05.12.2025 Presentazione del volume di Lorenzo Pubblici, La Rus’ di Kiev. Un crocevia tra Europa e Asia nel Medioevo Discutono con l’autore Michele Bernardini, Marcello Garzaniti e Lapo Sestan
Biblioteca statale del Monumento nazionale di Grottaferrata
Typology
Codex
Copying date
1901/02, dating based on the colophon
Title
Säyfä Śǝllase (“Sword of the Trinity”)
Subject
Poetry
Language
Gǝʿǝz
Short description of the content
Ff. 1r–60v: Säyfä Śǝllase (“Sword of the Trinity”)
1. Ff. 1r–9v: Reading for Monday;
2. Ff. 9v–17r: Reading for Tuesday;
3. Ff. 17v–25v: Reading for Wednesday;
4. Ff. 25v–35v: Reading for Thursday;
5. F. 35v–47v: Reading for Friday;
6. Ff. 47v–55r: Reading for Saturday;
7. Ff. 55r–60v: Reading for Sunday;
Ff. 61r–75r: Sälam lähəllawekkəmu zäyəmäwwəʾ həllaweyatä (“Salutation to Your substance, who wins the elements”, Hymn to the Trinity, Chaine nr. 20)
Writing material
Sheep parchment
Outer size
135 x 85 x 30 mm
Number of folia
77 (II + 75)
Blank folia
IIv
Binding
Two wooden boards. The spine is uncovered. Four sewing stations
Sewing
Two Z-twisted threads (each thread is S-twisted) of animal origin
Sewing pattern
Bozzacchi A5
Slip case (maḫdär)
–
Quires
9 (1 initial protective quire + 8)
Quire marks
–
Layout
1 column
Number of lines per column
15–16
Ruling
Blind ruling, from inside to outside. Lines are written above the ruling (pattern Nosnitsin 1)
Ruling pattern
1-1/0/0/C
Scribe
Gäbrä Amanuʾel (ff. 62v, 77r)
Colophon
F. 60v: ኦሥሉስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ዕቀበኒ፡ በሥጋ፡ ወነፍስ፡ ሊተ፡ ለገብርክሙ፡ ወልደ፡ ሐዋርያት፡ ወጸሐፊሃ፡ ገብረ፡ አማኑኤል፡ ለዓለመ፡ ዓለም፡ አሜን። ፸፻ወ፫፻ወ፺፫. The colophon, added in the main hand at the end of the text, states that the book was written in the year 7393 of the World, i.e. 1901/02 CE. The colophon also mentions the scribe Gäbrä Amanuʾel and a certain Wäldä Ḥawaryat, the latter possibly in a secondary hand
Additional notes
1. F. Ir: unclear note written in a recent hand in violet ink. The note is in Amharic. It states: ቦሸት፡ ቅርፊት፡ ቅኆነ፡ አውጽተሕ፡ አጠጣ፡ ያተርፋ፡ አመማሮ፡ ዴጥ፡ አዳም፡ ይጀበራ፡ ልብ፡ አጠ፡ ናዶሮ፡.
2. Ff. Iv–IIr: unclear note written in a recent hand in blue pencil. The note is in Amharic and is dated 18 Taḫśaś 1901 E.C., corresponding to 27 December 1908: ፲፱፻፩ዓመተ፡ ምሕረት፡ ታሕሣሥ፡ ፲፱ቀን፡ ጨረቃዋ፡ ደም፡ ለብሰ፡ አደረች፡ ገረብ፡ ጽድቅ፡ ሚካኤል፡
Decoration
F. 1r: band decorated with geometrical motifs (ḥaräg), in black ink
State of preservation of the binding
Discrete
State of preservation of the textblock
Discrete
Provenance and history
According to the colophon, the manuscript was written in 1901/02 by a certain Gäbrä Amanuʾel. The original owner seems to have been Ammǝḫa Giyorgis; his name has been erased and replaced in many places with that of Wäldä Ḥawaryat, presumably a later owner.
Later, the book came into possession of a private, who brought the book to Italy. It came into possession of the Badia of Grottaferrata on 7 June 1990 (cp. Proverbio D.V., 2000, ‘Inventario sommario dei manoscritti arabi, ebraici, etiopici – con notizia dei turchi – conservati presso la Biblioteca della Badia di Grottaferrata’. Atti della Accademia nazionale dei Lincei, Memorie, Classe di scienze morali, storiche e filologiche, serie IX, 12 (2000), p. 504)