Codex Athous Lavrensis

Description

Original codex contained entire of the New Testament except of the Book of Revelation. Actually it has lacunae at the beginning and end. The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark 1:1-9:5, and one leaf from the Hebrews with text 8:11-9:19 have been lost.

The order of books: four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the General epistles, and the Pauline epistles. The General epistles are in an unusual order (1-2 Peter, James, 1-3 John, and Jude). The shorter ending of Mark is before the longer one (like in Codex Regius and all other Greek codices in which it appears).

The codex contains 261 parchment leaves (21 cm by 15.3 cm). The dimensions of text is 15 cm by 8,7 cm.

It was written in one column per page, 31 lines per page, in small uncial letters. The letters have breathings and accents. It contains tables of the κεφαλαια (tables of contents) before each book, the Ammonian Sections (in Mark 233 sections), Eusebian Canons, lectionary equipment on a margin (for liturgical use), musical notes (neumes), and subscriptions. It is one of the oldest manuscripts with musical notes.

The verses Mark 11:26 and Mark 15:28 are omitted. The text of the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) is omitted.

The codex is dated palaeographically to the 8th or 9th century.

Text

The Greek text of this codex is generally described as a representative of the Byzantine text-type, but with a large portion of the Alexandrian, and some Western readings. It has unusually mixed text. Von Soden lists it as generally Alexandrian. In the Gospel of Mark and the General epistles it represents the Alexandrian text-type. In Gospel of Luke and John the Byzantine element is predominate, but with larger proportion of Alexandrian readings than in Codex Sangallensis 48. In the Acts and the Pauline epistles the Byzantine element is predominant. The text of the General epistles seems to be of the same type found in Codex Alexandrinus, 33, 81, and 436. Kurt Aland placed the text of the codex in Category III in the Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, and in Category II in the General epistles.

Textual variants

Mark 9:49

It has unique variant θυσια αναλωθησεται instead of αλι αλισθησεται.

Mark 10:7

και προσκολληθησεται προς την γυναικα αυτου (and be joined to his wife) omitted, as in codices Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 892, ℓ 48, syr^s, goth.

Mark 10:19

phrase μη αποστερησης omitted, as in codices B (added by second corrector), K, W, f¹, f¹³, 28, 700, 1010, 1079, 1242, 1546, 2148, ℓ 10, ℓ 950, ℓ 1642, ℓ 1761, syr^s, arm, geo. This omission is typical for the manuscripts of the Caesarean text-type.

Luke 9:35

It uses the longest reading αγαπητος εν ο ευδοκησα — as in codices C³, D, ℓ 19, ℓ 31, ℓ 47, ℓ 48, ℓ 49, ℓ 49^m, ℓ 183, ℓ 183^m, ℓ 211^m;

John 20:31

ζωην αιωνιον – as codices: א C(*) D L 0100 f¹³ it vg^mss syr^{p, h} cop^sa, cop^bo

Acts 12:25

απο Ιερουσαλημ (from Jerusalem) – D, Ψ, 181, 436, 614, 2412, ℓ 147, ℓ 809, ℓ 1021, ℓ 1141, ℓ 1364, ℓ 1439, ar, d, gig, vg, Chrysostom εις Ιερουσαλημ (to Jerusalem) – א, B, H, L, P, 049, 056, 0142, 81, 88, 326, 330, 451, 629, 1241, 1505, 1877, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect εξ Ιερουσαλημ (from Jerusalem) – P ⁷⁴, A, 33, 69, 630, 2127 εις Αντιοχειαν (to Antioch) – 97^mg, 110, 328, 424^mg, 425^c εις την Αντιοχειαν (to Antioch) – ℓ 38 απο Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν (from Jerusalem to Antioch) – E, 322, 323 εξ Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν (from Jerusalem to Antioch) – 429, 945, 1739, e, p, syr^p, cop^sa geo εις Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν (to Jerusalem to Antioch) – 104, cop^sa (some mss.)

