Minuscule 638 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 188 (von Soden),[1] is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically to the 11th century. The manuscript is lacunose.[2] Scrivener labelled it by 191a and 245p.[3]

Minuscule 638
New Testament manuscript
TextActs, Catholic epistles, Paul
Date11th century
ScriptGreek
Now atChrist Church, Oxford
Size17.5 cm by 13.5 cm
TypeByzantine text-type
CategoryV
Handsmall and neat

Description edit

The codex contains the text of the Acts of the Apostles, Catholic epistles, Pauline epistles, on 306 parchment leaves (size 17.5 cm by 13.5 cm), with lacuna (Acts 1:1-11). It is written in one columns per page, 23 lines per page.[2]

It contains Prolegomena, Euthalian Apparatus, tables of the κεφαλαια before each book, numbers of the κεφαλαια, τιτλοι at the top, Synaxarion, Menologion, subscriptions at the end of each book, numbers of στιχοι in subscriptions, and scholia.[3][4] It contains a catena added by a later hand and dated to the 1312.[3]

The order of books: Acts of the Apostles, Catholic epistles, and Pauline epistles. Epistle to the Hebrews is placed after Epistle to Philemon.[4]

Text edit

The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Kurt Aland placed it in Category V.[5]

History edit

The manuscript is dated by INTF to the 11th century.[6] Formerly it was housed in Mar Saba. In 1731 it was brought from Constantinople to England.[4]

The manuscript was examined by Walker. It was added to the list of the New Testament manuscripts by Scrivener. Gregory saw the manuscript in 1886.[4]

Formerly it was labelled it by 191a and 245p. In 1908 Gregory gave the number 638 to it.[1]

The manuscript currently is housed at the library of Christ Church College (Wake 38), at Oxford.[2][6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Gregory, Caspar René (1908). Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung. p. 70.
  2. ^ a b c K. Aland, M. Welte, B. Köster, K. Junack, "Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments", Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1994, p. 84.
  3. ^ a b c Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose; Edward Miller (1894). A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, vol. 1 (4 ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. p. 298.
  4. ^ a b c d Gregory, Caspar René (1900). Textkritik des Neuen Testaments. Vol. 1. Leipzig: Hinrichs. p. 280.
  5. ^ Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1.
  6. ^ a b Handschriftenliste at the Münster Institute