Entries with tag intf .

The Many Phases of the Kurzgefasste Liste

By Greg Paulson and Katie Leggett

 

The INTF is often asked if it's possible to know when a manuscript witness was added to the Liste. As explained here, the Liste has had many instantiations before it was managed by the INTF. Because these publications can be difficult to track down, we thought it might be useful to offer a brief summary of these Liste eras, tracing the history of the Liste from Gregory to the INTF. Below you'll find all the relevant publications that were considered pre-cursors to the Liste. Where possible, the publications are hyperlinked, but unfortunately not all of these are freely available. With this list you can ascertain when new numbers were assigned within the respective publication and when other numbers were updated.

 

I. Caspar René Gregory's 1908 work, Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments is considered the origin of the Liste. Already in 1900, Gregory had published the first volume of his Textkritik; but it wasn't until 1908 that he would separate manuscripts into the four categories we have today: papyri, majuscules, minuscules, and lectionaries. He also gave majuscules numbers in addition to letters and alleviated the problem of assigning the same number to more than one manuscript, giving every manuscript its own number. He followed up this work with new additions to his list and updates to existing numbers.

1. Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testamentes. Versuche und Entwürfe 2. (Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, 1908).

  • Papyri: P1-P14
  • Majuscules: 01-0161
  • Minuscules: 1-2292, Nachtrag 2293-2304
  • Lectionaries: 1-1540, 1605, 1614, 1620, 1633, 1751, Nachtrag 1541-1547

 

2. Textkritik des Neuen Testamentes. 3 vols. (Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, vol. 1 1900; vol. 2 1902; vol. 3 1909).

  • Papyri: (updates)
  • Majuscules: 0162-0165, Nachtrag 0166, Pre-press update 0167-0168 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules: 2293-2304, Nachtrag 2305-2318 (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: 1541-1559, 1605, 1614, 1620, 1633, 1751, 2234, Nachtrag 1560-1561, 2306 (updates to others)

 

3. Vorschläge für eine kritische Ausgabe des griechischen Neuen Testaments. Versuche und Entwürfe 5 (Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, 1911), esp. 34-36.

  • Majuscules: 0162-0168
  • Minuscules: 2305-2320
  • Lectionaries: 1548-1561

 

4. “Mitteilungen. Griechische Handschriften des N.T. bis zum 1 Juli 1912,” TLZ 37 (1912), col. 477.

  • Papyri: P15-P19
  • Majuscules: 0167-0169
  • Minuscules: 2308, 2319-2326
  • Lectionaries: l 1562-l 1565

 

II. Ernst von Dobschütz assumed responsibility for the list of manuscripts after Gregory and continued updating it in a series of publications over the next ten years, beginning with his 1923 revision of Eberhard Nestle’s introduction to the Greek New Testament. Interestingly, von Dobschütz renumbered two entries in Gregory’s list, giving them talisman numbers and essentially creating a fifth category of manuscripts. After this, he then made regular updates in the Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZNW), of which Hans Lietzmann was the editor.

 

5. Eberhard Nestle’s Einführung in das griechische Neue Testament. 3rd ed. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1923), esp. 86ff. 

  • Papyri: P1-P32
  • Talisman: T1-T2
  • Majuscules: 01-0170
  • Minuscules: lists important ones from 1-2125
  • Lectionaries: lists the oldest ones

 

6. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” ZNW 23 (1924): 248-264.

  • Papyri: P33-P36 (updates to others)
  • Majuscules: 0171-0188 (p. 215: “Gregory hat handschriftlich die Nrn. 0162-0171 nachgetragen” but this does not appear to have been published)
  • Minuscules: 2327-2354 (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1566-l 1580 (updates to others)

 

7. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (II).” ZNW 25 (1926): 299-306.

  • Papyri: P37-P38 (updates to others)
  • Talisman: T3-T4
  • Majuscules: (only updates)
  • Minuscules: 2355-2357 (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1590-l 1595

 

8. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (III).” ZNW 27 (1928): 216-222.

  • Papyri: P39-P41 (updates to others)
  • Talisman: T5-T6
  • Majuscules: 0189 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules: 2358-2359

 

9. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (IV).” ZNW 32 (1933): 185-206.

  • Papyri: P42-P48
  • Talisman: T7-T9
  • Ostraca: O1-O25
  • Majuscules: 0190-0208 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules:2360-2362, 2394-2401 (p. 201: “Die Nummern 2363-2393 sind noch frei.” These were used in Aland’s 1953 article.)
  • Lectionaries: l 1597-1609

 

III. Post-von Dobschütz. After von Dobschütz’s death in 1934, Lietzmann (editor of ZNW) eventually reached out to Georg Maldfeld to update the list of papyri. This update finally appeared in 1949 after Lietzmann had died.

 

10. Georg Maldfeld, “Die griechischen Handschriftenbruchstücke des Neuen Testamentes auf Papyrus.” ZNW 42 (1949): 228-253.

  • Papyri: P1-P62

 

Walther Eltester became editor of the ZNW and the contact person for the list of manuscripts (as part of his duties on the Kommission für spätantike Religionsgeschichte, i.e., Church Father Commission), although he himself did not publish any updates to it. Eltester suggested that Maldfeld contact Bruce Metzger to find an American publisher for his article on papyri. Metzger and Maldfeld did not know each other, but Metzger sent the article to the Journal of Biblical Literature who agreed to publish it if Metzger translated it into English, checked all the sources, and brought it up to date.

 

11. Georg Maldfeld and Bruce Metzger, “Detailed List of the Greek Papyri of the New Testament.” JBL 68 (1949): 359-370.

  • Papyri: P1-P62

 

Maldfeld then published a short update to his earlier papyri article.

 

12. Georg Maldfeld, “Berichtigungen und Ergänzungen zur Liste der griechischen Papyrusfragmente (P) des Neuen Testamentes.” ZNW 43 (1951): 260-261.

  • Papyri: (only updates)

 

IV. Eltester, who was a student of Lietzmann eventually handed responsibility for the Liste over to Kurt Aland, who was another student of Lietzmann's. Aland, who was teaching at the Humboldt-University of Berlin and Martin-Luther-University in Halle-Wittenberg, published several updates to the Liste throughout the 1950s.

 

13. “Zur Liste der griechischen neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” TLZ 75 no. 1 (1950): 58-60.

In this publication, he mentions the works of Kenneth W. Clark (1937), Metzger (1947), P.L. Hedley (1934), and E.M. Schofield (1936), who continued to keep track of Greek manuscripts after von Dobschütz (although not all of their efforts resulted in publications).

  • Papyri: (updates only)

 

14. “Zur Liste der griechischen neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” TLZ 78 no. 8/9 (1953): col. 465-496.

