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Washington, D.C., Dumbarton Oaks Museum, Manuscript 3

Microfilm

Additional Information

  • Appr. Date: 15th c., 11th c., 16th c. (11th c. (1084) and 15th-16th c.)
  • Genres: Biblical
  • Illustrations: Yes

Notes

Dumbarton Oaks Manuscript no. 3 (accession no 62.35 [nunc BZ.1962.35]; Aland minusc. no. 1521; olim Athos Μονῆς Παντοκράτορος 49 (Lambros no. 1083), cum foliis olim Athenis Μουσείου Μπενάκη 66, olim Cleveland Museum of Art 50.154 et olim Moscow Третьяковская Галерея 2580).  Parchment, 364 folios, Constantinople circa annum 1084.  Sister-manuscript to Paris. Supplément grec 610 (Lowden, p. 67). The fullest description we know of, by far, is Kavrus-Hoffmann in DOP vol. 50 (see Online Resources; the article contains (after p. 292) images of Ms. 3, fols. 202r and 351r).

Further bibliography is to be found in several of the articles linked to in our Online Resources (ex. gr. Papulov). Our link "Manuscript Images" (to Princeton's Index of Christian Art) contains forty black-and-white reproductions from print publications. As of this writing (2014), Dumbarton Oaks Ms. 3 has been digitized (see Online Resources).

Divinatory psalter; various odes; letters both canonical (ex. gr. Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, with little images of Christ & Paul and of Ἑβραῖοι) and non-canonical (π.χ. Ἐπιστολὴ ἐχούσης πνεῦμα ἀσθενείας· Ἐπιστολὴ τοῦ ἐρωτήσαντος εἰ ολἰγοι οἱ σωζόμενοι, κλπ.).  Richly illustrated, both with full- and half-page illustrations and with small ones throughout, most notably with various religious figures (incl. Christ and the apostles) forming uncial letters at the beginning of sections, ex. gr. St. Anne forming an epsilon on 75r («Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν κυρίῳ»), with Christ in the outer margin, or Habakkuk making a kappa on 76r («Κύριε εἰσακήκοα τὴν ἀκοήν σου καὶ ἐφοβήθην»), also with Christ in the margin.

The first folio appears to be missing (see description of the film). Fol. 2r begins with small decorations in the first of two columns and then, in semi-uncials, «Ἀποκάλυψις ἀληθὴς ἐνθυμήσεων, ἐὰν μετὰ πίστεως πράττηται.» Then, in purer minuscule, «Ἐὰν ἔννοιαν ἔχῃς τηνοιανοῦν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου [ἢ?] εἰ ὀφείλεις πρᾶγμα ἐπιχειρῆσαι, νῆστις ἀνάπτυσσε τὸ ψαλτήριον καὶ ποίησον τὸ τρισάγιον σχολαίως· καὶ οἷος ἂν ψαλμός σοι ἐξέλθοι, ψηλάφησον τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτοῦ, ἤγουν τὸ ψηφίον· καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ ψηφίου μέτρησον ἕτερα ἓξ ψηφία, ἵνα γένωνται ἀμφότερα ἑπτά· καὶ τὸ ἕβδομον ἀναγίνωσκε. Καὶ εἴ τι [leg. fort. ὅ,τι?] γράφει, ἔχε αὐτὸ ἐν πληροφορίᾳ· μόνον ἐκ πίστεως προσέρχου:~»  In semi-uncials, «Ἑρμ(ηνεῖαι) εἰς τοὺς ψαλμούς:» and then in minuscule but with initial uncials (fols. 2r-3r), the divination table that the user is referred to:
[αʹ]  Ὡς Ἰωσὴφ ἠξιώθης χάριτος, διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς.
[βʹ]  Ἀπὸ θλίψεως εἰς χαρὰν ἔρχῃ.
[γʹ]  Εἰς παίγνιον ἐστὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα.
[δʹ]  Ὃ βούλει πρᾶξαι περίμενε.
[εʹ]  Τοῦτο ἀργεῖ· οὐ γίνεται.
[Ϛʹ]  Καλὸν συμβούλιον ἔχεις:  Ποίησον ὃ θέλεις.
[ζʹ]  Καλὸν ἔργον ἔχεις εἰς χείρας: ἔρχεται πολλήν [οὕτω].
[ηʹ]  Ὅταν οὐκ οἶδας, χαρά σοι ἐπέρχεται.
θʹ  Μεγάλη χαρά σοι μετὰ κέρδους.
ιʹ  Τὸ πρᾶγμα ταχὺ πληροῦται.
ιαʹ  Κακοπραγμονεῖ ἀλλ' εἰς χαρὰν ἔρχεται.
and so forth, till:
ρμηʹ  Ὕβριν ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα.
ρμθʹ  Χαρὰν ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα.
ρμιʹ  Πρᾶγμα μετ' ὀλίγον πληρούμενον.

Fol. 3v:  A chart of Easter dates by year (͵ϚfϞdʹ μέχρι ͵Ϛχθʹ).

[There is no 4r in our film; we believe this however to be complete (see film description), so that we are reasonably confident in identifying the preceding as 3v.]

5r:  Full-page illumination (the Dormition?).

5v:  Full-page illumination (Moses?) receiving a scroll at God's hand.

6r:  Half-page illumination (presumably David, at a writing-desk) and the beginning of the psalter: «Μακάριος ὁ ἀνὴρ ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν» κλπ.

73r:  «Εἰκόνα 13: Νόμου γραφέντος αὖθις ὠδὴ Μωσέως†» is on a Dumbarton Oaks postcard.

Bibliography