SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Bohairic Coptic Lectionary for Wednesdays and Fridays (Oxford Bodleian Library, Codex Hunt. 89) (1) (By Hany Takla)

of a second volume may also indicate that it not in use for more than a year, after which this new tradition was discarded. Further discoveries may alter these remarks , but it is unlikely. Description of the Manuscript: The manuscript is written on paper with the approximate dimensions of 253 mm in height by 197 mm in width, as measured to the scale found in the microfilm copy. It has an average of 19 lines per folio. The folios are bound in quires of 10 each. Each quire marked with a quire number on the inside edge of the recto of the first folio and the inside edge of the verso of the last folio. The beginning and the end of each quire is adorned with an ornate geometric colorful cross with the inscription iu on the left and ,u on the right. Page numbers are written on the upper left hand corner of each verso page. Illuminations are limited to the customary initial full page plaited cross and a colorful header at the beginning of each Coptic month readings. Also found are the initial ornate Capital letter at the beginning of each reading and the upper case rendering of its first two lines. A brief Latin description is included in Uri's Catalog under Item XXII. Contents: The lectionary has 48 sets of readings: The first, second, third, and fourth Wednesday and Friday of the first six months of the Coptic Year. Each set of readings consists of five readings from : Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Acts of the Apostles, Psalm , Gospel . The heading or rubric for each set consists of the following in Coptic and Arabic: Week Number Day Name Coptic Month Each reading has the following information:

Introduction: The Huntington collection of manuscripts, housed at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, contains a very unique Coptic lectionary manuscript. This lectern-size manuscript includes liturgical readings for Wednesdays and Fridays for the first 6 months of the Coptic Year. This indicates that at the time and the place of the writing of this manuscript, the liturgy was celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays, at least during the first six months of the Coptic Year. This provides a much earlier evidence than previously thought for such services. However the current practice follows the day of the year reading rather than the system found in this manuscript and more likely was introduced in the church in the 20 th century. The manuscript copy is cataloged in the Society's Microform Library under the number CML 311C and as 1A- CD2-07 in the Society's Digital Library. References: Uri, J. Bibliothecae Bodleianae Codicum Manuscriptorum Orientalium, Videlicet Hebraicorum, Chaldaicorum, Syriacorum, Aethiopicorum, Arabicorum, Persicorum, Turcicorum, Copticorum Catalogus. Pars Prima, Oxford 1787. Coptic Manuscripts pp. 318-327, referenced by Catalog No. [Uri] History of the Manuscript: The state of investigation into the history of this manuscript is at its early stages. The only known fact is that it is part of Lord Huntington Collection, housed at the Bodleian. This collection is one of the earlier ones that made its way into Europe. With the absence of a colophon, it is difficult to determine accurately the date and provenance of this manuscript. However judging by the rarity of its subject it is possible to say that it belonged to the Patriarchal Cell in Cairo, probably from the 14 th century. The good condition of the manuscript can lead one to suppose that it was not put to use for an extended period. The lack

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