  • Papyri: P63
  • Majuscules: 0209-0232 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules: 2363-2393, 2402-2440 [sic “2340”] (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1610-l 1678 (updates to others)

 

15. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften. V.” ZNW 45 (1954): 179-217. Aland calls his article "V" because he continued the numbering where von Dobschütz had left off in his fourth installment of 1933.

  • Papyri: P64 (update to P63)
  • Majuscules: 0233-0239 (updates to 0209-0232 and others)
  • Minuscules: 2441-2491(updates to 2363-2440 and others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1679-l 1748 (updates to l 1610-l 1678 and others)

 

16. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften VI.” ZNW 48 (1957): 141-191.

  • Papyri: P65-P68 (updates to P1-P64)
  • Majuscules: 0240-0241 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules: 2492-2533 (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1749-l 1838 (updates to others)

 

Aland left Berlin in 1958 and founded the INTF in Münster in 1959, publishing the first official Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments in 1963. For the first time since Gregory, the full inventory of all known Greek New Testament manuscripts was listed. Previous publications had been mostly updates and additions.

 

17. Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments. ANTF 1 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1963).

  • Papyri: P1-P76
  • Majuscules: 01-0250
  • Minuscules: 1-2646
  • Lectionaries: l 1-l 1997, l 2334, l 2306

 

18. “Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments. Ergänzungen zur ‘Kurzgefasste Liste’ (Fortsetzungsliste VII).” In Materialien zur neutestamentlichen Handschriftenkunde 1 (ANTF 3) (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1969), 1-53, esp. 22-37.

  • Papyri: P77-P81 (updates to others)
  • Majuscules: 0251-0267 (updates to others)
  • Minuscules: 2647-2768 (updates to others)
  • Lectionaries: l 1998-l 2146 (updates to others)

 

For the next three decades, Kurt Aland and INTF staff made updates to the Liste in the institute’s reports called Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung.

 

19. “Neue Neutestamentliche Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1970 und 1971 (1972), 13-21.

  • Minuscules: 2769-2792
  • Lectionaries: l 2147-l 2193

 

20. “Liste der neu bekanntgeworden und in die offizielle neutestamentliche Handschriftenliste aufgenommenen Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1972 bis 1974 (1974), 9-13.

  • Papyri: P82, P86 (the editiones principes of P83-P85 were not yet published, so their info was left out of the Liste for the time being)
  • Majuscules: 0268-0269
  • Minuscules: 2793-2795
  • Lectionaries: l 2194-l 2207

 

21. “Liste der neu bekannt geworden und in die offizielle Handschriftenliste aufgenommenen Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1975 und 1976 (1977), 10-12.

  • Papyri: P85, P87-P88
  • Majuscules: 0270-0274
  • Lectionaries: l 2208-l 2209

 

22. “Die neuen Papyri.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1985 bis 1987 (1988), 59-60.

  • Papyri: P89-P96 (cf. pages 59-60)
  • Majuscules: 0278-0296 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)
  • Minuscules: 2797-2801 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)
  • Lectionaries: l 2211-l 2259 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)

 

23. “Neue Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1988 bis 1991 (1992), 108-109.

  • Papyri: P97
  • Majuscules: 0300
  • Minuscules: 2812-2813
  • Lectionaries: l 2281-l 2284, l 2305, l 2353

 

A second revised edition of the Liste was published in its entirety in 1994.

24. Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments. 2nd ed. ANTF 1 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1994). See here and here.

  • Papyri: P1-P99
  • Majuscules: 01-0306
  • Minuscules: 1-2856
  • Lectionaries: l 1-l 2403

 

Afterwards, updates to the Liste resumed in the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung reports.

25. “Die Arbeiten des Instituts und der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung 1995–1998.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1995 bis 1998 (1998), 13–18.

  • Papyri: P100-P115
  • Majuscules: 0307-0309
  • Minuscules: 2857-2862
  • Lectionaries: l 2404-l 2412

 

26. “Die Arbeiten des Instituts und der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung 1998-2003.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1998 bis 2003 (2003), 73–79.

  • Papyri: P116
  • Majuscules: 0310-0316
  • Minuscules: 2863-2877
  • Lectionaries: l 2413-l 2432

 

V. After the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung reports were no longer being published, online supplements to the Liste were posted to the INTF’s homepage. The final Bericht (2003) stated, “Der regelmäßig aktualisierte Stand der “Kurzgefaßten Liste” findet sich auf der Homepage des Instituts” (p. 79).

 

From here onward, the summaries only list new additions.

27. The list of Abschriften with new numbers were published in 2009.

  • Papyri: P117-P125
  • Majuscules: 0317-0320 (former Abschriften: 0319-0320)
  • Minuscules: 2878-2897 (former Abschriften: 2883-2891)
  • Lectionaries: l 2433-l 2438

 

28. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, April 2, 2010).

  • Papyri: P126-P127
  • Minuscules: 2898-2903
  • Lectionaries: l 2439-l 2445

 

29. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, Sept. 2015).

  • Papyri: P128
  • Majuscules: 0321-0323
  • Minuscules: 2904-2931
  • Lectionaries: l 2446-l 2465

 

30. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, Feb. 2018).

  • Minuscules: 2932-2936
  • Lectionaries: l 2467-l 2476

 

31. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, June 2018).

  • Papyri: P137-P139

 

Amulets and ostraca have been now been reintroduced as an appendix to the Liste. Brice Jones brought the list of amulets (T10-T27) up to date, in New Testament Texts on Greek Amulets from Late Antiquity (London: T&T Clark, 2016). In 2023, Paulson and Jones made additional updates to magical ostraca (Os1-Os30) and added new amulets (T28–T39) to the Liste: Gregory S. Paulson and Brice C. Jones, “Resurrecting Amulets and Ostraca within New Testament Textual Criticism,” JBL 142.4 (2023): 633–655.

 

VI. The online supplements were discontinued in 2018. Since then, all updates to the Liste are made live in the NTVMR. Instead of the Hermann Kunst Stiftung reports or online supplements, the public is now informed about important announcements and updates to the Liste directly on the NTVMR Blog or through the INTF’s social media channels, like Facebook and X.

 

 

The Women Behind Your Critical Editions

By Greg Paulson with Katie Leggett

From left to right: Katrin Landefeld, Megan Burnett, Marie-Luise Lakmann, Annette Hüffmeier, Dora Panella, Katharina Sandmeier

 

It's well known that the critical editions produced at the INTF in Münster—the Nestle-Aland, the UBS Greek New Testament, and the Editio Critica Maior (ECM)—are renowned worldwide and provide the basis for almost all modern New Testament translations around the globe. Most will also know that Barbara Aland was the first female director of the INTF, serving from 1983-2004, and leaving an indelible legacy on the institute and the wider field of New Testament textual criticism. A lesser-known fact, however, and one that we are also very proud of, is that half of the INTF's current staff working on these acclaimed critical editions is female.

