Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts : Homilies on Genesis 1-30

John Chrysostom

Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This manuscript, probably copied in the first half of the 12th century, with replacement portions added in the 15th century, contains the first 30 of the 67 <i>Homilies of John Chrysostom on the Book of Genesis</i>. These homilies were originally delivered by the Patriarch of Constantinople and leading patristic theologian (d. 407), in 388/389. They are collectively known as the <i>Hexaemeron</i>, from the six days of the Creation, and were among the most frequently copied of Chrysostom's works. They usually followed the sequence found here. The manuscript is incomplete at the end, but probably originally contained at most only a few more homilies, as this collection was usually divided into two volumes, with no standard point of division between them.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>At some point the opening of the first homily was also lost, and in the 15th century two newly copied paper folios were added to supply the missing content. These subsequently became detached and have been remounted on endleaves.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The manuscript was donated by a hieromonachos (priest and monk) named Symeon to the Monastery of the Pantokrator on Mount Athos, from which it was purchased, along with other Greek manuscripts, by the classicist Richard Bentley, Master of Trinity, who left his collection to the college.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr Christopher Wright</p>