Codex Athous Lavrensis

The codex is dated palaeographically to the 8th or 9th century.[1]

The manuscript was seen by C. R. Gregory on August 26, 1886. He described it as the first of its kind. In 1892 it was not examined by J. Rendel Harris, who was inspecting the Septuaginta manuscripts. Von Goltz and Georg Wobbermin had collated the text of Acts, the 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 gospels of Luke and John. He did not examine the text of Acts and the epistles because, according to Soden, 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 the Epistle to the Colossians in Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica.[2]

The codex originally contained the entire New Testament except for the Book of Revelation, with lacunae at both 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 subsequently been lost.

The order of the codex's books:

• the four Gospels
• the Acts of the Apostles
• the General epistles
• the Pauline epistles

The General epistles were found to be in an unusual order (1-2 Peter, James, 1-3 John, and Jude). Also, there was a shorter ending of Mark before the longer version. This is similar to the Codex Regius and all other Greek codices in which the general epistles appear.[3]

The codex contains 261 parchment leaves, each measuring 21 by 15.3 centimetres (8.3 by 6.0 in),[4] with the space on each page devoted to text being 15 by 8.7 centimetres (5.9 by 3.4 in).[5]

The text is written in small uncial letters, in one column of 31 lines per page.[1] These letters have breathings and accents.[6] The codex contains a table of κεφαλαια ("contents") before each book, the Ammonian Sections (in Mark, 233 sections), Eusebian Canons, lectionary notes in the margin (for liturgical use), musical notes (neumes), and subscriptions.[6] It is considered one of the oldest manuscripts with musical notes.

The Greek text of this codex is described as representative of the Byzantine text-type, but with a large portion of the Alexandrian, as well as some Western readings. Despite being unusually mixed text, Von Soden lists it as generally Alexandrian because the Gospel of Mark and the General epistles are in the Alexandrian text-type.[7] In Gospel of Luke and John the Byzantine element is predominate, but with larger proportion of Alexandrian readings than in Codex Sangallensis 48.[3] The Byzantine element is predominant in the Acts and the Pauline epistles[8] The text of the General epistles appeared to be the same type found in Codex Alexandrinus, 33, 81, and 436. Kurt Aland, a German theologian and biblical scholar, placed the text of the codex in Category III in the Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, and in Category II in the General epistles.[1]

Mark 9:49

contains the unique variant θυσια αναλωθησεται, instead of αλι αλισθησεται.[9]

Mark 10:7

omits και προσκολληθησεται προς την γυναικα αυτου ("and be joined to his wife") – as codices Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 892, ℓ 48, syr^s, goth.[10]

Mark 10:19

omits the phrase μη αποστερησης – as 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.[11] This omission is typical for the manuscripts of the Caesarean text-type.

Mark 11:26 and Mark 15:28 are omitted.[6][12]

Luke 9:35

uses the longest reading αγαπητος εν ο ευδοκησα – as codices C³, D, ℓ 19, ℓ 31, ℓ 47, ℓ 48, ℓ 49, ℓ 49^m, ℓ 183, ℓ 183^m, ℓ 211^m.[13][n 1]

John 7:53–8:11

which is the text of the Pericope Adulterae, is omitted.[6][14]

John 20:31

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

Acts 12:25

contains απο Ιερουσαλημ ("from Jerusalem") – as 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") – as 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") – as ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$⁷⁴, A, 33, 69, 630, 2127;

εις Αντιοχειαν ("to Antioch") – as 97^mg, 110, 328, 424^mg, 425^c;

εις την Αντιοχειαν ("to Antioch") – as ℓ 38;

απο Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν ("from Jerusalem to Antioch") – as E, 322, 323;

εξ Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν ("from Jerusalem to Antioch") – as 429, 945, 1739, e, p, syr^p, cop^sa, geo;

εις Ιερουσαλημ εις Αντιοχειαν ("to Jerusalem to Antioch") – as 104, cop^sa (some mss.).

Acts 15:23

contains γραψαντης επιστολην δια χειρος αυτων εχουσαν τον τυπον τουτον, which is one of the longest readings.

Other manuscripts read:

γραψαντης δια χειρος αυτων – ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$⁴⁵, ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$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.[15]

Acts 18:26

contains την του θεου οδον – as P, 049, 0142, 104, 330, 451, 1241, 1877, 2127, 2492, Byz, Lect.[16]

Acts 20:15

contains the singular reading και μεινοντες εις το Γυλιον τη.[17]

Acts 20:28

contains του κυριου ("of the Lord") – as the manuscripts ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$⁷⁴, A, C*, D, E, 33, 36, 453, 945, 1739, 1891. The Alexandrian manuscripts usually read του Θεου ("of the God"), the Byzantine manuscripts have του κυριου και του Θεου ("of the Lord and God").[18]

Acts 27:16

contains the singular reading Γαυδην.[n 2]

Acts 28:29

omits the verse 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") – as the manuscripts Papyrus 74, Codex Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Codex Laudianus, Codex Vaticanus 2061, 33, 81, 1175, 1739, 2464.[19]

Romans 8:1

contains Ιησου – as א, B, D, G, 1739, 1881, it^{d, g}, cop^{sa, bo}, eth;

Ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν – as A, D^b, Ψ, 81, 629, 2127, vg;

Ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα – as 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.[20]

Romans 16:25-27

follows 14:23 – as Codex Angelicus Uncial 0209, Minuscule 181 326 330 451 460 614 1241 1877 1881 1984 1985 2492 2495.[21]

1 Corinthians 2:1

contains μαρτυριον – as 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.[22]

1 Corinthians 7:5

contains τη προσευχη ("prayer") – as ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$¹¹, ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$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").[23][24]

1 Corinthians 12:9

contains χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω ενι πνευματι – as A B 33 81 104 436 630 (1739 omits τω) 1881 it vg;

χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω αυτω πνευματι – as 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 – as ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}$⁴⁶;

χαρισματα ιαματων – as C;

χαρισματα – as Ψ.

Philippians 1:14

contains του θεου – as א A B (D*) P Ψ 33 81 104 326 365 629 1175 1241 2464;

κυρίου – as F G, Cyp; but which is omitted in p⁴⁶ D² Byz, r, Marcion.

1 Timothy 3:16

contains θεος εφανερωθη.[6][n 3]

• List of New Testament uncials
• Textual criticism
• Biblical manuscript

• Kirsopp Lake, Texts from Mount Athos, Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica, 5 (Oxford 1903), pp. 89–185.
• Kirsopp Lake, The Text of Codex Ψ in St. Mark, JTS I (1900), pp. 290–292.
• C. R. Gregory, Textkritik des Neuen Testaments (Leipzig 1900), vol. 1, pp. 94–95.
• Hermann von Soden, Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments in ihrer altesten erreibaren Textgestalt, I, III (Berlin, 1910), pp. 1664,-1666, 1841, 1921, 1928.
• M.-J. Lagrange, La critique rationnelle (Paris, 1935), pp. 109 f.

• Kirsopp Lake, Texts from Mount Athos (Oxford 1903)