Codex Vaticanus 2066, designed by 046 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1070 ( von Soden), formerly it was known also as ''Codex Basilianus'', previously it was designated by B^r or B₂. It is a Greek

uncial Uncial is a majuscule Glaister, Geoffrey Ashall. (1996) ''Encyclopedia of the Book''. 2nd edn. New Castle, DE, and London: Oak Knoll Press & The British Library, p. 494. script (written entirely in capital letters) commonly used from the 4th to ...

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...

of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

written on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other ani ...

. The manuscript paleographically has been assigned to the 10th century by the

INTF The Institute for New Testament Textual Research (german: Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its G ...

, though some palaeographers proposed the 9th century.

Scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who could read and write or who wrote letters to court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying written material. This usually indicated secretarial and adm ...

proposed even the 8th century.

Description

The codex contains the complete text of the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book o ...

on 20 parchment leaves (27.5 cm by 19 cm), along with much non-biblical material (homilies of

Basil the Great Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...

Gregory of Nyssa Gregory of Nyssa, also known as Gregory Nyssen ( grc-gre, Γρηγόριος Νύσσης; c. 335 – c. 395), was Bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death in 395. He is venerated as a saint in Catholi ...

and others). The text is written in one column per page, 35 lines per page, in about 36 letters per line. C. R. Gregory
„Textkritik des Neuen Testaments“
Leipzig 1900, Bd. 1, p. 121. The uncial letter of the codex are written in a peculiar form with special attention. "The uncials being of a peculiar kind, leaning a little to the right; they hold a sort of middle place between square and oblong characters.... The breathings and accents are ''primâ manu'', and pretty correct..."

Text

The Greek text of this

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

is a representative of the

Byzantine text-type In the textual criticism of the New Testament, the Byzantine text-type (also called Majority Text, Traditional Text, Ecclesiastical Text, Constantinopolitan Text, Antiocheian Text, or Syrian Text) is one of the main text types. It is the form f ...

, in a close relationship to the minuscules 61 and 69. Aland placed it in Category V. Uncial 046 is the earliest manuscript which represented the main Byzantine group ("a").

Textual variants

Some textual variants: * Rev 1:5 : λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐκ (freed us from) — P¹⁸, א^c, A, C, 2020, 2081, 2814 : λούσαντι ἡμᾶς ἀπο (washed us from) — P, 046, 94, 1006, 1859, 2042, 2065, 2073, 2138, 2432 * Rev 1:6 : βασιλειαν (kingdom) — א A 046 1854 2050 2351 : βασιλεις (kings) — P, Byz^A * Rev 4:8 : ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος] A Byz ς WH : ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος] (‭א) al 046 * Rev 5:4 : καὶ (and) — ‭א P 1611text 2053 2081 2344 2814 : καὶ ἐγὼ (and I) — 046 94 1006 1611mg 1859 2020 2042 2065 2073 2432 * Rev 8:8 : ορος μεγα καιομενον * Rev 22:14 : ποιουντες τας εντολας αυτου (''those who do His commandments'') — 046, 94, 1611, 1854, 1859, 2042, 2065, 2073, 2138, 2432, 2814 : πλυνοντες τας στολας αυτων (''those who wash their robes'') — Codex Sinaiticus, א, A, 1006, 2020,

2053 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

History

The manuscript once belonged to Philippo Vitali (1590–1653). It was described by Bianchini. According to Scrivener it was written in the 8th century. The text of the codex was published by a Cardinal

Angelo Mai Angelo Mai (''Latin'' Angelus Maius; 7 March 17828 September 1854) was an Italian Cardinal and philologist. He won a European reputation for publishing for the first time a series of previously unknown ancient texts. These he was able to discov ...

in 1859 in Rome. It was examined by

Tischendorf Tischendorf is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Constantin von Tischendorf Lobegott Friedrich Constantin (von) Tischendorf (18 January 18157 December 1874) was a German biblical scholar. In 1844, he discovered the w ...

and Tregelles.S. P. Tregelles, ''An account of the printed Text ...'', London 1854. p. 156f. The codex is located now in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

(Gr. 2066) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

* R. Waltz

at the ''Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism'' Greek New Testament uncials 10th-century biblical manuscripts Manuscripts of the Vatican Library