In this blogpost we would like to introduce you to some of the highly qualified women behind your critical editions. Through these short interviews we hope you get to know them better and see how each of their contributions has a direct impact on the most widely used Greek New Testaments in the world.

 

- - -

Dr. Marie-Luise Lakmann

 

Tell us about your academic background and what brought you to the INTF:

After studying Classical Philology (Greek, Latin, Pedagogy) at the University of Münster, I began a project called Platonism in Antiquity in 1985 led by Matthias Baltes, which was a comprehensive study of the history of Plato's philosophy in texts and commentaries. As part of this project, I wrote my doctoral thesis called "Der Platoniker Tauros in der Darstellung des Aulus Gellius" (Leiden 1993). In 2002, the INTF advertised a position to collaborate in developing a digital edition with the most important manuscripts of the New Testament, called "Digitale Edition der überlieferungsgeschichtlich wichtigsten Handschriften des Neuen Testaments mit kritischem Apparat auf einer Website," better known as NT Transcripts (http://nttranscripts.uni-muenster.de/). The purpose of the project was to make digital transcriptions of the most important Greek New Testament manuscripts and produce an apparatus online, further developing the Collate program created by Peter Robinson. This was a pioneering work in the field when digital tools were only in their infancy and essentially the beginning of the NTVMR. My fascination with philological work on Greek texts and the constantly expanding digital possibilities in the field made this position very appealing. I’ve been working as a researcher in various areas of New Testament editions and textual criticism ever since NT Transcripts.

As a 22-year veteran of the INTF, I’m proud to say I've been at the INTF the longest of the current employees. Since I've been part of the INTF for nearly one-third of its lifespan, I've had the privilege of seeing numerous fascinating developments in the field of New Testament textual criticism in these 22 years. Throughout my time here, my enthusiasm for textual criticism has continued to grow the more deeply I engage with the many facets of this field. I greatly enjoy working with the sources of the New Testament and especially grappling with philological challenges of the text, which requires a meticulous and sometimes even detective-like approach.

 

What specific project(s) are you working on at the INTF? How does your work directly affect the critical editions?

One focus of my work is the transcription and collation of New Testament manuscripts. This task has remained a constant throughout my tenure at the INTF and is still ongoing! In 2007 I began working on the ECM of the  Catholic Letters, which was the continuation of the project first envisioned by Kurt Aland and others in the 1960s. Under the direction of Barbara Aland, the first volumes of the ECM were published, and the current director  Holger Strutwolf, secured funding from the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts until 2030 to make the editions of Acts, Mark, Matthew, and Luke (in this order).

Image: Preview of digital ECM Matthew

As part of the ECM team, I provide transcriptions of selected manuscripts and compile the text-critical apparatus of the Greek manuscripts based on these transcriptions. This work is carried out verse by verse in four stages: regularization of the variants, establishing variation units, determining the order of the variants, and post-editing and correcting the apparatus. This results in the Greek apparatus you see in the ECM (digital and print). Another major project has been an intensive revision of the Nestle-Aland 28th edition apparatus. For this I worked with Beate von Tschischwitz, who was an integral part of the INTF staff until retiring at the end of 2016. We revised the entire apparatus, making it more user-friendly and incorporating the new findings of the ECM Catholic Letters.

I also worked as co-editor on the ECM Mark, and now Matthew, supporting the editorial team. We meet regularly to discuss places where there are significant differences in the manuscript tradition. Sometimes establishing the Ausgangstext can be resolved quickly, other times we come back again and again to try and discern the best solution for particularly difficult passages. I am also involved in indexing and transcribing in the NTVMR as well the digital edition, and I assist in maintaining the Kurzgefasste Liste.

A particularly enjoyable responsibility is coordinating and supervising the student workers at our institute, which includes training them in Greek paleography and how to use digital tools to produce transcriptions and upload microfilm and digital images of manuscripts.

 

Who (past or present) has had the biggest influence on your formation as a scholar?

By working on the research project "Platonism in Antiquity" I became familiar with aspects of academic research that are also fundamental to my work at INTF. The leader of this project, Prof. Matthias Baltes (1940-2003) was a role model for many students and staff thanks to his prolific knowledge, enthusiasm, and disciplined approach to work.

 

What do you wish more people knew about the INTF or the work you do there?

That in the long history of the INTF, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, groundbreaking work on the New Testament has been and continues to be pursued in a way that is unparalleled in the world. The institute remains at the forefront of New Testament studies, pioneering numerous groundbreaking projects in areas such as manuscript studies, critical editions, and digital humanities.

 

What is your all-time favorite critical edition of the New Testament?

The Nestle-Aland 28th edition, on whose revision I worked intensively.

 

- - -

Dr. Megan Burnett

 

Tell us about your academic background and what brought you to the INTF:

I studied Biblical Studies, first a BA at Southwest Baptist University and then an MA and PhD at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where I wrote my dissertation Codex Washingtonianus: An Analysis of the Textual Affiliations of the Freer Gospels Manuscript (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias, 2022).

After graduating, I saw a position funded jointly by the German Bible Society and INTF as a research fellow for the hand editions of the Greek New Testament. This 3-year postdoc position was previously held by Dora Panella. I was excited at the prospect of working at the INTF because it's the premiere institute for NT textual criticism and I wanted to pursue this career.

 

What specific project(s) are you working on at the INTF? How does your work directly affect the critical editions?

   Image: Editing program view of NA29 Mark

My primary task is to revise the Nestle-Aland (NA) edition, implementing new information from the Editio Critica Maior as it becomes available. For the forthcoming 29th edition of the NA, I updated the text and apparatus of Mark and Revelation. The book of Acts was done primarily by Dora, which means the NA29 will contain major updates to these three books. Apart from these changes, further changes that will appear in the NA29 edition are more cosmetic. For example, the NA (and the UBS GNT) will no longer use letters to signify majuscules, utilizing their Gregory-Aland numbers instead.

Besides revising the NA, I also attend the NA and UBS GNT editorial meetings and take the meeting minutes. It has been fascinating to see the decision-making processes of the editors firsthand. The NA and the UBS GNT have different target audiences and purposes, which is reflected in how the editors determine what information they include in the apparatus. The NA includes more apparatus units to illustrate the transmission of the text. For the UBS GNT, which is the base text for Bible translations in over 700 languages, the editors only include textual variants that are potentially significant for translation.

 

What do you like about working at the INTF/doing textual criticism?

I became interested in biblical studies when I underwent a crisis of my Christian faith as a young college student at Southwest Baptist University. It was there that my professors introduced me to a whole new way of understanding the Bible, and it began to come alive for me. The historical characters of the NT went from being people of “ye olde ancient days” to people of a concrete time and place, with distinct cultures and worldviews.

