p. 90-91
Of the MSS. used by Holmes, about eight belong to the highest antiquity, being written from the fourth to the beginning of the seventh century. Of this number two contain only fragments of Genesis; one the Cottonian, in London, the readings of which are derived from the papers of Grabe, as almost the whole of the MS. itself was long ago destroyed by fire; the other a codex on purple vellum, in Vienna. The third comprises various parts of the Pentateuch, of which one portion and that the greater is preserved at Leyden, the rest in Paris. The fourth is the Coislinian, in Paris, containing the Pentateuch and three books of Kings. The fifth, a palimpsest of Dublin, consists of fragments of Isaiah. The sixth, the Ambrosian MS., at Milan, exhibits the Pentateuch and a few other books. The others are the Alexandrine. To these MSS. of Holmes are to be added six more of equal or greater age, as follows: the Friderico-Augustan ; the palimpsest of Kahraein the Syrian; the Tischendorf palimpsest, at
p. 90=91
MSS. of about the eighth and ninth centuries. Fragments of I. Chron.
and II. Ksdras, and the entire books of Nehemiah and Esther, which
are contained in the Friderico-Augustan codex, have been found in
only one uncial MS. beside the Alexandrine and Vatican, and that
of about the eighth century, and belonging to the Basiliano-Vatican
MSS. The book of Tobit, whose first chapter and the beginning of
Leipsic, containing fragments of the Pentateuch;1 the fragments of
the Psalms on papyrus, in London;* and those on purple vellum at
Zurich; and the Veronese Psalter.* Of all the foregoing only those
....
the second is in the Friderico-Augustan, has in addition to the Alex-
andrine and Vatican MSS. another authority, an uncial Venice codex
of the eighth or ninth century. Lastly, Jeremiah, the greatest part
of which the Frid.-Aug. exhibits, is in two uncial MSS. beside that
noble pair, of about the eighth and ninth centuries. The contents
p. 103-104 106 112
§19. I pass to the second very important source from which material was drawn for our apparatus, the Friderico-Augustan MS. In the year 1844, having gone through the most renowned Libraries of Europe, I was visiting the East, and the monasteries still flourishing there, when I found this codex among some
remains of MSS. that had been torn in pieces and thrown away. The treasure thus discovered I brought the same year from the East to my own land, and having bestowed on it the honorable name of Friederich Augustus, king of Saxony, under whose auspices I had undertaken the journey, I yielded it, with an' expression of my gratitude, to those in whose hands was lodged the management of the affairs of my country. In accordance with their pleasure it was deposited in the Public Library of the
University at Leipsic, whereupon I prepared a most
exact and magnificent edition of it under the following title:
Codex Friderico-Augustanus, sive Fragmenta veteris Testamenti e codice Graeco omnium qui in Furopa supersunt facile antiquissimo. In Oriente detexit in patriatn attulit, ad modum codicis edidit Const. Tischendorf Lipsiae, 1846.1
In the Preface I explained somewhat fully, not to mention other matters, concerning the country, the age, the correctors, and the notes of the MS.; and as I shall advert to these points briefly in this place, I may refer those, w ho wish for more information, to my edition of the codex.
I have spoken of the age of the MS. in § 11. I there began with stating what presumption men of learning in other respects showed
in estimating the age of ancient MSS.; of whom
one party in every way detracts from the praise of their antiquity, and the other in every
way magnifies it, while often both are ignorant of the merits of the question ; since no one can have a knowledge of the matter unless he
has carefully pursued this kind of studies, which especially demands that he should have
examined with his own eyes whatever Greek papyruses and parchments are of the highest antiquity. Having set forth these facts, I then discussed the evidences of extreme antiquity appearing in this codex, by comparing similar very ancient MSS.* that I had myself seen; such as the Vatican MS. of the Bible, the Vatican MS. of Dion Cassius, the Horgian Fragments of St. John, the Vienna MS. of Genesis, both of Dioscorides, the Fragments of the Pentateuch at Paris and Leyden, the Florentine Pandects, the Alexandrine MS., and the rescript codex of Ephraem the Syrian. By this comparison it was shown that there is no MS. that surpasses the Friderico-Augustan in age; very few, as the Vatican MS. of the Bible and those Fragments of the Pentateuch, which approach it.
1 It vu lithographed by Ucitcnnano, published by K. F. Kohler. Price 32 thlr. or 128 frcs. t
« See S 10.
(continues, let us go to the correctors to see if Three Crosses is obliquely dated)
p. 105
p. 106
Alex. MS. by Baber, but Grabe gave what be himself thought fit.
