Unpublished Sacred Monuments

Thus, it usually retains the "movable nu" movable nu (ν ἐφελκυστικὸν): a letter 'n' added to the end of Greek words to avoid a vowel clash, though here it appears even before consonants even before a consonant. Likewise, in the instances where Grabe's notes—written before the fire—are considered, it everywhere maintains the forms we shall take original: ληψομεθα, let it be taken original: ληφθητω, and you may be taken along with original: συμπαραληφθης (using sym- συμπ. rather than syn- συνπ.). It also has four original: τεσσερα and Benjamin original: βενιαμειν. Likewise it has sword original: μαχαιρη, woman original: γυναικαν (11, 31. it was once readable; the passage is now lost), in old age original: εν γηρει, ninety original: ενενηκοντα, cataracts original: καταρακται, turn back original: αποστραφητι, is it not...? original: ουχ ιδου (13, 9. in a place now lost), it became original: εγεινετο, it was able original: εδυνκτο, terebinth tree original: τερεμινθον, drachmas original: δραχματα (instead of δραχμ.), and those who curse original: καταρουμενους (12, 3. now lost). Nor are faults lacking, arising from the confusion of letters, especially vowels, such as we might see original: ειδειμεν (rare cases of this kind), of a child instead of of a plain original: παιδιου for πεδιου and similar errors.

Having set these matters forth, we ask regarding the antiquity of the codex. In this question, there is no reason to refute those dreaming of the age of Origen; nor truly, with Owen and others, can it be called "perhaps the oldest of all Europe." For it is undoubtedly more recent than all those codices that shrink from the use of initial capital letters. Since those indeed seem to belong to the fourth century, nothing stands in the way of our deciding that the Cotton codex—along with several others with which it agrees most closely, except that the system of three-dot punctuation usually only takes hold in slightly later works—belongs to roughly the fifth century.

The truly singular ornament of the Cotton codex is found in the paintings, by which the events described in the text are represented. Many traces of these also survive to this day; some are still seen almost entirely intact, with colors clear enough although in poor condition. We have found it sufficient to briefly indicate in this edition the place where they were painted. Four specimens of them are exhibited in Owen’s little book at page XIII, taken from the two plates which were published in the year 1744 at the expense of the Society of Antiquaries of London under this title: "Certain fragments of a very ancient copy of the book of Genesis, adorned with elegant paintings."*) Likewise, the author of Palaeographia Sacra Pictoria, J. O. Westwood, recently provided a third plate in London, 1843–45.**) Furthermore, those paintings—which they say once numbered 250, distributed over 165 leaves—are as rare as they are highly praised for their antiquity; they excel with no common art and are preferred to similar paintings found in the purple Vienna Genesis codex.

*) There is a strange defectiveness in the writing of these specimens inserted in Owen’s book, proceeding from the ignorance of the editors, not from the codex itself. To say nothing of the shapes of the letters, from which the true nature of the codex can least be learned, we will give examples of the corrupted text itself. From Genesis 11:12 and following, there is shown: -- n the Cainan -- the birth -- eight hundred: and e -- and daught. These should be compared to page 101, XV. B., where it becomes clear not only that many more letters could be read by us, but also that instead of "eight hundred: and" ακοσια· και, "eight hundred thirty" ακοσια τριακον was transcribed according to the evidence of the codex: evidently "and e" και ε flowed from an error. In another place, Genesis 12:5 and following, it is inscribed in this manner: -- Harran and: e -- into the land of Chanlan -- lln and aiwaeu -- as the place of sy -- n high: wa -- they inhabited the g --. In these, the codex itself has Chanaan for Chanlan, aan for lln, diodeu for aiwaeu, and oi de for wa: compare page 103, XVIII. B. The two remaining passages transcribed in the plate are no longer found among the fragments in the British Museum. One, Genesis 43:13 and following, has: and the brother original: λαελφον, corrected to αδελφ. of you -- standing go down original: καταβηγε, corrected to -τε to -- face. And may original: αε, corrected to δε my God give original: λωη, corrected to δωη -- mercy before the man. And your brother original: ααελφον, corrected to αδ- Benjamin. For I indeed as -- I have been childless. The other, Genesis 43:30 and following, thus: -- for his heart yearned -- for his brother original: ααελφω, corrected to αδ-. And he sought -- having entered original: εισελθων but original: αε, corrected to δε into the chamber -- there; and having washed his -- having come out original: ξελθων he restrained himself. The form of the letters alpha (α) and delta (δ), everywhere confused in these examples, is by no means the same in the codex.

**) He rightly criticizes the specimens shown in the previous century. However, in transcribing some Greek words, he himself slipped. For the specimen he gave agrees with our text XXI. B. on page 105, except that in verse 11 he wrongly wrote mambri for mamre original: προ μαμβρη written as μαμβρι.