I didn’t become interested in textual criticism until seminary. There, Dr. Bill Warren, who has been very influential in my formation as a scholar, set up an excellent research center called the Center for New Testament Textual Studies. I started transcribing a few manuscripts, and it all snowballed from there. Ironically, I did some introductory work on textual criticism in undergraduate studies, and I  found it to be quite boring at the time! It seemed so esoteric and removed from an understanding of the New Testament. It wasn’t until I started engaging with the manuscripts that I realized how important and practical it all is. Either the manuscript evidence says one thing or it says something else. That clarity appeals to me.  Of all biblical study disciplines, textual criticism is the closest to a hard science. I appreciate the wealth of data (i.e., NT manuscripts) that text critics have available for research. The INTF has done a great deal to make this data accessible through its Virtual Manuscript Room (https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/).

Concerning my job specifically, I have been intrigued by what exactly goes into the creation of the critical editions. One thing I appreciate about textual criticism is that the work is similar no matter where one goes in the world. I did my studies in the USA, but then moved to Germany to do my professional work. And though I certainly experienced some cultural differences, I have found that my work as a text critic remains largely unchanged. This work entails collaborating with people from all over the world. No matter where we are, it seems like we’re all on the same team.

 

What do you wish more people knew about the INTF or the work you do there?

It’s a pet peeve of mine, but textual criticism isn’t the same as biblical translation. Whenever I tell people what I do, they often say, “Oh, so you do translation work.” I try to explain that I do the work that needs to happen before translation can start, but they often still don’t understand. A lot of folks are simply used to having the Bible around and have spent little time thinking about where it came from.

Certain sectors of the community also have a particular bugbear about the phrase “initial text" (Ausgangstext) and think it somehow denigrates the textual authority of the NT. As a committed Christian, I have no problem with this term and know it is not at all intended to weaken the authority of the Bible as the living word of God. In my experience, my colleagues at the INTF have a high respect for the New Testament and for the work they do as text critics.

 

Do you have advice for others (or specifically for women) wanting to enter this field?

Learning to do textual criticism is like learning to drive a car. You can read all the books you want, but you don’t learn to drive until you get behind the wheel. If you want to do textual criticism, you have to work with the manuscripts themselves. Reading books about manuscripts will not be enough.

 

- - - 

Dr. Annette Hüffmeier

 

Tell us about your academic background and what brought you to the INTF:

I studied to be a secondary school teacher in ancient Greek, history, German, and mathematics, but I actually only worked at a school during my teacher training period. Since I really enjoyed delving deeply into academic topics, I decided to pursue a PhD (1996-1999). My doctoral thesis was called “Pythagorean Sayings in Porphyry's Life of Pythagoras.” I had laid the foundation for this years earlier during my year abroad at Trinity College in Dublin during which I obtained my M. Litt.

After I began my teacher training period, I took maternity leave to focus on raising my children. I began supporting the existing intensive Greek courses at the Faculty of Protestant Theology in the late 1990s and was eventually offered a temporary part-time teaching position there in 2007. In 2010, Gerd Mink at the INTF was due to retire and I successfully obtained his position.

My position is split between teaching at the Protestant faculty and researching at the INTF. Even though these two roles certainly require more work than one full time position, I wouldn't want to miss out on either! Combining work and family at the beginning when my children were young was only possible because my husband reduced his work hours (before he later retired). Thankfully, I was able to work flexibly, teaching and working at the INTF in the mornings when our daughters were at nursery and school and then finishing the rest at home (often) late in the evenings when the children no longer needed me.

Each October, I teach an intensive Greek course for beginners who after six or nine months are going to take the state qualification Graecum. After a few months with the basics, we move to reading Plato and finally Paul. The course is supplemented with classes on the world of Paul. While the intensive pace can be exhausting, it is very rewarding to have close contact with the students and to witness positive growth. This work is connected with the INTF because often our graduates go on to work as student assistants, for example in transcription, patristics, or at the Bible Museum.

At the INTF I can work independently, utilizing my skills in classic ancient Greek, but I also enjoy collaboration with colleagues. We're part of a larger interdisciplinary project in which everyone knows they can't be successful on their own and that they stand on the shoulders of their predecessors. The opportunity to collaborate internationally is also a particularly rewarding aspect of the work.

 

What specific project(s) are you working on at the INTF? How does your work directly affect the critical editions?

I work almost exclusively on the ECM. My primary tasks are creating and refining the apparatus, coordinating the versional and patristic contributions to it, working in the editorial team, a lot of proofreading, giving presentations on the ECM both locally and internationally, and representing the INTF in various external committees like IGNTP and SBL. My work —together with that of Marie-Luise — is the critical apparatus, which would not exist without our combined efforts. We collaborate on the four steps she mentioned above, with the goal to make the apparatus as comprehensible and readable as possible. I also work with the versionists and patristic scholars to coordinate material so we can identify certain variants that are not present in Greek manuscripts and determine how probable it is that these go back to lost Greek readings. If a positive decision is made, I work with the versionists to retro-translate the versional wording into Greek, which can then be found in the apparatus.

I also work extensively to refine the apparatus, checking the multiple instances of lectionary readings, examining the references to synoptic parallels or adding punctuation to the initial text (again along with Marie-Luise). As a member of the ECM editorial committee, I am one of five that votes on textual decisions and uses the help of the CBGM to do this. When I first started with ECM Acts 14 years ago, I was the only female on the committee and a complete newcomer in the field. It was very intimidating working alongside such seasoned textual critics, but thankfully I held my own and was able to stay on.

 

Image: Preliminary CBGM General Textual Flow diagram for Matthew 16:26/6-8

 

Who has had the biggest influence on your formation as a scholar?

My former Greek teacher at school (Manfred Kretschmer) and my Greek professor in Classics (Prof. Dr. Matthias Baltes), who sadly passed away far too early.

 

What do you wish more people knew about the INTF or the work you do there?

How hard we all work (together) and how we struggle over every textual decision that is made. Each decision is scrutinized extensively, and we strive to remain objective and keep ideology out as much as possible. Unfortunately, a common fallacy is that our work is largely done by computers. It's not the CBGM that automatically generates the many thousands of textual decisions behind our critical editions. We humans do that! Of course we are supported by digital tools in this endeavor, but our task as scholars with these thousands of textual decisions is to carefully weigh every single one.

 

Do you have advice for others (or specifically for women) wanting to enter this field?

Don't let yourself be discouraged on your career path. If you believe that what you are doing is worthwhile, then keep steadily working at it (but without wearing yourself down). Set measurable, interim goals for yourself and seek out help when needed. Network as much as possible. Always keep learning and consider early on what you are (not) prepared to sacrifice for your career.

 

- - - 

Dr. Katrin Maria Landefeld

 

Tell us about your academic background and what brought you to the INTF:

I studied Latin, Greek and Theology in Bielefeld and Münster and then completed my doctorate in classical Greek Philology, writing my dissertation on prayer in the works of Epictetus. At that time, I was a tutor for Latin and Greek, then had various other teaching assignments, and finally was a lecturer in Bielefeld and Bochum. While working on my doctorate, I saw a position advertised for student workers at the INTF. That is how I got to know Marie-Luise Lakmann. I worked in the Patristics Department for about a year as a research assistant gathering citations from editions of Church Fathers. After my time there, I taught Latin in Bochum and in 2020 came back to the INTF to work on a project with Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmid and Dr. Troy Griffitts. Our project was called “Theory of Variation on the basis of an open digital edition of the Greek New Testament.” It investigated the emergence of variants in Acts of the Apostles. We tagged the text and variants morphologically, making it possible to search for certain grammatical phenomena. Specifically, I studied corrections in particular manuscripts. I found that the examination of single places of correction can be profitable for judging specific variants and their emergence. We also looked at genealogical connections of manuscripts and found that 05 and 08/1884 are probably connected in this way.

In 2023, I returned to the Patristics department and now work together with David Vasquez. In addition to my work in Patristics, I am writing my Habilitation, a commentary on Augustine's “De musica” book 6, in which Augustine combines music theory with theology.

 

What specific project(s) are you working on at the INTF? How does your work directly affect the critical editions?

Image: INTF database of Patristic citations for Mark 1:1

The church fathers are often early witnesses to the text of the NT so it's important to include this information in the ECM. Since we often know when and where church fathers lived, they are valuable for understanding the transmission and reception of the NT. Church fathers quoted Scripture in a variety of works, such as homilies and commentaries, and in numerous forms, such as allusions and direct quotations. My task is to collect and evaluate these Patristic NT citations and assign them to variant readings in the ECM apparatus. All the church fathers and their respective works consulted are listed in the printed edition of the ECM. There is also a database of Patristic citations that is open to the public, so everyone can see what material was used and evaluated for the editions. Although we only incorporate direct quotations in the ECM apparatus, the database offers the full context of the quotation (and bibliography) so that readers have exhaustive evidence at their fingertips if they wish to research further. As new editions of the NA appear, the Patristic citations will be revised based on the ECM.

 

Why did you decide to pursue this field?

I got to know the INTF while studying in Münster and was fascinated by the combination of Theology and classical languages being utilized there. I pursued this field because I found the idea of working together in this interdisciplinary team really inspiring, and I am grateful to be working here now.

 

What do you like about working at the INTF/doing textual criticism?

First and foremost, the team at the INTF is great! It is a wonderful experience to work together on such a monumental project developing an esteemed critical edition. Textual criticism is a field where you are able to scrutinize textual and grammatical details, which is something I enjoy.

 

Who (past or present) has had the biggest influence on your formation as a scholar?

There are many people who have influenced my formation as a scholar, I’ll only name a few here. Dr. Peter Prestel was my Latin and Greek teacher in Bielefeld, with whom I have worked together for many years. He piqued my interest in classical languages, and I could always come to him with questions while I was studying. I’m very grateful to him for all his help and for giving me the chance to teach language courses. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Rainer Henke, Prof. Dr. Christian Pietsch and Prof. Dr. Samuel Vollenweider have also had an immense influence on me and my work. They supervised several theses/papers throughout my studies and enhanced my interest in ancient philosophy and theology. Now, Prof. Dr. Christian Pietsch and Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf are supervising my Habilitation. Through conversations with them, the idea of writing a commentary on Augustine's early work “De musica” for this project emerged, allowing me to combine again my interest in theology and textual studies. Finally, the team at the INTF continues to impact me and my work. To all these people, I am very grateful.

 

What is your all-time favorite critical edition of the New Testament?

The ECM, of course :)

 

- - - 

Dr. Katharina Sandmeier

 

Tell us about your academic background and what brought you to the INTF:

I studied Egyptology, Coptology, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Münster. These disciplines offer a joint BA program here in Münster. When I started, I was still undecided about which field I would find most interesting. I then took courses in Coptic language and culture and found both fascinating. In my MA program I focused on Coptology and decided I wanted to make it my profession. As I was finishing my MA thesis in 2014, there was an opening at the INTF, and it soon became a second home. This was immensely lucky since jobs in such a specialized field are rare, and I didn’t even have to move to a new city! One of my main interests during my studies was book culture and codicology; the New Testament and its witnesses have a lot to do with that. So, I was able to enrich my area of speciality and be employed while doing so. I started as a student assistant working part-time while I wrote my PhD on Coptic and Greek punctuation and segmentation. (Just finished!) Since 2022 I’m a full-time researcher and the heart of the Coptic department at the INTF – which, after Siegfried Richter left, is made up of a student assistant and myself.

 

What specific project(s) are you working on at the INTF? How does your work directly affect the critical editions?

I work on the Coptic tradition of the NT for the ECM. Egypt was under Roman rule by the time Christianity spread, and letters from the Greek alphabet, along with some characters from Demotic, were used to reproduce the Coptic language in written form. Around the 4th or early 5th century, the NT was translated from Greek into different dialects of late antique Egypt, most commonly Sahidic, Bohairic, and Fayyumic. Coptic is important for a critical edition because we can figure out which of the different textual traditions within the Greek was used as a source text for the Coptic translation. The Coptic support of a certain variant in the Greek critical apparatus helps us ascertain that this reading was established quite early on.

Image: ECM Matthew Coptic apparatus editing program. This particular passage shows where the Coptic tradition can be cited (circled in red).

 

The first step is cataloging all relevant witnesses, which in the Coptic tradition are often quite fragmentary and can be scattered across different collections and museums. The electronic repository of all known Coptic NT MSS is called the SMR database and can be found here: <http://intf.uni-muenster.de/smr/> This was begun here at the INTF by Gerd Mink and Franz-Jürgen Schmitz in the 1970s (back then, of course, in printed form) and is still growing today. The second step is to transcribe all Coptic witnesses from available images. For some witnesses there are editions which can be collated and utilized, but many have never been published or even worked on in any form! The existing critical editions of the Coptic NT are quite old and therefore don’t include many of the MSS we know today. After collection and transcription, the final task is to connect the Coptic tradition with the variants of the Greek source texts in the critical apparatus of the ECM, determining which Greek variants are possible Vorlagen for the Coptic translations. I have carried out this work on the ECM of Acts and Mark and right now am working on ECM Matthew. I have already started on transcriptions for ECM Luke as well.

 

What do you like about working at the INTF/doing textual criticism?

