Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts : Origen's letter to Iulius Africanus

Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> This manuscript was bound together with three others (MSS B.14.13, B.15.39, B.15.40) after their acquisition by Trinity College. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'> MS B.7.4 contains <i> Origen's letter to Iulius Africanus</i> on the subject of the story of Susanna. This tale from the Book of Daniel was not universally regarded as canonical, a position shared by Africanus, and which Origen's letter argued against.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The text was copied by two contemporary hands, which used similar scripts. As a note in the manuscript attests, the text was copied from a manuscript of Patrick Young and collated with the printed edition by David Hoeschel (the first edition of his Origen was printed in 1605); throughout the text there are numerous marginal annotations, indicating variants from Hoeschel's edition and the Latin translation by Hervet, together with conjectures and corrections; after the text there are a few critical notes in Latin. The cited note says that the conjectures to the text were proposed by Patrick Young, Herbert Thorndike and Thomas Gale.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The manuscipt was donated to the library by Thorndike in 1672.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> Dr Erika Elia</p>