Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Bibles are Really Neat, Part Two

I got to spend some time with some Bibles.  

And not your average Bibles - but like ancient manuscripts.

I was SO excited to be in this room with the books that I only caught on to a couple of details, and was able to sort of identify everything thanks to the wisdom of my tutor, John Proctor, who facilitated this visit to the Cambridge University Library, and also walked us through each of these wonderful books.  The people in the images are some of the lovely folk from my tutor group. 

The first of the two big books is a facsimile of the Codex Bezae, 5th century (originally), this is a 19th century facsimile.   (If I remember correctly, there is an original copy somewhere but it has high standards of being looked at.)

The big book following after is Codex Macedonianus, dated from the 9th century. 


Here we are looking at a Greek Minuscule.  If you can imagine, it's hand scribed on goat skin (well, the hide) and it's the Gospels.  This is one you could actually imagine carrying around with you.  This is dated from the 12th century. 


I think we did some basic math with the whole goat hide to pages ratio - imagine you get 8 pieces of hide from one goat...and then you have four Gospels to scribe...that's quite a few goats. 

(I was assured that little of the goat went to waste.)





It was quite interesting to learn how they bound these manuscripts.  There are little pin pricks all along the edges; once all those dots aligned, they knew it was "even" and lined up.  

Can you spot the dots on this image?


The term minuscule refers to a writing style in the history of Greek writing in Byzantine, beginning in the 9th and 10th centuries.  For those of you who are Greek scholars - see if you can recognize read some of this. 

This is an image within a Greek Minuscule from the 15th century. 



These are two books are of the same type, yet the difference within them are extensive.  Part of that is due to the times they were produced, part due to who produced them, as well as how they have aged. 


Go Greek scholars, go!



Can you name this Gospel?  (See answer below!)


(Matthew)


We were so blessed to have John Proctor as our guide during this session.  



Yah, so I don't remember which one this is.  I think it is the other version of the Greek Minuscule.




This is us trying to read from the West Saxon Gospels, from the 11th century. It is the Gospels in what was the modern day language, Old English.  






 These are notes written in the Bible in Latin I believe...I will have my resident scholar confirm that.  




The name scripted at the top I think is the man who was the scribe...I could be wrong.  I just thought it was funny he wanted to make sure his name was in it.  It is also the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. 



To give you an idea of what the Anglo-Saxon would have translated like, here's a passage from the Gospel of Mark 1:1-3:
Her ys godspelles angyn Hælendes Cristes, Godes suna.  Swa awriten is on ðæs witegan bec Isaiam,  
“Nu! ic asende minne engel beforan ðinre ansyne, se gegearwaþ ðinne weg beforan ðe.   Clypigende stefen on ðam westene, ‘Gegearwiaþ Drihtnes weg, doþ rihte his siðas.’”




Yah - I'm having trouble reading this. 





The Wycliffite New Testament, 14th century

These bibles were created under the direction of John Wycliffe, and as many of you might already know, were a chief inspiration and chief cause of the Lollard movement, a pre-Reformation movement.  Most people (if they could read) would only be familiar with the Latin homilies and verses.  Wycliffe's thought to translate to the vernacular would help Christians study the Gospel in the "tongue in which they know best Christ's sentence."


You might be able to sound out this passage: 


(Hint: the beginning of the Gospel that starts way different than the others.)


Some more of the Wycliffite Bible.





Isn't the coloring just so beautiful?  I love the gold inlay!





Do these pictures look a bit different?  They are!  Welcome to the world, printing press!


The Complutensian Polyglot Bible, printed 1514
(say that 5 times fast now...)

I'm kind of in love with this Bible.  It was initiated and financed by Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros and published by Complutense University, hence the name.  

This is a volume of the Old Testament, specifically the Pentateuch and each page has three parallel columns of text - Hebrew, the Latin Vulgate, and the Greek Septuagint on the inside.  Then, the Aramaic text and it's own Latin translation are at the bottom. 

(any scholar want to say which book of the Pentateuch this is?)



Close up on the text. 


If you just take a second to think about the printing that went into that book, it kind of blows your mind!  (Well, mine at least!) 

These pictures are from the 1514 Complutensian Polyglot Bible. This volume wasn't published until 1522 (waiting for the other volumes.)  Erasmus, who finished his Greek/Latin New Testament in 1519, was able to get his NT version out a bit more than the Polyglot Bible.  