It’s amazing to see how numerous Greek variants can result in the same Coptic translation while at the same time, a certain Greek expression can be rendered with different Coptic phrases. Sometimes these nuances are due to a specific Coptic dialect, but also within the same dialect there seem to have been options to choose from which – as far as we know – have little or no difference in the meaning.  I also really enjoy the search for parallels in the versions, like the old Latin, Syriac, Gothic or Ethiopic translations of the NT. Similarities between the versions when they differ from the Greek variants can indicate the attestation of a reading which has been lost in the Greek tradition. Looking for these makes for some great eureka moments.

 

Who has had the biggest influence on your formation as a scholar?

That would be Siegfried Richter. He was my supervisor when I joined the INTF and introduced me to Coptic textual criticism. During this collaboration, I learned not to dwell on mistakes made but to be happy that they were found before publication! When I first began, Richter once compared my way of working to a tank: I would choose a direction and once that path was chosen, put all my energy towards full speed ahead. From him, I learned that it’s sometimes necessary to take a step back and get a different perspective, to pause and make sure the direction and destination are (still) right. I think about this view very often when I face a new challenge. I’m sure he doesn't know how much of an impression his words have made on me!

 

What do you wish more people knew about the INTF or the work you do there?

Curating the SMR-database and transcribing all relevant Coptic MSS are necessary prerequisites before the work of assigning Coptic to Greek variants can even begin. Each of these elements is an immense amount of work. Most people see either the database/transcription aspect or only the text-critical work that is done here. It is important to acknowledge the thorough treatment of the whole Coptic NT tradition being carried out at the INTF and how much effort it takes to organize and research this tradition so that we can accurately represent it in the ECM.

 

- - -

We hope you’ve enjoyed these short profiles about the talented women contributing to the critical editions. In a field historically dominated by men, we are privileged to collaborate with such skilled and dedicated women. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for their years of hard work and commitment and hope these scholars will inspire future generations, and particularly more women, to pursue the field of New Testament textual criticism!

Greek New Testament Manuscripts at the Bible Museum Münster

Since its founding in 1979, the Bible Museum in Münster has collected a multitude of artefacts that illuminate the living history of the Biblefrom its inception as a written text to the modern day. Many of these objects highlight the development and transmission of the New Testament text. In addition to Coptic, Syriac and Latin manuscripts, the Greek manuscripts in the collection[1] are of particular importance as carriers of the original language of the New Testament.

 

 

Altogether the Bible Museum houses 23 Greek NT textual witnesses: 2 majuscules, 11 minuscules, and 10 lectionaries, making it the third largest collection of Greek NT manuscripts in Germany.[2]

 

In addition, 6 New Testament papyri from the 3/4th century are currently on loan at the Museum from Cologne (Institut für Altertumskunde) and Berlin (Staatliche Museen). Visitors have the unique opportunity to view P8, P25, P66, P86, P87, P118 until Sept. 29, 2024.

 

This blogpost briefly introduces the manuscripts in the collection based on information from my new catalogue, published on the occasion of the Bible Museum's 45th anniversary. (Many thanks to Katie Leggett for summarizing and translating the catalogue for this blogpost.)

 

 

For much more detailed information see here.

Majuscules

 

GA 0233 Bibelmuseum Ms. 1

8th century Gospel manuscript, written in majuscule with 93 parchment folios that were removed in the 13th century, trimmed, and rewritten to create GA L1684 (see below). The manuscript measures 270x210 mm with 2 columns and 23-27 lines per folio.

 

On fol. 128v of GA 0233 the undertext, John 2:12-15, is visible

 

GA 0301 Bibelmuseum Ms. HKS 677

The museum's oldest Greek NT witness, this single fragment is from a miniature 5th century manuscript (68x70 mm).[3] It has only 14 lines per side and contains John 17:1-4, the beginning of the High Priestly Prayer. It's not possible to decide definitively if this text originated from a Gospel codex or was part of a commentary manuscript. It is also possible—due to its small size—that the text was created for everyday use and perhaps worn as an amulet.

 

GA 0301 with John 17:1-2 on the recto side

 

Minuscules

 

GA 676 Bibelmuseum Ms. 2

13th century on parchment, 344 leaves with the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Pauline Epistles and Catholic Letters (196x150 mm), 1 column with 28 lines

 

A critical eye will notice that this codex was written by two different scribes: the first penned the Gospels and the second the rest. In the 14th century, beautiful illuminations of the evangelists on gold leaf in vivid colors were added to the Gospels (fol. 9, 57, 140). They were painted over (palimpsest) an 11th century theological text. The illustration of Luke is unfortunately missing.

 

Illustration of John the Evangelist in GA 676 (fol. 140v)

 

GA 798 Bibelmuseum Ms. 7

11th century Gospel manuscript on parchment containing 148 of 260 total leaves (170x115 mm), 1 column with 20 lines (occasionally 21 or 22)

 

The 148 leaves at the Bible Museum contain Luke and John. They belong together with the 112 folios held at the National Library in Athens EBE 137 containing the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.

 

Fol. 89r with the beginning of Mark (left) held in Athens and fol. 96r. with John (right) held in Münster (GA 798)

 

 

GA 1432 Bibelmuseum Ms. 3

12th century Gospel manuscript on parchment with 225 folios, 1 column with 28 lines. At 147x115 mm, it's the smallest bound codex in the collection.

 

This manuscript was formerly in the possession of the Skete of St. Andrew on Mount Athos, whose western wing and library were partially destroyed by fire in July 1958. The Gospel text is complete, only the Kephalaia before the Gospels of Matthew and Mark seem to be missing. The manuscript boasts colorful canon tables and intricate frames of the Gospels decorated in gold, blue, green and red.

 

Ornate canon tables of GA1432 (fol. 5r) and the elegant beginning of the Gospel of Mark (fol. 68r)

 

GA 2444 Bibelmuseum Ms. 4

This 13th century Gospel manuscript measures 220x150 mm with 308 leaves, 1 column and 22 lines. It is the only minuscule on paper in our collection.

 

The geometric and floral ornamentations as well as the opulent, oversized initials in black and red at the beginning of each Gospel are particularly noticeable.

 

Folio 2r of GA 2444 showing the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew

 

 

GA 2445 Bibelmuseum Ms. 5

12th century Gospel manuscript on parchment, 116 leaves (163x130 mm), 1 column with 20-22 lines

 

Numerous leaves are missing at the beginning (all of Matthew and Mark 1:1-7:9) and the end (from John 7:33 to the end) as well as other individual leaves throughout the codex. The text was written by two different hands: the first part with 20 lines per folio and the Gospel of John from with 22 lines per folio.

 

GA 2445 left image showing the hand of Luke (fol. 38r) and right (fol. 110r) showing John

GA 2446 Bibelmuseum Ms. 6

12th century Gospel manuscript with 320 leaves on parchment (168x128 mm), 1 column with 20 lines

 

Curiously, numerous folios of this manuscript have been replaced at about the same time it was written or shortly thereafter. It appears that the original leaves were carefully cut out and replacement folios were adapted to them, but with a different ruling (e.g. fol. 36, 38, 44, 50).

 

Folio 50v of GA 2446 shows on the right where the new folio was bound in the codex.

 

GA 2460 Bibelmuseum Ms. 19

8 leaves of a 13th/14th century Gospel manuscript with Matthew 18:32-22:9 on parchment (240x170 mm), 1 column with 26 lines

 

The bulk of this Gospel manuscript (195 leaves) resides in Ioannina, Greece (Zosimaia School, 2), and two leaves are at Columbia University (Plimpton Ms.12).

 

Fol. 24v. of GA 2460 with text of Matthew 22:1-9

GA 2754 Bibelmuseum Ms. 8

11th century Gospel manuscript on parchment with 256 leaves (193x143 mm), 1 column with 25-26 lines per folio

 

Various marginal notes (fol. 77v; 138v; 151v; 199r; 228v) refer to the church της περιβλεπτου Βερροιας (Veria) in northern Greece from which the manuscript originally came. An interesting feature is the Kephalaia for Matthew, which was added by a later hand on fol. 75r-76v using pages that were blank. The later scribe drew 12 simple circles with the names, origin, places of activity, and martyrdoms of the 12 apostles.

 

Fol. 75v of GA 2754 showing 8 of the 12 circles referring the Apostles and below the continuation of the Kephalaia for Matthew

 

GA 2755 Bibelmuseum Ms. 9

11th century Gospel manuscript on parchment, with commentary on Matthew and Mark (322x232 mm), 1 column with 29 lines

 

With 370 folios this is our most voluminous codex and our sole commentary manuscript. There are two additional leaves in Cambridge (Ms. Add. 4490), and some leaves of the original codex are still missing, especially at the end. The commentaries are very extensive e.g., just the first two words of the Matthew's Gospel, βιβλος γενεσεως, comprises 3.5 pages.

 

Fol. 7r of GA 2755 showing βιβλος γενεσεως (five lines from the bottom) written in semiuncial

 

GA 2756 Bibelmuseum Ms. 10

13th century Gospel manuscript on parchment with 195 leaves (187x145 mm), 1 column with 25 lines per folio

 

The text is complete, except the final page of John. It has elegant illuminations of all four evangelists that originate from another manuscript and were inserted later as enhancements (fol. 6, 63, 99, 156).

 

GA 2756, illumination of Luke (fol. 99v)

 

 

GA 2793 Bibelmuseum Ms. 11

13th/14th century single leaf on parchment from a Gospel manuscript with Matthew 22:7-22 (139x103 mm), 1 column with 20 lines

 

The leaf was sold in 1853/54 by Konstantinos Simonides, an infamous forger of ancient Greek texts, to Sir Thomas Philipps (1792-1872) who was an English collector of antiquities. Hermann Kunst acquired the sheet in 1973 from Bernard Quaritch Ltd.

 

Frontside of GA 2793 showing Matt 22:7-14

 

Lectionaries

 

GA L1681 Bibelmuseum Ms. 12

15th century Gospel lectionary with 187 leaves on paper (215x150 mm), 1 column with 26-28 lines per folio

 

This lectionary along with L1682, L1684, L2208, and L2276 in our collection contain Gospel readings for every day of the week from Easter to Pentecost as well as readings for Saturdays and Sundays.

 

At the end of the lectionary, the scribe concludes his work with a colophon:

 

δόξα σοι ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν δόξα σοι ̇ ἀμήν.

σωθῆ ὁ ἔχων ̇ ἐλεηθῆ ὁ γράψας.

 

Honor be to you, our God, glory be to you. Amen.

May the owner be saved, may the writer find mercy.

 

Fol. 186r of GA L1681 containing a scribal colophon to conclude the work

 

 

GA L1682 Bibelmuseum Ms. 14

Gospel lectionary on paper with 131 leaves (270x145 mm), 1 column with 24 lines per folio

 

Dated to the 16th century, L1682 along with L1686 are the two youngest Greek New Testament witnesses in our collection. The leaves were heavily trimmed at the outer edge, so that sometimes parts of letters at the beginning or end of lines are lost. The middle part of the manuscript is well preserved but the front and back parts are quite badly damaged, and in some places the text of parts of the pages has been restored.

 

Fol. 123r of GA L1682 showing trimming and where sections have been patched

 

GA L1683 Bibelmuseum Ms. 15

13th century Gospel lectionary on parchment with 241 leaves (295x220 mm), 2 columns with 26 lines per folio

 

This lectionary, containing Gospel readings for every day of the year is embellished with oversized initials at the start of lections. One headpiece seems to have been left unfinished.

 

 

Fol. 81 of GA L1683

 

 

GA L1684 Bibelmuseum Ms. 1

13th century Gospel lectionary, parchment palimpsest with 166 leaves (270x210), 2 columns and 23-26 lines per folio

 

The undertext of this artefact is majuscule 0233. Interestingly, the upper text is also written in two columns of the same width as the under text. Some of the parchment leaves were later (16th century?) replaced by paper (fol. 1-38, 68, and 129-164). On the supplemental paper folios, it seems the copyist attempted to imitate the original scribe's handwriting but opted to use red for initials and decorations.

 

Fol. 60r and 68r of GA L1684 showing how the later scribe (right) tried to imitate the work of the former (left)

 

 

GA L1685 Bibelmuseum Ms. 16

15th century lectionary on paper with 264 leaves (275x190 mm), 2 columns with 31 lines per folio. This is the only lectionary in the collection with both Gospel and Apostolos readings for every day of the year.

 

The initials at the beginning of each lesson are decorated and extend over several lines. Before larger sections, such as between the Synaxarion and the Menologion, there are smaller ornamentations colored in red, yellow and green. The text has evidently been copied very hastily; there are numerous omissions resulting from eye leaps that a later scribe had to remedy. On several pages in the margins there are various notes and scribbles.

 

Marginal notes and corrections on fol. 36 and fol. 37 in GA L1685

GA L1686 Bibelmuseum Ms. 13

16th century lectionary on paper, 184 leaves with the Gospels and Apostolos (205x150 mm), 1 column with 17 lines

 

This is not a lectionary proper, but another liturgical book that has extensive readings from the New Testament. The manuscript provides various clues about its owners. On fol. 1r, next to a curse against potential thieves, a sakelarios, who probably belonged to a priesthood, is named, and on fol. 2r a priest named Athanasios is referenced. On the last page (fol. 184r) there is a dedication note dated 1624 by a certain Sterianos to the church of Taxiarches (παμμεγίστων ταξιαρχῶν) in memory of his parents.

 

Fol. 2 of GA L1686, opening page of the codex

 

GA L2005 Bibelmuseum Ms. 20

10th century majuscule lectionary on parchment, 1 leaf (320x235 mm), 2 columns with 19 lines per folio

 

This is the only majuscule lectionary, and also the oldest lectionary in the collection. All but three leaves have gone missing. Two leaves are at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens (σπ. 42). Our leaf contains readings from John 16:24-17:3, part of the passion narratives.

 

Recto of the single folio of GA L2005 located in the Bible Museum

 

GA L2137 Bibelmuseum Ms. 17

12th century Gospel lectionary on parchment with 213 leaves (320x245 mm), 2 columns with 24-27 lines per folio

 

Like L1683 and L1685, this lectionary contains Gospel readings for every day of the year.

 

Fol. 38r of GA L2137 shows the ecphonetic notation and the red braided bands that separate the different sections of the lectionary.

 

GA L2208 Bibelmuseum Ms. 18

11th/12th century Gospel lectionary with 207 leaves on parchment (223x170 mm), 2 columns with 25 lines

 

This colorful lectionary has decoration dividing the reading units in carmine red and green.  The headings indicating the book and the day are often highlighted in yellow—sometimes with red and green initial letters, as are the cross-shaped dots in the text to mark reading breaks, and capital letters to mark paragraphs.

 

Fol. 44r of GA L2208 showing the beginning of the Matthean period of readings

 

GA L2276 Bibelmuseum Münster Ms. 21

13th/14th century Gospel lectionary on parchment with 55 leaves (292x230 mm), 2 columns with 28 lines

 

The manuscript contains many large gaps; of the original 140-150 leaves only about a third are preserved. The sections of the lectionary are separated by small, braided bands or decorative strips in red. The day information in the upper margin, the subheadings, the bookmarks and the ornate, oversized initials at the beginnings of the lessons are also written in red.

 

Fol. 15r of GA L2276 shows the beginning of the Lukan section

 

We hope you enjoyed these brief descriptions of the manuscripts in our collection. For those whose interest has been piqued, you can go here to the NTVMR to see full images.

 

Or better yet, come visit us in person at the Bible Museum in Münster!

 

[1] Many of the original manuscripts in the collection came from Bishop Hermann Kunst who donated his private collection to the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), stipulating they should be kept by the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung and displayed in the Bible Museum. Others came from the collection of the Loverdos Museum in Athens and a few from private auction houses and antiquarian bookshops.

[2] The largest collection is the Bavarian State Library in Munich with 30 Greek NT witnesses followed by the State Museum in Berlin with 25.

[3] Martin Schøyen loaned 0301 to the Bible Museum over 20 years ago and graciously donated the piece to the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung in 2023.

New Digital Humanities Position at INTF

(English summary—see below for the original post in German):

 

Job Vacancy

 

Beginning November 1st, 2019, a position is available as a researcher (salary class 13 TV-L) at the Institute for New Testament Textual Criticism (INTF). The post is part of the Excellence Cluster “Religion and Politics: Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation” at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster.

 

The position is full-time and for a period of 6 years and 3 months. Regular work hours are 39 hours and 50 minutes per week. It would also be possible to fill the post with two people at 50% of the work hours.

 

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Participation in the project "Theory of Variant Development" (under project leader Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf)
  • Further development of the open digital edition platform, the NT.VMR

 

Requirements:

  • Doctoral degree (Dr. phil. or Dr. theol.)
  • Extensive experience in New Testament textual criticism
  • Experience with Digital Humanities, including digital philology and philological study of editions
  • Experience in the development and administration of portal platforms with content management systems, preferably Liferay
  • Good knowledge of biblical Greek

 

The University of Münster is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the proportion of women academics. Female applicants are encouraged to apply and those with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered within the framework of the legal possibilities. Applications from candidates with severe disabilities are also welcome. Disabled candidates with equivalent qualifications will be preferentially considered.

 

Please send applications via email including relevant documents (curriculum vitae, certificates etc.) no later than 12 August 2019 to Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf (email: strutw@uni-muenster.de)

 

STELLENAUSSCHREIBUNG

 

Im Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik. Dynamiken von Tradition und Innovation“ an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster ist im Teilprojekt C3-21 unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf ab dem 01.11.2019 eine Stelle als

 

wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in

Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L

 

mit 100% der regelmäßigen Arbeitszeit zu besetzen. Die Stelle ist für die Dauer von sechs Jahren und drei Monaten befristet. Die regelmäßige Arbeitszeit beträgt zurzeit 39 Stunden und 50 Minuten wöchentlich. Es ist grundsätzlich möglich, die Stelle mit zwei Personen mit je 50% der regelmäßigen Arbeitszeit zu besetzen.

 

Am Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik“ sind die Fächer Geschichte, Politikwissenschaft, Soziologie, Katholische und Evangelische Theologie und die Rechtswissenschaften beteiligt; Vertreter der Islamwissenschaft, der Islamischen Theologie, der Judaistik, der Ägyptologie, der Archäologie, der Philosophie, der Philologien, der Kunstgeschichte sowie der Ethnologie ergänzen das interdisziplinäre Spektrum. Nähere Informationen zu den beteiligten Fachbereichen und allgemein zum Forschungsprofil des Exzellenzclusters finden Sie unter www.uni-muenster.de/Religion-und-Politik/.

 

Der Aufgabenbereich umfasst:

  • Mitarbeit im Teilprojekt "Theorie der Variantenentstehung" (Projektleitung Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf)
  • Weiterentwicklung des NTVMR zu einer offenen, digitalen Editionsplattform

 

Voraussetzungen:

  • Promotion (Dr. phil. oder Dr. theol.)
  • weitreichende Erfahrungen in der Textkritik des Neuen Testaments
  • Erfahrungen mit virtuellen Forschungsumgebungen (Digital Humanities)
  • Sicherer Umgang in digitaler Philologie und Editionsphilologie
  • Erfahrung in der Entwicklung und Administration einer Portal-Plattform mit Content Management System, vorzugsweise Liferay
  • Gute Griechischkenntnisse

 

Die WWU Münster tritt für die Geschlechtergerechtigkeit ein und strebt eine Erhöhung des Anteils von Frauen in Forschung und Lehre an. Bewerbungen von Frauen sind daher ausdrücklich erwünscht; Frauen werden bei gleicher Eignung, Befähigung und fachlicher Leistung bevorzugt berücksichtigt, sofern nicht in der Person eines Mitbewerbers liegende Gründe überwiegen. Schwerbehinderte werden bei gleicher Qualifikation bevorzugt eingestellt.

 

Bewerbungen richten Sie bitte möglichst per E-Mail mit den üblichen Unterlagen (Lebenslauf, Zeugnisse) bis zum 12. August 2019 an die Projektleitung:

 

Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf

Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung

Pferdegasse 1

48143 Münster

strutw@uni-muenster.de

 

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