The best manuscript of the Vulgate is the CODEX AMIATINUS, of which a reduced facsimile, showing the lower half of the page, is given in Plate XXV.
This has a special interest for Englishmen, apart from the value of the text contained in it, as having been produced in England at the beginning of the eighth century. Its English origin was only discovered about fifty years ago, and in a curious way. On its second page is an inscription stating that it was presented to the abbey of Monte Amiata by Peter of Lombardy, and it was always supposed to have been written in Italy. But Peter's name, was obviously written over an erasure, and, besides, spoilt the metre of the verses in which the inscription is composed. Still, the truth was never suspected until a brilliant conjecture by the Italian G. B. de Rossi, confirmed by a further discovery by Professor Hort, showed that the original name was not Peter of Lombardy, but Ceolfrid of England. Then the whole history of the MS. was made clear. It was written either at Wearmouth or at Jarrow, famous schools in the north of England in the seventh and eighth centuries (having probably been copied from MSS. brought from Italy by Ceolfrid), and was taken by Abbot Ceolfrid as a present to Pope Gregory II in the year 716. It was used in the revision of the Vulgate by Pope Sixtus V in 1585-90, and its present home is in the great Laurentian Library at Florence. It is a huge volume, each leaf measuring 19.5 by 13.5 inches, written in large and beautifully clear letters. The passage shown in the Plate is Luke iv.32-v.6. An example of a correction may be seen in column 2, thirteen lines from the bottom, where the singular imperative laxa has been altered by a corrector to the plural laxate, which corresponds more exactly with the original Greek. The text is carefully and accurately written, and it is taken by Wordsworth and White as their first and most important authority.
Description from 'Our Bible & the Ancient Manuscripts' by Sir Frederick Kenyon (1895 - 4th Ed. 1939) Page 175. top
katapi note: Folio 829v is featured here is from Matthew's gospel, Ch.27 vss.21-42 of the Passion. It begins at the point when Pilate has asked—dimitti? "Which of the two should you have me release?" At illi dixerunt: Barabban—and they said "Barabbas!" Scribal abbreviations are overlined, as in col.1, line 4 (Mt.27:22),
dicit illis pilatus—Pilate said to them faciem de ihu qui dicitur xps—What am I to do, then, with Jesus, who is called Christ? Dicunt omnes Crucifigatur—They said, Let him be crucified.
A scribal correction is made in col 1, at the end of line 23 (Mt.27:26) shown here in small-red print,
Tunc dimisit illis Barabban—And with that he released Barabbas as they asked; ihm autem flagellatum tradiditeis ut crucifigeretur—Jesus he scourged, and gave him up to be crucified.
Marginal cross-references in the gospels follow those of the Eusebian Canon tables on folios 798r to 801r that precede the gospels. Our chapter numbers date from the 13th cent, and verse numbers, from the 16th cent. but our gospel passage cross-references derive initially from the canon tables. The Passion narratives are in all four gospels. These passages should mainly cross-reference to Canon 1 of the tables. You can view Canon Table 1 HERE, where you can compare the marginal canon reference numbers to those for Mat.Ch.27:vss.21 on, in Canon Table 1 (4th row-block down, column 5). You can read more about the Canon Tables HERE! top
Published transcription by C Tischendorf 1850 HERE. (New Testament only!) top