the frames. Additional diagonal double lines are used, intersecting at the centre, passing out perpendicular to one another and terminating at the innermost frame. To fill the spaces between the outside of the board and each of the frames the rectangular tool is used to form a zig-zag pattern.
The same zig-zag pattern runs along the head-, tail- and fore-edges of both boards.
The former classmark G.3.9 appears on a patch on the spine.
Binding height: 222 mm, width: 174 mm, depth: 71 mm.
Leather covering material has been lost in places, and there is pest damage to the leather and the boards. Both outer joints are splitting. - Accompanying Material:
Inserted loose between ff. [95] and [96] is a slip of paper with some Greek financial notes in modern hands.
Housed along with the manuscript are a note identifying it as the gift of J. Rendell Harris and a rusty pin, with a label indicating that it was found with ff. [34-35].
- Script:
The text was copied in mixed minuscule script, upright or slanting to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra. Accents are sometimes joined to letters, breathings, abbreviations and nomina sacra strokes. Marginal quotation marks are in use.
The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present, and there are inclusions of letters within omicron.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma and full stop. There is also a common normal punctuation mark consisting of two points in brown ink, arranged vertically like a colon, with a larger round mark in red ink, between them and to their right, usually joining or overlaying them.
Headings are written in the same style in red ink.
Some headings to major sections are written in epigraphic display majuscule, in red ink.
- Foliation:
The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [1-8], 9, [10-14], 15, [16], 17, [18-24], 25, [26-32], 33, [34-40], 41, [42-48], 49, [50-56], 57, [58-64], 65, [66-72], 73, [74-80], 81, [82-88], 89, [90-96], 97, [98-104], 105, [106-112], 113, [114-120], 121, [122-128], 129, [130-136], 137, [138-144], 145, [146-152], 153, [154-158], 159, [160], 161, [162-168], 169, [170-176], 177, [178-184], 185, [186-192], 193, [194-200], 201, [202-205], 206, [206a-206b], in Arabic numerals, in pencil, recto, upper right. The folios numbered are the first folio of each quire, the last folio of the manuscript, f. 15, and f. 159, whose recto faces the beginning of the menologion.
- Layout: A single column of 21-23 lines. Written height: 140-146 mm, width: 90 mm.
- Decoration: The beginning of the text on f. [1]r is preceded by a thin rectangular headpiece, outlined in brown ink with red infill. Another precedes the beginning of the menologion on f. [158]v.
Lections begin with ornamented minor initials in red ink.
Some major sections are preceded by vignettes in red and brown ink (e.g. ff. [186]v, [205]r, [94]v).
Headings to other major sections are accompanied by line-fillers in red ink or red and brown ink (e.g. ff. [43]v, [66]r, [94]v). - Additions:
There is a note in Greek on f. [1]r.
The former classmark G.3.9 is marked on the Clare College bookplate inside the left board, along with the current classmark and the beginning of another incomplete classmark, Kk.
- Origin: This manuscript was copied in the late 15th or early 16th century, as indicated by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
- Acquisition: Given to Clare College Library by the Biblical scholar J. Rendell Harris (1852-1941), Fellow of Clare.
- Funding: The Polonsky Foundation
- Author(s) of the Record: Christopher Wright
- Bibliography:James, M. R. (Montague Rhodes) (ed.), A descriptive catalogue of the Western manuscripts in the library of Clare College Cambridge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1905).
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections for the weeks of John
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections for the weeks of Matthew
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections for the weeks of Luke
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections for the weeks of Mark (Lent)
- Title: Synaxarion: Lections of Holy Week
- Title: Menologion: Lections for September
- Title: Menologion: Lections for October
- Title: Menologion: Lections for November
- Title: Menologion: Lections for December
- Title: Menologion: Lections for January
- Title: Menologion: Lections for February
- Title: Menologion: Lections for March
- Title: Menologion: Lections for April
- Title: Menologion: Lections for May
- Title: Menologion: Lections for June
- Title: Menologion: Lections for July
- Title: Menologion: Lections for August
- Title: Lections for various occasions
- Title: Lections of the eothina
Information about this document
Section shown in images 3 to 87
Section shown in images 88 to 132
Section shown in images 133 to 190
Section shown in images 190 to 209
Section shown in images 209 to 317
Section shown in images 318 to 331
Section shown in images 331 to 337
Section shown in images 337 to 342
Section shown in images 342 to 360
Section shown in images 361 to 374
Section shown in images 374 to 381
Section shown in images 381 to 382
Section shown in images 383 to 386
Section shown in images 386 to 388
Section shown in images 389 to 398
Section shown in images 398 to 402
Section shown in images 402 to 411
Section shown in images 411 to 413
Section shown in images 413 to 414
Share
You can also embed the viewer into your own website or blog using the code below:
