Codex Regius, designated by siglumLe or 019 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), ε56 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a Greek uncialmanuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been assigned to the 8th century.[1] The manuscript has several gaps. Textual critic Frederick H. A. Scrivener described it as "by far the most remarkable document of its age and class."[2]: 137
Description
The manuscript is a codex (precursor to the modern book), made of 257 thick parchment leaves (23.5 cm by 17 cm), containing an almost complete text of the four Gospels, with the following portions missing due to the loss of leaves/pages: Matt 4:22-5:14, 28:17-20, Mark 10:16-30, 15:2-20, John 21:15-25.[2]
The text is written in two columns per page, 25 lines per page, in large but not rounded uncial letters. It has breathing marks (utilised to designate vowel emphasis), and accents (used to indicate voiced pitch changes) often added wrongly.[3] Scrivener describes it as "carelessly written by an ignorant scribe".[2] According to him the letter φ (phi) is enormously large, and the letter α (alpha) presents the last stage of the uncial script.[2] He also surmises it was badly written by the copyist, who was probably more Egyptian rather than Greek, who had a tendency for writing Coptic rather than Greek letters.[2]
The text is divided according to the chapters (known as κεφαλαια / kephalaia), whose numbers are given in the margin, and their titles (known as τιτλοι / titloi) written at the top of the pages. It also contains the table of contents (also known as κεφαλαια) before each Gospel. There is also another division according to the Ammonian sections, with references to the Eusebian Canons (an early system of dividing the four Gospels into different sections) in the margin. Lectionary markings are contained in the margin for liturgical readings (these being dates in the yearly Church calendar where specific passages are read).[3][2]
The text of this "shorter" ending is translated as follows:
But they [the women] reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.[4]
Text
The Greek text of this codex has been considered a representative of the Alexandrian text-type in its late stadium.[5] The text-types are groups of different New Testament manuscripts which share specific or generally related readings, which then differ from each other group, and thus the conflicting readings can separate out the groups. These are then used to determine the original text as published; there are three main groups with names: Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine.[4]: 205–230 It contains a large number of Byzantine readings in the Gospel of Matthew (1:1–17:26). Textual critic Kurt Aland placed it in Category II of his New Testament classification system.[1] Category II manuscripts are described as being manuscripts "of a special quality, i.e., manuscripts with a considerable proportion of the early text, but which are marked by alien influences. These influences are usually of smoother, improved readings, and in later periods by infiltration by the Byzantine text."[1]: 335 According to Wisse, who examined Luke 1; 10; 20, the text is a "core member" of the Alexandrian text.[6] It was noted in the 19th century that there is strong resemblance to Codex Vaticanus (B), to the citations of Origen, and to the marginal readings of the Harklean Syriac.[2]
καὶ εἶπεν, Οὑκ οἴδατε οἵου πνεύματος ἑστε ὐμεῖς; ὀ γὰρ υἰὸς τοῦ ἁνθρώπου οὑκ ἦλθεν ψυχὰς ἁνθρώπων ἁπολέσαι ἁλλὰ σῶσαι (and He said: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them) - LאBCΘΞ33700892 1241 syr, copbo[7]: 190
ἄλλος δὲ λαβὼν λόγχην ἒνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευράν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὖδορ καὶ αἳμα (the other took a spear and pierced His side, and immediately came out water and blood see John 19:34) - LאBCΓ 1010 1293 vgmss)
It contains Luke 22:43–44 (the agony), omitted by other Alexandrian witnesses.
History
The text of the codex was cited by Robert Estienne as η' in his Editio Regia (an early edition of the Greek New Testament). It was loosely collated by textual critic Johann Jakob Wettstein. Textual critic Johann Jakob Griesbach set a very high value on the codex. It was edited in 1846 by textual critic Constantin von Tischendorf (in the publication Monumenta sacra inedita), but with some errors.[2]
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