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Or 8612
- Record Id:
- 032-003461538
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-003461538
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100085827033.0x000001
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100171517548.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Or 8612
- Title:
- Epistles of Paul
- Scope & Content:
-
The manuscript contains one the earliest translations of the Pauline Epistles into Arabic and is written in a rather ancient script. The main part of the codex is still in St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai. Smaller units that were separated from it are today found in Paris and Munich whereas a portion of it is lost. The composition originally included Ben Sira, the Pauline Epistles, as well as a theological tract. Although the Epistles include reading instructions, which indicate that they played a liturgical function, it is also conceivable that the various books were to be studied and understood in light of each other.
The text is missing the beginning, but clearly contains the Epistles of Paul from Ephesians 2:9 to 2 Timothy 2:12. The beginning of the manuscript is extant in Sinai Ar. 155 (Ben Sira, first part is missing, and Pauline Epistles), whereas the end is missing. A theological treaty which originally formed part of the codex is partly extant in Munich, Bavarian State Library, ar. 1071 and Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, syr. 378.
Begins (f. 1r line 1a): الاعمال لكيما لا يفتخر احدا
Ends (f. 40v, line 21b): فانا نملك معه : ان كفرنا
The manuscript lacks a colophon, but was likely copied in the 9th century CE.
- Collection Area:
- Oriental Manuscripts
- Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "032-003461538", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Or 8612: Epistles of Paul" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-003461538
- Is part of:
- not applicable
- Hierarchy:
- 032-003461538
- Container:
- not applicable
- Record Type (Level):
- Fonds
- Extent:
- Codex; fols. 40
- Digitised Content:
- http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100171517548.0x000001 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Arabic
- Scripts:
- Arabic
- Start Date:
- 0800
- End Date:
- 0899
- Date Range:
- 9th century
- Calendar:
- Gregorian
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
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- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Material: Parchment
Dimensions: leaf ca. 195 mm x 140 mm [160 x 90 mm written]
Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil
Lines per page: Normally 21 lines
Script: overall angular script (cf. Early Abbasid script/Kufic) with curvy (New Style) features.
Ink: Black-dark brown ink, with rubricated headings, decorative elements, and text dividers (encircled dots) in red. It contains several ancient letter forms: qāf is dotted below the letter, the dots on shīn are horizontally arranged, and the top strokes on middle-ʿayn are unconnected. Outer alignments are not kept straight.
Decoration: Ribbons or floral patterns in red and black precede a new epistle. Dimond/cross-shaped text dividers frame reading instructions and encircled dots in red are often used to separate textual passages.
Binding: British Museum binding
Condition: Waterstains, wormholes, etc. small holes in margin of fols. 11; 14.
Marginalia: few notes in Arabic, fols. 18v; 36v.
Other: small leather bits inserted in margins, seemingly as an aid to find certain passages
Quries: quaternions
Quire marks: no quire marks visible.
Paratextual notes: liturgical notations in red are inserted into the running text, i.e. indications when certain passages are read during the church year.
- Source of Acquisition:
- Bought of J. W. Bickel 10th April 1920.
- Finding Aids:
- Baker, Colin F., Subject Guide to the Arabic Manuscripts in the British Library (London: The British Library, 2001), p. 401.
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)