Description
The codex contains the entire New Testament (except of Book of Revelation) in the following order: the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the General and Pauline epistles (Hebrews is the last book in Paul). The text is written in one column per page, 38 lines per page, on 297 parchment leaves (18.5 cm by 11.5 cm). It was originally accompanied by miniatures, which were stolen before 1860–1862 (except one before the Gospel of John, which remains).
The dimensions of the text are 13.6 cm by 6.8 cm. It was written on parchment continuously and without separation in elegant minuscule, furnished with breathings (spiritus asper and spiritus lenis) and accents, in Iota adscript. The initial letters are gilt, and on the first page of each Gospel the full stop is a large gilt ball.
The text is divided according to chapters (κεφαλαια) whose numbers are given at the margin, with their titles (τιτλοι) at the top of the page. The text of the Gospels is divided according to the smaller Ammonian Sections (in Matthew 352, in Mark 236 with last numbered section in 16:12, in Luke 340, in John 227), but references to the Eusebian Canons are absent. The Book of Acts and the epistles have the Euthalian Apparatus.
It contains prolegomena, synaxaria (a list of saints), two types of lectionary markings at the margin (for liturgical reading) and pictures (e.g. a portrait of John the Evangelist and Prochorus). The later type of liturgical notes, so called αναγνωσεις (only for Gospels) were added by a later hand (in red). The Gospel of Matthew has 116 αναγνωσεις, the Gospel of Mark – 70, the Gospel of Luke – 114, and the Gospel of John – 67 αναγνωσεις. In the 15th century, the later hand added Prolegomena.
The codex contains a scholion questioning the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20. The Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) is placed after John 21:25.
Read more about this topic: Codex Basilensis A. N. IV. 2
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