Codex Cyprius

Gospel of Luke 20:9, in second line, between 11th and 12th letter stands stichometrical point

Gospel of John 6:52–53 in Scrivener's facsimile edition; it has the Ammonian section in the margin (ξς = 66)

The Greek text of this codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type.[8] Together with Codex Petropolitanus it belongs to family Π, which is in close relationship to Codex Alexandrinus. According to Tregelles it has many good and valuable readings,[4] but according to Kenyon the text of the codex has no remarkable value, due to the manuscript being of a late date.[3] According to Gregory it has many old readings that preceded the Byzantine text-type.[7]^: 54 Hermann von Soden classified it to the textual family I^κa,[9] and associated the provenance of this text with Jerusalem.[10]

Silva Lake considered the text of the codex as a somewhat dilute form of family Π, with a large number of peculiar readings, most of which are either misspellings or careless and ignorant mistakes. An educated scribe could hardly have produced the variants in Mark 4:1; Mark 6:26; Mark 9:4; Mark 13:3; Mark 14:38; or Mark 16:4. The readings which it does not share with other representatives of Family Π are supported outside that family, and they seem to be connected with the late Alexandrian group (C, L, M, N, Δ), but the number of the Alexandrian readings is not high, and Silva Lake considered them as a result of accident as opposed to influence from a different text-type.[11]^: 37

Kurt Aland placed its text in Category V.[1] According to the Claremont Profile Method, its text belongs to the textual family Π^a in Luke 1, Luke 10, and Luke 20.[10]

Matt 27:34

οινον (wine) – א‎ B D L Θ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 33

οξος (vinegar) – A W 0250 Byz (see Psalm 69:22). According to Wettstein, the reading οινον came from the Latin versions.[12]

Mark 10:19

μη αποστερησης (do not defraud)

omit – B* W Ψ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 28 700 1010 1079 1242 1546 2148 ℓ 10 ℓ 950 ℓ 1642 ℓ 1761 syr^s arm geo

incl. – B^c1 Majority of manuscripts[13]^: 165

Mark 10:47

Ναραιος (Naraios) – K*

Ναζωραιος (of Nazareth) – K^c Majority of manuscripts[13]^: 169

Luke 9:55–56

στραφεις δε επετιμησεν αυτοις και ειπεν, Ουκ οιδατε ποιου πνευματος εστε υμεις; ο γαρ υιος του ανθρωπου ουκ ηλθεν ψυχας ανθρωπων απολεσαι αλλα σωσαι (but He turned and rebuked them and He said: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them) – Π 1079 1242 1546 ƒ¹ (omit γαρ) Θ ƒ¹³ (omit υμεις and γαρ)

omit – Majority of manuscripts[13]^: 248

Luke 14:5

ὄνος ἢ βοῦς (an ass or an ox) – א‎ L X Π Ψ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 33 892 1071, ℓ 547

υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς (a son or an ox) – Majority of manuscripts[13]^: 273

John 1:29

Ιωαννης (John)

omit – א‎ A B M N S U Y Δ Θ Π Ψ Ω 047 0141 8 9 565 1192

incl. – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 7

John 1:42

εγαγον – Ψ 1519 ℓ 1692

εγαγεν – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 10

John 1:45

Ιωσηφ (of Joseph) – A M Y Δ Π 047 7 8 196 461 817 1514 1519

του Ιωσηφ – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 11

John 1:50

οψη (you will see) – A E F G M S Δ Θ Π Ψ Ω 047 9 461 1216 ℓ 253

οψει (you will see) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 12

John 1:51

και λεγει (and He said) – A G M U Y Θ Π 0141 0211 210 1212

λεγει (He said) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 13

John 2:8

οι δε (so they) – N Π Ψ 565 1192

και (and) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 14

John 2:22

ελεγε αυτοις (said to them) – Π 754 1212 ℓ 1076

ελεγε (said) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 18

John 3:2

αυτον (Him) A S U Y Δ Θ Π Ψ Ω 047 0211 7 9 194 196 210 461 565 743

τον Ιησουν (Jesus) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 20

John 3:19

αυτων πονηρα τα εργα (their works are evil) – singular reading

πονηρα αυτων τα εργα – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 25

John 4:1

ο κυριος (the Lord) – A E F G S U Y Γ Δ Π Ψ Ω 0141 0211 2 7 8 9 27 194 196 461 475

ο Ιησους (Jesus) – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 30

John 4:42

εγνωμεν – singular reading

εγνωκαμεν – Y Π

οιδαμεν – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 39

John 4:51

υπηντησαν – N Θ Ψ 565 1194 1519

απηντησαν – Majority of manuscripts[14]^: 42

John 7:8

εγω ουκ αναβαινω (I am not going) – א‎ D 1241 f

εγω ουπω αναβαινω (I am not yet going) – B L T W Θ Ψ 0105 0180 0250 ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ Majority of manuscripts[15]^: 269

John 8:9

οι δε ακουσαντες και υπο της συνειδησεως ελεγχομενοι εξερχοντο εις καθ εις – E G H 1079 1365[13]^: 357

