SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

request was to research old manuscripts of the Coptic Liturgy of St. Basil to determine how old is the current practice of prostration prior to the Fraction prayer. After the initial investigation, I felt that the question can be better answered with a study of the evolution of this part of the service, as recorded in these manuscripts. Resource Selection: The 1902 edition of the Coptic Euchologion was taken as the base text to be compared. This particular edition by Hegemon Abdel-Masih Salib, was distinguished by its reliance on original manuscript. His text annotations were very valuable. However, the edition did not reference the manuscripts that contributed the formation of the text. The sources used in the comparison were all Coptic and Copto-Arabic manuscripts of the Euchologion. The work on these manuscripts was done using processed microfiche copies in the Coptic Microfilm Library (CML) of the St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society. The list and brief description of the manuscripts that have been used are as follows: Codex A: Paris, BN Copte 26 (Delaporte 65), paper, 3-Liturgies, 234f, 21x13 cm, Boh-Ar, 1284 AD(?) [CML 418C] Codex B: Vatican, V17, paper, 3-Liturgies, 131f, 25.5x17.5 cm, 18 lines, 1288 AD [CML 338C] Codex C: Cairo, Coptic Museum Liturgy 463, paper, 3-Liturgies, 251f, 12x9 cm, 14 lines, Boh-Ar, 13th Century [CML 1228H] Codex D: Paris, BN Copte 82 (Delaporte 67), paper, 3-Liturgies, 126f, 18x10 cm, Boh-Ar,, 1307 AD [CML 499D]

Codex H: Vatican, V18, paper, 3-Liturgies, 263f, 11.5x8 cm, 12-13 lines, 1531 AD [CML 338E] Codex I: Vatican, V26, paper, 3-Liturgies, 238f, 21.5x15.5 cm, 13 lines, Boh-Ar, 1616 AD [CML 337C] Codex J: Paris, BN Copte 30 (Delaporte 76), paper, Litg. of St. Basil 21x14 cm, 153f, Boh- Ar, 1642 AD [CML 498F] Codex K: Vatican, V19, paper, Litg of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 32.3x15.8 cm, 144f, 13 lines, Boh-Ar, 1715 AD [CML 538A] Codex L: Vatican, V99, paper, Raising of Incense & Litg of St. Basil, 11.5x8.5 cm, 198f, 9-14 lines, Boh-Ar, 1718-26 AD, Ecclesiastical use(?) [CML 539E] Codex M: Vatican, V78, paper, Litg of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 23.5x18 cm, 142f, 13 lines, Boh-Ar, 1722 AD, Monastic [CML 539A] Codex N: Vatican, V81, paper, Litg of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 24.5x18.5 cm, 139f, 12-13 lines, Boh-Ar, 1722 AD, Monastic (Coptic- Catholic?) [CML 539B] Codex O: Vatican, V86, paper, Litg of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 33x22.5 cm, 67f, 23&24 lines, Boh-Ar, 1727 AD, Monastic(Coptic- Catholic?) [CML 539D] Codex P: Vatican, V85, paper, Litg of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 33.5x22.5 cm, 76f, 25 lines, Boh-Ar, 18th Century, Monastic(Coptic- Catholic?) [CML 539C] Codex Q: London, BL OR. 431 (BMC 793), paper, Raising of Incense & Litg. of St. Basil, 90f, 14.9x10.8 cm, 13 lines, Boh-Ar, 1718 AD [CML 606B]

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter Codex E: Vatican V24, paper, 3-Liturgies, 271f, 12x8.5 cm, 15 lines, Boh-Ar, 14-15th Century [CML 538B] Codex F: Oxford, Bodleian Hunt. 360 (Uri 34), paper, 3-Liturgies, 304f, Boh-Ar, 14th Century [CML 313] Codex R: London, BL OR. 1239 (BMC 788), paper, 22.2x13.3 cm, 15-17 lines, Boh-Ar, 1726 AD, Syrian Monastery [CML 607] Codex S: London, BL OR. 8778 (Layton 228), paper, Litg. of St. Basil & Raising of Incense, 105f, 21.7x15.8 cm, about 15 lines, Boh-Ar, 1726 AD (Coptic Catholic use?) [CML 612A] Codex T: Manchester, JR 427, paper, Boh-Ar, 1749 AD [CML 616] Codex G: Vatican, V25, paper, 3-Liturgies, 228f, 12x8.2 cm, 17-8 lines, Boh-Ar, 14th Century/1670 AD [CML 538C]

Codex U: London, BL OR 8777 (Layton 227), paper, Litg. of St. Basil, 232f, 19.6x15.4 cm,

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