Beta

Ra 55

Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Reg. gr. 1. No diktyon: 66171.
DBBE ID: 14134.
s. X/1 | Parchment, 565 ff., 410 × 280 mm, 2 col., max. 34 lines per page. |  Minuscule. | Scribe: Three anonymous contemporary scribes  cf. Yota 2017: 189. | Patron: Λέων Πατρίκιος πραιπόσιτος καὶ σακελάριος  PMBZ 24419. | Provenance: Monastery of Saint Nicholas, Constantinople. | Owner: Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626–1689).
Complete Bible (illustrated). | This is the so-called “Leo Bible”, considered a masterpiece of the Macedonian Renaissance. According to Cyril Mango (1969: 125-126), it was produced around 940. The entire Bible consisted of two volumes (containing 60 books), but only the first volume survived. It contains several full page miniatures depicting holy figures, scenes of the Bible, as well as the patron of the manuscript, Leon Sakelarios and his brother Konstantinos. Leon Sakelarios donated this Bible to a monastery of St. Nicholas, which had been founded by his brother Konstantinos and most probably was located in Constantinople. The monastery has not yet been identified. Leon was wrongly identified in the past with Leon Magistros Choirosphaktes (see Mango 1969: 122, cf. Krumbacher 1897: 131). The frames of the miniatures contain epigrams, which refer to the depictions. These miniatures have been detached from the volume and are kept separately. Their style is similar to the one of the Paris Psalter (10th c.). Enlarged decorated initials mark the beginning of each biblical book and majuscule initials the beginning of each Psalm. The biblical text is written in red ink. | Text-type: L with minor readings in accordance with B.
Content
Ir Miniature of a cross listing the biblical books It is surrounded by holy figures and captions. Part of the folio has been cut off
Iv Blank
IIr Note A note on the volume’s contents by a later hand
IIv Miniature depicting scenes of Genesis, epigram
1r–1v Epigram on the Bible
2r Miniature of the Holy Cross
2v Miniature depicting Leon, Theotokos and Christ, epigram
3r Miniature of Saint Nicholas, Konstantinos and the abbot Makar, epigram
3v Miniature of the Holy Cross
4r Paschal table tit. πασχάλιν σύντομον ἀκολουθῶν τοῖς κύκλοις τῆς σελήνης
4v Table of Contents of the first volume
5r–45v Genesis
45v–84r Exodus f. 46r blank, f. 46v: miniature of Moses, epigram
85r Blank
85v Miniature of Moses, Aaron and the Levites, epigram
86r–115v Leviticus
115v–156r Numbers f. 116r: Miniature of Moses, Joshua and the twelve tribes of Israel, epigram; f. 116v blank, f. 155r blank, f. 155v: Miniature of Moses receiving the Law, epigram
156r–182v Deuteronomy
182v–205r Joshua
205v–229r Judges f. 206r miniature of the judges of Israel, epigram; f. 206r blank
229r–232v Ruth
232v–262r 1 Kingdoms
262v–280v 2 Kingdoms f. 263r: Miniature of the anointing of David, epigram; f.263v blank
281r Miniature of the coronation of Solomon, epigram
281v Blank
282r–301v 3 Kingdoms
302r Blank
302v Miniature of Elijah, epigram
303r–321r 4 Kingdoms
321r–337r 1 Chronicles
337r–359r 2 Chronicles
359r–368v 1 Ezra
369r–382v 2 Ezra
382v–393v Judith tit. ιουδείθ. f. 383r: miniature depicting scenes from the Book of Judith, f. 383v blank
394r–400v Esther
401r–406v Tobit tit: τωβείτ. Scribal note at the end of the book: “Δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι ἔν τισι τῶν ἀντιγράφων προηγοῦνται τὰ μακκαβαϊκὰ καὶ γράφονται ἀπὸ τῶν ἔζδρα λόγων, ἔν τισι δὲ ἀπὸ τὸν τωβέιτ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ὦδε οὔτως αὐτὰ τεθείκαμεν”
406v–427v 1 Maccabees
428r–443r 2 Maccabees
443v–450r 3 Maccabees
450v Miniature of Eleazar and the Maccabees before king Antiochus
451r–460v 4 Maccabees
461r Blank
461v Miniature of Job
462r–486v Job
487r Blank
487v Miniature of David
488r Eusebius of Caesarea, Hypothesis on the Psalms inc. τῆς βίβλου τῶν ψαλμῶν ἥδε ἂν εἴη ἡ διαίρεσις, ὡς τὰ ἀκριβὴ τῶν ἀντιγράφων αὐτὸ τὲ τὸ ἐβραϊκὸν περιέχει, ed. PG 23, 66-72 and Bandt (2019: 38-48)
488v–490r Eusebius of Caesarea, Periochae ed. Bandt (2019: 128-140)
490r Canons of morning and evening Psalms tit. κανόνες ἡμερινῶν ψαλμῶν, κανόνες νυκτερινῶν ψαλμῶν
490v–559r Ps 1–151
559r–559v Ode 1
559v–561r Ode 2
561r–561v Ode 3
561v–562r Ode 4
562r–562v Ode 5
562v Ode 6
562v–563v Ode 7
563v–564r Daniel 3:46-51 and Ode 8
564r–564v Ode 9
564v Ode 13
564v–565r Ode 11
565r–565v Ode 12
565v Ode 14 at the end: ἔχει δὲ τὸ βιβλίον τούτω φύλα πεντακόσια ἐξήκοντα καὶ πέντε
Bibliography
Andrist, A.: “Au croisement des contenus et de la matière: l’architecture des sept pandectes bibliques grecques du premier millénaire”, Scrineum Rivista 17/2 (2020), 3–106, 63–80.
