Volume / Number: 11 / 1613

• St Petersburg Russia Russian National Library Lat. Q. v. I. 3

Written probably in Africa, to judge by the script of one of the two hands though the other is manifestly trained in the Italian manner. African origin is supported by W. M. Green’s brilliant hypothesis that the volume was produced at Hippo in the author's early episcopacy. This renders it one of the most precious in the entire CLA series. The manuscript belonged to Corbie where it is mentioned in several catalogues. Came to Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1638, where it bore the number 254. Acquired by Peter Dubrowsky in 1791 and by the Imperial Library in 1805.

Script by two hands: the hand of foll. 1v–137 is a somewhat angular uncial of the oldest type with a distinct African flavour to judge by the similarity with Codex k of the Gospels (CLA 4.465) and several of the earliest manuscripts of Cyprian (CLA 4.458, 464; 6.804; cf. also 2.178): the bow of P is small and open; U small and cup-shaped occurs at line-end; ancient ligatures of AE, NT, OR, UN, UR, US occur at line-end; the second hand (foll. 137v ff.) is roundish: G has a long tail, the bows of P, q , and R nearly touch the base-line; S is occasionally top-heavy; T has a distinctly sinuous top; ligature NS at line-end. Corrections in possibly contemporary half-uncial (foll. 95v, 99v, 101, 104, 109v, 111, 124v, 137): a is open and resembles the form in the marginalia of Paris Lat. 8907 (CLA 5.572); m is almost uncial; the bow of q is pinched. 'Emenda' on fol. 127, the end of a book may be the author's. Cursive marginalia, saec. VI–VII, and pre-Caroline Notae Tironianae occur; Greek cursive glosses on foll. 7, 21, 23. Corrections in Caroline minuscule.

☛A. Mützenbecher, Sacris Erudiri 18 (1967), p. 406–450 (with extensive bibliography). ☛Bischoff, Katalog 1 p. 82. ☛Index Tironianorum.

• Origin: North Africa—MSS probably or possibly written in North Africa (Lowe)
• Script: MSS with sloping uncial, half-uncial, or quarter-uncial marginalia
• Provenance: Corbie library—MSS from Corbie (Zechiel-Eckes)