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Ephraem Manuscript

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(CODEX EPHRAEMI, usually designated as C. of the New Test.), a very important uncial palimpsest, which derives its name from having been (about the 12th century), rewritten over with a portion of the Greek works of Ephraem the Syrian (q.v.). It seems to have been brought from the East by Andrew John Lascar, at whose death; (A.D. 1535) it passed into the hands of cardinal Nicolas Ridolfi, and thence, through Pietro Strozzi, into the possession of Catharine de Medici, who deposited it in the Royal Library at Paris, where it still remains (numbered MS. 9). The old Greek writing, which is barely legible (having been partly effaced to, make room for the later matter) contains portions of the Sept. version of the O.T. on 64 leaves, and fragments(enumerated in Scrivener's. Introd. page 94 note) of every part of the N.T. on 145 leaves. It is elegantly written, very much resembling in form and arrangement of the books and general appearance the Codex Alexandrinus, and has but one column on a page, consisting of 40 to 46 lines. The characters vary in size, are somewhat elaborate, and have the characteristics of the Alexandrian recension, and of the 5th century. The Ammonian sections stand in the margin, but not the Eusebiancanons; the latter, perhaps, having been washed out, as they were usually in red ink. There are no chapter divisions, and but few punctuation marks. Traces of at least three later correctors may be discovered; the first, perhaps of the 6th century, inserted many accents, and the rough breathing; by him or the third hand (whose changes are but few), small crosses were interpolated as; stops; the second reviser, not earlier than the 9th century, appears to have clumsily added the ecclesiastical notes in the margin. A chemical preparation, applied to the MS. at the instance of Fleck in 1834, though it revived much that was before illegible, has defaced the vellum with stains of various color. The older writing was first, noticed by Peter Allix nearly two centuries ago; various readings extracted from it were communicated by Boivin to Kuster, who published them in his edition of Mill's N.T., 1711. A complete collation of the N.T. portion was first made by Wetstein in 1716, for Bentley's projected edition, and used by Wetstein in his own Greek Test. of 1751-2. In 1843 Tischendorf published the N.T. part fully, and the O.T. in 1845, in a splendid and accurate form, page for page and line for line, in capital but not fac-simile letters, with valuable prolegomena, etc. — Tregelles, in Horne's Introd. 4:166 sq.; Christian Remembrancer, October 1862; Tischendorf, Nov. Test. Gr. 7th edit. page 149 sq. (See MANUSCRIPTS, BIBLICAL).