Bandt, C.: “Eusebius, Periochae”, in C. Bandt, Fr. X. Risch and B. Villani, Die Prologtexte zu den Psalmen von Origenes und Eusebius (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur (TU) 183), Berlin/Boston 2019, 122–141.
Bandt, C.: “Origenes (?), De divisione psalmorum”, in C. Bandt, Fr. X. Risch and B. Villani, Die Prologtexte zu den Psalmen von Origenes und Eusebius (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur (TU) 183), Berlin–Boston 2019, 32–49.
Canart, P. (ed.): La Bible du Patrice Léon. Codex Reginensis Graecus 1 (Studi e testi 463), Città del Vaticano 2011.
Dufrenne, S and Canart P.: Die Bibel des Patricius Leo. Codex Reginensis Graecus IB (Codices e Vaticanis Selecti 75), Zürich 1988.
Iacobini, A.: “Segno del possesso: committenti, destinatari, donatori nei manoscritti bizantini dell’età macedone”, in F. Conca – G. Fiaccadori, Bisanzio nell'età dei Macedoni: forme della produzione letteraria e artistica: VIII Giornata di studi bizantini (Milano, 15–16 marzo 2005), Napoli 2007, 151–194, 164–168.
Kondakoff, N.: Histoire de l'art byzantin considéré principalement dans les miniatures, Paris 1891, 39–48.
Krumbacher, K.: Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur von Justinian bis zum Ende des Oströmischen Reiches (527–1453), München 1897, 131. 
Lauxtermann, M.: Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres, vol. 1, Vienna 2003, 191–196, 348.
Mango, C.: “The date of Cod. Vat. Regin. Gr. 1 and the ‚Macedonian Renaissance‘”, Institutum Romanum Norvegiae, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia 4 (1969), 121–126.
Matthews, T.: “The Epigrams of Leo Sacellarios and an Exegetical Approach to the Miniatures of Vat. Reg. Gr. 1”, Orientalia Christiana periodica 43 (1977), 94–134.
Rahlfs, A.: Psalmi cum Odis, Göttingen 1931, 12.
Rhoby, A.: Ausgewählte byzantinische Epigramme in illuminierten Handschriften (Byzantinische Epigramme in inschriftlicher Überlieferung 4), Wien 2018, 471–492.
Spatharakis, I.: The Portrait in Byzantine Illuminated Manuscripts, Leiden 1976, 7–14. 
Yota, E. and S. C. Dirkse: “The Complete Bible”, in A. Tsamakda, A Companion to Byzantine Illustrated Manuscripts (Brill’s Companion to the Byzantine World, Band 2), Leiden–Boston 2017, 185–194, 188–192.
Catalogues
Rahlfs, A.: Verzeichnis der griechischen Handschriften des Alten Testaments (Mitteilungen des Septuaginta–Unternehmens der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 2), Berlin 1914, 245–246. 
Stevenson, H.: Codices manuscripti graeci Reginae Svecorum et Pii PP. II: Bibliothecae Vaticanae descripti praeside I.B. Cardinali Pitra, Rome 1888, 1–2. 
Author Maria Tomadaki
Copyright 
Die Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters,
Niedersächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen
License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Permalink https://septuaginta.uni-goettingen.de/catalogue/Ra_55/
Publication Date Feb 4, 2023
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