Grottaferrata Crypt. Aet. 5

Shelfmark

Fondo Orientale, Crypt Aet. 5

Owning institution

Biblioteca statale del Monumento nazionale di Grottaferrata

Typology

Codex

Copying date

19th–20th century, dated on a paleographical basis.

Title

Dawit (Psalter)

Subject

Old Testament

Language

Gǝʿǝz

Short description of the content

Ff. 3r–156ra: Dawit (Psalter)

1. Ff. 3r–118v: Mäzmurä Dawit (“Psalms of David”);

2. Ff. 119r–131v: Mäḥalǝyä näbiyat (“Canticles of the Prophets”);

3. Ff. 131v–137v: Mäḥalǝyä mäḥalǝy (“Song of Songs”);

4. Ff. 138ra–147vb, 150ra–151ra: Wǝddase Maryam (“Praise of Mary”);

5. Ff. 148r–149v: copy of the second and third Prayers of Moses (already present on ff. 121–123).

6. Ff. 151ra–156ra: Anqäṣä bǝrhan (“Gate of Light”).

Writing material

Sheep parchment

Outer size (included the binding)

173 h x 125 w x 55 mm

Outer size of the textblock

166 x 116 x 36 mm

Number of folia

156

Blank folia

–

Binding

Two wooden boards covered with reddish-brown leather decorated with blind tooled ornament. Four sewing stations.

Sewing

Two Z-twisted threads (each thread is S-twisted) of animal origin.

Sewing pattern

Bozzacchi A3

Slip case (maḫdär)

–

Quires

17 (16 + 1 initial protective quire)

Quire marks

–

Layout

1) Ff. 3r–137v, 148r–149v: 1 column. 2) Ff. 138r–147v; 150r–156r: 2 columns.

Number of lines per column

22–24

Ruling

Blind ruling, from inside to outside. Lines are written above the ruling (pattern Nosnitsin 1).

Ruling pattern

1) Ff. 3r–169v: 1-1/0/0/C. 2) Ff. 170ra–193vb: 1-1-11/0/0/C.

Scribe

Unknown

Colophon

–

Additional notes

1. F. 1r–v: Mälkǝʾ-hymn to St Michael (Chaine nr. 119), written in an inaccurate hand. The words ሰላም፡ and ሚካኤል፡ are rubricated. Incipit: ሰላም፡ ለዝክረ፡ ስምከ፡ ምስለ፡ ስመ፡ ልዑል፡ ዘተሳተፈ። ወልደ፡ ያሬድ፡ ሄኖክ፡ በከመ፡ ጸሐፈ፡ ሶበ፡ እጼ ስመከ፡ ከሲትየ፡ አፈ፡ ረዳኤ።. The text is incomplete.

2. Ff. 1v–2v: pen trials and other minor scribbles in pencil.

3. F. 156rb–v: Note on the commission of the manuscript, written in Amharic. It mentions the commissioner Aläqa Wäldä Śǝllase and the recipient Lǝǧǧ Abärra Nǝguse. Incipit: መጋቢት፡ ፲፩ቀን፡ አለቃ፡ ወልደ፡ ሥላሴ፡ ለልጅ፡ አበራ፡ ንጉሴ፡ የብራና፡ ዳዊት፡ ሲሸጥ፡ እማኝ፡ ቄስ፡ ኪዳኑ፡ የልጅ፡ አበራ፡ የሸቃ፡. ተእምራ(156v)ት፡ መድህን፡ አለቃ፡ ሐደረ፡ በሶስት፡ ብር፡ ታላድ፡ ሶሽጥ፡ በሶስት፡ ብር፡ ታላድ፡ ሺገዛ፡ ፈጣሚ፡ ብላ፡ ገብሩ፡.

Decoration

Ff. 3r, 9v, 16r, 23v, 33v, 40v, 46v, 55v, 67r, 75v, 81r, 93v, 104r, 112v, 119r, 131v, 138r: coloured ornamental frames (ḥaräg) decorated with geometrical and interweaving motifs. Some of them are executed in a rudimental style.

State of preservation of the binding

Mediocre.

State of preservation of the textblock

Discrete.

Provenance and history

Unknown provenance. The additional note on f. 156rb–v mentions the commissioner Aläqa Wäldä Śǝllase and the recipient Lǝǧǧ Abärra Nǝguse. The manuscript was acquired by the abbey library between 1992 and 2000, since it is not mentioned by Osvaldo Raineri in Raineri O., 1991, ‘Rec. S. Uhlig, Introduction to Ethiopian Palaeography’. Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 58 (1991), 215–16, but it is catalogued by Delio Vania Proverbio in 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), 468–570.

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