I was really excited by this Latin/Greek combo - I soon found one of my favorite Greek words. (Isn't that kai gorgeous?)






(tee hee hee)


And last, but not least:



I do know the name of this one!  The Codex Zacynthius - this is one that Cambridge University is hoping to purchase...for 1.2 million pounds.  
Read more about it:
The Codex Zacynthius is a palimpsest: a manuscript from which the text has been scraped or washed off in order for it to be used again. The recycling of manuscripts was common practice at a time when writing surfaces were precious, few books were produced, and a tiny percentage of the population was literate.



 The 176 leaves of Codex Zacynthius are made of vellum – treated animal hide. The surface of the vellum was first used in the 6th or 7th century when it was inscribed in Greek with the text of Luke 1:1–11:33 – a layer of writing now known to scholars as the ‘undertext’. In the 13th century this was partially scraped away and written over with the text of an Evangeliarium, a book composed of passages from the Four Gospels – this is the ‘overtext’.

“The presence of the undertext, first discovered in the 19th century and critical to establishing the transmission of St Luke’s Gospel, places Codex Zacynthius among the top flight of Biblical manuscripts. Furthermore, it is the oldest extant New Testament manuscript with a commentary alongside the text, making it a witness to both the development and interpretation of St Luke’s Gospel,” said Lord Williams of Oystermouth, Master of Magdalene College and former Archbishop of Canterbury.





The Codex, measuring 35 cm by 28 cm, is now in a 16th-century Greek-style goatskin binding that shows how the manuscript has been treasured over the centuries – tiny hand-stitched repairs secure tears in the goatskin and the cover bears traces of a cross and other decorations long since lost. - See more at:http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-university-library-bids-to-purchase-early-gospel-manuscript#sthash.mqj9cKkn.dpuf



All in all, a wonderful adventure.  Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can actually see some MUCH BETTER pictures of these ancient manuscripts.  It's worth a google.  Here's a link to the Codex Sinaiticus.

http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/


Blessings!



Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Bibles are Really Neat, Part 1.

I was tempted to title this blog, "MYBFSD", or "Make Your Bible Feel Special Day", but that just sounded ridiculous.  But that is exactly what I was thinking about in putting this together. 

So, Olaf hinted at this, but last week, I got to spend some time with some Bibles.  

And not your average Bibles - but like ancient manuscripts.

A confession before we begin:

I was SO excited to be in this room with the books that I only caught on to a couple of details, and the details that probably won't help you identify what I am looking at. My details stem more from random facts then actual helpful things.  So for that, I apologize.  I am hoping to meet with someone who can help me place them and then fix it on the blog. So, you're going to have to wait for the pictures...and for that, I apologize too.  But, patience is a virtue, so there's that.
 (But in all fairness, anyone who has ever seen me excited about something - you know how my mind works...)

So why the "MYBFSD" business?  Time for another confession:

I, Katy W, did not even bring my Bible with me to Cambridge.  Yes, I do have a kindle version that is awesome, but I didn't bring my favorite one.  Well, either of my favorites.  One is a beautiful Austin College Crimson (GO ROOS!) that my parents gave me when I started college.  It is great, but isn't NRSV (not that it matters) but sometimes in seminary, NRSV is what I need.  So, enter in The HarperCollins Study Bible.  I LOVE THIS BIBLE.  The notes are amazing and it is just a great Bible.  But, it weighs 3463121376879 pounds.  Ok, slight exaggeration, but if the paperback ways 3...imagine the hardback. It did not make the cut for being packed for a long, long journey.



I didn't think I would regret this decision, but about 2 weeks here, I did.  I really found trying to flip back and forth on the kindle annoying more than convenient. So, I looked for a Bible.  I felt a bit like Goldilocks - many were too big, some were too small - the language wasn't right, the version wasn't my fave - it was ridiculously expensive, and so on and so on.

A little history on my Bible (s).  I grew up with parents who took notes during sermons and often times, wrote in their Bibles.  My parents have Bibles that if someone were to find them way after they are gone, there will be a history recorded in them: a collection of thoughts, musings, reflections, or just words regarding scripture.  I grew up wanting to have a Bible like that.  But, I have Bible A.D.D.  I have a collection of Bibles that all serve different purposes.  There's the Message/NIV joint version which is great for youth retreats (and already partially destroyed by water), there's the 1800's one that just looks SO NEAT,there's the 365 Daily Bible, the woman's one, there's the familiar crimson one full of love and memories, there's the study one, the Greek or Hebrew one (this isn't used a much as I wish it was), there's the children's one (ok, I have like 52161651 of these), there is the Lego one, and more.





