Dear Readers and Supporters: Last March I told you about an anonymous long time friend and supporter of this ministry who fell on hard times, and a generous portion of you volunteered to help her financially to prevent her eviction and car repossession. Unfortunately, once again she and her child are in a similar difficult position, though a little bit worse. I hate to see this happen to her and not try to help in any way. So if once again you can help out with a financial contribution, it would be greatly appreciated. You can contribute to her through the link below. My hope is that we can raise around $3000. Thank you.
Day 6: Total So Far: $790

February 4, 2016

St. Nicholas the Studite and the Uspensky Gospel Book

Text of John 17:2-12 from the Uspensky Gospels

St. Nicholas the Studite and Confessor (Feb. 4) was an accomplished scribe, copying several manuscripts, the most famous being what is today known as the Uspensky Gospel Book. The Uspensky Gospels are a New Testament minuscule manuscript written in Greek, dated at 835 AD. They are the oldest known dated manuscript of the New Testament; it was not customary for Greek scribes to date their work at the time.

It is the oldest dated minuscule Greek manuscript known today. Before discovering this codex, the earliest dated cursive was Minuscule 14 (AD 964), and it was commonly believed that minuscule writing was not used in the 9th century. The manuscript was probably written in Constantinople, but later it belonged to the Monastery of Mar Saba in Palestine. In 1844, Porphyrius Uspensky took it and brought it to Russia.

The Uspensky Gospels is preserved in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg (Gr. 219. 213. 101).
Labels: ,