Acts 15:23

It has one of the longest readings γραψαντης επιστολην δια χειρος αυτων εχουσαν τον τυπον τουτον. The other manuscripts read: γραψαντης δια χειρος αυτων — P ⁴⁵, P ⁷⁴, א*, A, B, cop^bo γραψαντης δια χειρος αυτων ταδε — א^c, E, (33), Byz, syr^h γραψαντης δια χειρος αυτων επιστολην περιεχουσαν ταδε — C, ar, c, gig, w, geo γραψαντης επιστολην δια χειρος αυτων περιεχουσαν ταδε — D, d γραψαντης δια χειρος αυτων επιστολην και πεμψαντες περιεχουσαν ταδε — 614.

In Acts 18:26 it reads την του θεου οδον along with P, 049, 0142, 104, 330, 451, 1241, 1877, 2127, 2492, Byz, Lect;

Acts 20:15

it has singular readings και μεινοντες εις το Γυλιον τη.

Acts 20:28

It reads του κυριου (of the Lord) together with the manuscripts P ⁷⁴, A, C*, D, E, 33, 36, 453, 945, 1739, 1891. The Alexandrian manuscripts usually reads του Θεου (of the God), the Byzantine manuscripts have του κυριου και του Θεου (of the Lord and God).

Acts 27:16

Γαυδην — it is only one manuscript with this reading.

Acts 28:29

the entire verse is omitted: και ταυτα αυτου ειποντος απηλθον οι Ιουδαιοι πολλην εχοντης εν εαυτοις συζητησιν (And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves); the omission is supported by a manuscripts Papyrus 74, Codex Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Codex Laudianus, Codex Vaticanus 2061, 33, 81, 1175, 1739, 2464;

Romans 8:1

Ιησου – א, B, D, G, 1739, 1881, it^{d, g}, cop^{sa, bo}, eth Ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν – A, D^b, Ψ, 81, 629, 2127, vg Ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα – א^c, D^c, K, P, 33, 88, 104, 181, 326, 330, (436 omit μη), 456, 614, 630, 1241, 1877, 1962, 1984, 1985, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect

The text of Romans 16:25-27 is following 14:23, as in Codex Angelicus Uncial 0209, Minuscule 181 326 330 451 460 614 1241 1877 1881 1984 1985 2492 2495.

1 Corinthians 2:1

μαρτυριον along with B D G P Ψ 33 81 104 181 326 330 451 614 629 630 1241 1739 1877 1881 1962 1984 2127 2492 2495 Byz Lect it vg syr^h cop^sa arm eth; Other manuscripts read μυστηριον or σωτηριον.

1 Corinthians 7:5

τη προσευχη (prayer) along with P ¹¹, P ⁴⁶, א*, A, B, C, D, G, P, Ψ, 6, 33, 81, 104, 181, 629, 630, 1739, 1877, 1881, 1962, it vg, cop, arm, eth. Other manuscripts read τη νηστεια και τη προσευχη (fasting and prayer) or τη προσευχη και νηστεια (prayer and fasting).

1 Corinthians 12:9

χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω ενι πνευματι — A B 33 81 104 436 630 (1739 omit τω) 1881 it vg χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω αυτω πνευματι — א C³ D G K P 0201 88 181 330 451 614 629 1241 1877 1962 1984 1985 2127 2492 2495 Byz Lect χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω πνευματι — P ⁴⁶ χαρισματα ιαματων — C χαρισματα — Ψ

Philippians 1:14

του θεου – א A B (D*) P Ψ 33 81 104 326 365 629 1175 1241 2464 κυρίου – F G; Cyp omitted – p⁴⁶ D² Byz, r; Marcion

1 Timothy 3:16

It supports textual variant θεος εφανερωθη.

History

The manuscript was first seen by C. R. Gregory on August 26, 1886, who described it as the first. In 1892 it has been seen but not examined by J. Rendel Harris, who was inspecting the Septuaginta manuscripts. Von Goltz and Wobbermin had collated text of Acts, General epistles, and Pauline epistles for Hermann von Soden. The codex was examined by Kirsopp Lake in 1899, who thoroughly examined the Gospel of Mark and collated the text of the Gospel of Luke and John. He did not examine the text of Acts and the Epistles because, according Soden's opinion, their text was ordinary. In 1903, Lake published the text of the Gospel of Mark 9:5-16:20, and a collation of the Gospels of Luke, John, and Epistle to the Colossians in Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica.