Nestorius, The Bazaar of Heracleides (2007) Manuscript colophons
The colophons of Harvard MS Syriac 95 were noted down during a visit to the Houghton Library, Harvard University USA, on 6th August 2007. What follows is an edition a of the Syriac colophons with translations and notes. This MS has been previously described by Dr. J. F. Coakley and additional details can be found in his on-line b description. Dr. Coakley's very helpful descriptions of all the other Harvard Syriac MS are also accessible on-line. c
ܐܨܝܚܐ ܕܡܢܗ̇ ܐܨܚܬ ܐܢܐ ܟܬܘܒܐ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܐܘܫܥܢܐ ܡܚܝܠܐ : ܣܓܝ ܚܫܝܟܐ ܗܘܬ ܘܐܦ ܬܒܝܕ ܗܘ̣ܬ ܡܢܗ̇ ܘܢܘܩܙܐ ܠܝܬ ܗܘ̣ܐ ܠܗ̇. ܠܕܘܟܝܬ[ܐ] ܕܚܫܝܟܐ : ܫܒܩܬ ܚܘܪܬܐ. ܘܠܗܘ ܕܢܦܝܠ ܬܘܒ ܘܪܩܐ ܚܘܪܐ ܫܒܩܬ. ܘܠܢܘܩܙܐ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܣܡܬ ܒܪܡ ܡܛܠ ܕܥܡ ܩܠܡܐ ܪܗܛܐ ܣܡܬ. ܘܠܐ ܒܩܪܝܢܐ ܢܝ̣ܚܐ ܕܟܬܒܐ. ܟܒܪ ܢܗܘܐ ܛܥܘܢܐ ܡܕܡ. ܘܐܢܬ ܬܙܕܗܪ ܕܐܢ ܣܘܟܠܐ ܠܐ ܐܚܕ : ܟܒܪ ܢܘ̈ܩܙܐ ܠܐ ܬܪܝܨܝܢ ܐܝܟ ܚܠܦ ܐܡܪ ܐܡܪ : ܬܘ : ܬܡܪܬ ܚܠܦ ܬܡܪܬ ܘܫܪܟܐ.
Colophon 1 edited from the flyleaf of Harvard MS Syriac 95. 01 A different spelling would have been expected, ܨܚܚܐ ; 03 The aleph is a suggested restoration. Sayyeme points would also have been expected to mark the plural here.
ܠܡܟܬܒ ܟܬܒܐܕܡܬܩܪܐ ̇ܬܐܓܘܪܬܐ ܕܗܪܩܠܝܕܘܣ ܕܥܒܝܕ ܠܢܨܝܚ ܒܩܕܝܫ̈ܐ ܘܛܘܒܬܢ ܒܟܠ ܡܪܝ ܢܣܛܘܪܝܣ. ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐ ܕܩܘܣܛܢܛܝܢܦܘ...
Colophon 2, excerpt 1 edited from Harvard MS Syriac 95, f. 279a.
ܐܬܟܬܒ ܒܩܪܝܬܐ ܗܝܕܪܠܘ̣ܘܐ ܕܠܬܚܬ ܐܝܬܝܗ̇ ܡܢ ܣܝܪܐ ܩܪܝܬܐ ܕܒܓܘܗ̇ ܡܕܝܪܝܢ ܫܠܝ̈ܚܐ ܐܡܖ̈ܟܝܐ ܒܩܝܛܐ : ܒܫܢܬܐ ܡܫܝܚܝܬܐ ܀ ܐܦܨܛ : ܒܝܘܡ ܐܪܒܥܒܫܒܐ ܀ ܟܢܘܢ ܀ ܒ ܀ ܟܘ ܀ ܒܗ: ܐܬܟܬܒ ܡܢ ܚܕ ܕܟܬܝܒ ܗܘ̣ܐ ܒܝܕ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܐܘܫܥܢܐ ܣܐܪܘ ܒܓܘ ܩܘܟܢܝܣ ܥܕܬ ܟܘܪܣܝܐ ܕܦܛܪܝܪܟܘܬܐ ܕܥܕܬܐ ܥܬܝܩܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ : ܒܫܢܬ ܡܫܝܚܝܬܐ ܀ ܐܦܦܛ...