John 8:10a

και μηδενα θεασαμενος πλην της γυναικος – K^r

omit – D Γ 1 892 1010[15]^: 274

John 8:10b

που εισιν εκεινοι οι κατηγοροι σου – singular reading

που εισιν οι κατηγοροι σου – E F G U 1079

που εισιν οι κατηγοροι σου – G S ƒ¹³ 28 225 700 1009

που εισιν – D M Γ Tischendorfianus III ƒ¹[13]^: 357

Near the end of the manuscript, on the reverse of page 267, there is a colophon (subscription) inserted by a second hand (secunda manu). According to this colophon the manuscript was written by a scribe named Basil (εγραφη δε η δελτος αυτη διαχειρ[] βασιλειου μοναχου), and it was bound by one Theodulos, who commended themselves to the Virgin and St. Eutychios (προσδεξη ταυτην [την δελτον] η παναγια θεοτοκος και ο αγιος Ευτυχιος).[11]^: 11 [7]^: 55 Some parts of the colophon are uncertain.[16][17]

The Full text of the colophon is:

εγραφη δε η δελτος αυτη δια χειρ[] βασιλειου μοναχου

ημφιασθην και εκεφ[]λεωθη υπ[.. θε]οδουλου του μοναχου

προσδεξητε αυτην η παναγια θκος και ο αγιος ευτυχιος

κς δε ο θς δια πρεσβειων της υπερ[αγι]ας θκου και

του αγιου ευτυχιου χαρισηται ημιν την βασιλειαν

των ουνων αιωνιζησαν αμην:~[7]^: 55

Richard Simon dated the manuscript to the 10th century. According to palaeographer Bernard de Montfaucon[18] and biblical scholar Scholz, it was written in the 8th century. According to Leonard Hug it is not older than the ninth century, as several of the letter-forms in the manuscript have not been found in any other manuscript securly dated to before the 9th century CE.[19]

Constantin von Tischendorf and Caspar René Gregory dated the manuscript to the 9th century.[17][7]^: 54 Tregelles dated the manuscript to the middle of the ninth century.[4] Frederic G. Kenyon stated the manuscript must be not earlier than the 11th century, due to the formal liturgical hand and on palaeographic grounds. But Kenyon only saw Scrivener's facsimile, and his assessment was made only on the basis of this facsimile text.[11]^: 11

Henri Omont advised it is impossible to give a precise date to this manuscript due the palaeographical grounds, as there are many manuscripts written in the same style of handwriting, but they are not dated. The 9th century is possible as well as the 11th century.[11]^: 11

Silva Lake proclaimed it is difficult to prove it was written earlier than the year 1000, and it is perhaps as late as the middle of the eleventh century.[11]^: 10 This assessment was based rather on the textual dependency from other manuscript members of family Π, than on palaeographical grounds. According to Silva Lake, Minuscule 1219 represents a text of family Π in its earlier stage as opposed to Codex Cyprius. Cyprius could have been copied from the Minuscule 1219, or from a copy of Minuscule 1219 (Silva Lake's hypothetical codex b). Minuscule 1219 can hardly have written before the year 980 or long after 990, and so as a result Codex Cyprius can hardly be dated long before the year 1000.[11]^: 36

William Hatch argued the letters Β, Δ, Κ, Λ, Μ, Ξ, Π, Υ, Φ, Χ, Ψ, and Ω have forms which are characteristic of the late 10th or the early 11th century CE.[2] Hatch also noted the handwriting of the codex bears a striking general resemblance to that of three Gospel lectionaries of the 10th and 11th centuries: ℓ 3, ℓ 296, and ℓ 1599. On the other hand, no such likeness exists between the codex and uncial manuscripts of the New Testament which were written in the 9th century. As such, Hatch argued the manuscript should be dated to about 1000.[2]

Textual critics like Frederic G. Kenyon,[3] Kurt Aland[1] and Bruce Metzger dated it to the 9th century.[8] The manuscript is currently dated by the INTF to the 9th century.[20]

The early history of the codex is unknown. It was brought from Cyprus to the Colbert Library (no. 5149) in Paris in 1673, whence it passed into its present locality in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.[4]^: 201

The manuscript was examined by Richard Simon,[21] who made some extracts for John Mill, who used readings from the codex in his edition of Novum Testamentum Graecum in Greek.[22] Montfaucon published the first facsimile of the codex, with the text of Matthew 2:19–22, and used this manuscript for his palaeographical studies.[23] Wettstein employed readings from the codex, but with quite a large number of errors.[4] Scholz valued it very highly, and he collated its text noted its textual variants in 1820,[5]^: 53–90 but with so little care and numerous errors that his list is now ignored. Tischendorf in 1842 and 1849, and Tregelles in 1950, produced a new and more accurate collation, and in 1850 they compared their collations in Leipzig, and created a new list. Its textual variants are cited in Tischendorf's Editio Octava Critica maior.[16] Scrivener published its facsimile with the text of John 6:52–53.[6]^{: 153, Plate VII} Henri Omont and William Hatch published some fragments of the codex in separate facsimile samples.[24][25]

The codex was also examined and described by Bianchini,[26] and Gregory, who saw the codex in 1883.[7]^: 55

Wettstein believed the text of the codex was altered by influence from Old Latin manuscripts.[12] Hatch stated the codex is "one of the more important of the later uncial manuscripts of the four Gospels".[2]^: 337

The codex is currently located in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gr. 63) in Paris.[1][20]