Minuscule 240

Minuscule 240
New Testament manuscript
TextGospels †
Date12th century
ScriptGreek
Now atState Historical Museum
Size33.5 cm by 22 cm
TypeByzantine text-type
CategoryV

Minuscule 240 is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, made of parchment. It is designated by the siglum 240 in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts, and ε21 in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it had been assigned to the 12th century. It contains a commentary of Euthymius Zigabenus.

Description

The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book format), containing the text of the four Gospels on 411 parchment leaves (sized 33.5 cm by 22 cm), with some gaps: Mark 8:12-34; 14:17-54; and Luke 15:32-16:8. The text is written in one column per page, 33-39 lines per page.

It contains table of contents (known as κεφαλαια / kephalaia) before each Gospel. The biblical text is accompanied by a commentary of Euthymius Zigabenus, with the commentary being interspersed with the biblical text. The biblical text written in red, the text of a commentary in black ink.

Text

The Greek text of the codex is considered to be a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Biblical scholar Kurt Aland placed it in Category V of his New Testament manuscript classification system. Category V manuscripts are described as "manuscripts with a purely or predominantly Byzantine text.": 336  It was not examined by the Claremont Profile Method (a specific analysis of textual data).

History

The earliest history of the manuscript is unknown. It was formerly held in the monastery of Philotheus at Mount Athos, then in the Dionysius monastery. During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676), the monk Arsenius brought it from Athos to Moscow, on the suggestion of the Patriarch Nikon. The manuscript was collated by palaeographer and philologist Christian F. Matthaei.

It is currently dated by the INTF to the 12th century. It is presently housed at the State Historical Museum (shelf number V. 87, S. 48) at Moscow.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gregory, Caspar René (1908). Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament [The Greek Manuscripts of the New Tesstament] (in German). Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs. p. 56.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Aland, Kurt; M. Welte; B. Köster; K. Junack (1994). Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments [A Concise List of the Greek Manuscripts of the New Testament]. Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter. p. 61. ISBN 3-11-011986-2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Liste Handschriften: Minuscule 240". Münster: Institute for New Testament Textual Research. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  4. 1 2 3 Gregory, Caspar René (1900). Textkritik des Neuen Testaments [Textual Criticism of the New Testament] (in German). Vol. 1. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs. p. 171.
  5. 1 2 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. 223.
  6. 1 2 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. Translated by Erroll F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1.
  7. ↑ Wisse, Frederik (1982). The Profile Method for Classifying and Evaluating Manuscript Evidence. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 57. ISBN 0-8028-1918-4.

Further reading