Maybe it is more of a lack of a commitment to a Bible rather than my A.D.D.

But that's where the "MYBFSD" happens - these varieties of Bibles, as I said earlier, all serve different purposes. I show them all lots of love.  They don't just spend there time on shelves (ok, for this semester, they do).  Many have been sprawled out onto my bed in the midst of sermon writing. Many are well worn, scribbled in, underlined or highlighted.  Some are watermarked where tears have fallen from my eyes in times of sorrow or hurt.  Pages have been dog-eared, post-it notes remain as well as a drawing someone has doodled for me at some time and place.  And when I am trying to remember which Bible I took to Montreat 2008 or on SHYC 2004 or YouthQuake 1998, or even which one I used for a certain text, it's like a scavenger hunt.  SO. MUCH. FUN.

I sometimes envy I don't just have "a" Bible (especially when I see my sister with her well loved and well used Bible that goes EVERYWHERE with her), but in using a variety of languages, translations, interpretations, colors, and more in my reading of Scripture, I know that's a good thing for me.  It is good to shake it up once in a while. It's also like a walk in my own Bible knowledge history.  These books have been a part of the journey I'm on - not only in seminary, but the journey called life, as well.

Back to my Goldilocks story though...a friend here at Westminster mentioned he had an abundance of Bibles and offered to bring one for me.

He brought the most perfect one I could have imagined. I am in love with this one.


It is about the size of a composition notebook, but slim.

And look at those wide margins for note taking!


I'm excited about the journey this Bible is going on with me.  It might sound silly, but this gift of a Bible was so caring and thoughtful, that I feel just a bit special.  I tend to be 97.4% excited to read the Bible most days, but I have just dived in with this one.

So, go make your Bible feel special.  They're kind of neat and amazing things - full of wisdom and words of power, love, grace, and some laughs too.  And stay tuned for the Bible are Really Neat, Part 2, which will have the pictures and commentary of the manuscripts.










Saturday, February 15, 2014

Olaf's Adventures, #3

Hi there! I've been up to some fun, seeing new sights, looking at really cool things, and just enjoying being able to take it all in!  Look what I've been up to!

 On our walk to Jesus Green, we pass by the River Cam.  Due to all the rain, it's been moving!


 My new friends.  (One of them is a USB!)


 We were excited to see The Westminster Confession.  Like, SUPER EXCITED.


 This isn't the manuscript, but it is one of the first printed editions.  (It's older than the USA!!!  1646!)


I was practicing my runway walk.  Afterall, it was Fashion Week. 


Remember that wall from a few weeks ago?  It's now a lovely purple!  How nice!


 Tutor Group snacks for the win!  (Katy got an AMAZING CARE PACKAGE with some American candies.  Everyone LOVED it!)


 Pretty sure this shirt is all about me.  


 And this one is quite hilarious too.  


 So, they take fire safety pretty seriously here.  Every Friday at 9:00am, they test the alarms.  Four times.      So, safety first, y'all. 



Here I am in class!  Gospel and the Western Culture - it's taught by Paul Western and it is quite exciting.  I think Katy is having her mind blown or at least broadened in this class.  


 YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT I AM DOING IN THIS ROOM!  Katy's tutor group went to the University Library to look at some Bible manuscripts. This is a manuscript containing the Gospels from about 900 AD.  (900!)  It's in Greek and printed on goat skin.  I think Katy's going to include a blog on this soon...


In other news, I found my dream job.  I want to just be in a room with books.  Old books.  Ancient books.  In a variety of languages, from a variety of times and places.  



 Seriously, it is just so wonderful.  The care and effort put into recording these stories and keeping them alive is just so impressive. 



 Here I am hanging out on the mail wall.  


 Here I am with my koozie. 
(It's really more for decor because they don't do can's like we do back home.)



 We got some post-it notes!  Woo hoo!



 Katy used to work at a place where they sold these little erasers.  We had no idea they were this popular. 


 Look at all these animal friends!  (There's a kangaroo!)


This is part of an advertisement for a student travel business.  They are marketing on exactly what these students (ok, everyone who is involved with social media in a weird way) secretly fear.  (Ok, not so secretly).  Good for them to just name it and target it. 


Finally, we got some mail and it just made our heart sing!  

Until we meet again, 
Olaf.