Colophon 2, excerpt 2 edited from Harvard MS Syriac 95, f. 279a with some text omitted between excerpts 1 and 2 and after excerpt 2.
Colophon 1 found on the flyleaf:
"The exemplar from which I, the Scribe-Elder Aush`ana the weak copied, was much obscured and damaged and it was grammatically un-pointed. And the obscured passages I have left white, as also where the pages have fallen [out], I have left white-space. And I have added all of the pointing. It is eaten away because it is running with parasites. I have added [the points] but what is written doesn't read well. Perhaps it is a mistake and you should take care if the sense isn't captured. Perhaps the points are incorrect here and there d."e
Colophon 2 found on folio 279a:
That Aush`ana copied the decayed exemplar MS in Cochanis in the year AD 1889 is made clear in the colophon of the present MS, as found on folio 279a f:
Excerpt 1:
"To write the book which is called 'The Bazaar of Heraqlidos' which was composed by one excellent amongst holy ones and our blessed in everything, Mar Nestori[u]s, bishop of Constantinople..."
Excerpt 2:
"It was written in the village of Haydarluwe which is under Sira g a village h, which is in the summer habitation of the American Missionaries i, in the year AD 1899, on Wednesday 26th in the month 2nd Kanun j. It was written from another which was written by the Elder Aush`ana Saru, in Qochanis k, the church of the patriarchal throne of the old Church of the East in the year AD 1889..."
Steven Ring, August 26th 2007
Postscript on the catalogue of the library at Urmiah:
According to the catalogue entry in front of me, Urmia MS 147 is the Bazaar, the MS dimensions were 9" x 7", it had 328 pages and it was copied in 1889 from an exemplar about 800 years older, i.e. of the 11th century. Of course, this meshes nicely with what we know from the Harvard MS colophons. Hence, the Harvard MS is most probably a copy of Urmia MS 147. The geography and other circumstances also make this very likely.
Notes:
a This edition uses the Meltho font, 'Estrangelo Edessa' ©1992-2002 courtesy of Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. All Rights Reserved. The Meltho fonts are available on-line and the URL is: http://www.bethmardutho.org/meltho/
d The Syriac text includes two examples of variant pointing, but I failed to record them.
e Near this colophon on the MS flyleaf, there is a note written by W. A. Shedd in English to say that the exemplar MS was un-pointed.
f I selected and recorded only two excerpts from colophon 2.
g This village is near the city of Urmia which was then in Turkey, but is now in Iran.
h This village is mentioned in a number of other manuscripts. See vol. 1, p. 182 in Sachau, E. 'Koenigliche Bibliothek zu Berlin. Verzeichniss der syrischen Handschriften.' 2 vols, (Berlin : A. Asher, 1899). This catalogue is now available on-line with many other useful Syriac books, courtesy of the BYU and CUA Syriac reference library. The URL for this catalogue is as follows: http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/CUA,13383. Another East Syrian manuscript, Rylands 26 which is dated AD 1895 also seems to have been copied in Sira, see Coakley, J. F. 'A catalogue of the Syriac manuscripts in the John Rylands Library' in 'Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester' Volume 75, number 2, summer 1993, page 150.
i Literally in the Syriac text, 'the American Apostles'.
j That is to say, this Harvard MS was completed on Wednesday January 26th, AD 1899.
k This is probably the same place as one called 'Codshanis' which can be found on the maps published in 'The Patriarchs of the Church of the East from the Fifteenth to Eighteenth Centuries' Heleen H.L. MURRE-VAN DEN BERG, Leiden University, Published on-line in Hugoye volume 2 number 2, July 1999. The URL for this paper is as follows: http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol2No2/HV2N2Murre.html
This text was written by Steven Ring, 2007. This file and all material on this page is in the public domain - copy freely.
Syriac text is rendered using unicode.
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