Page:The New Testament in the original Greek - 1881.djvu/42

 xxxiv INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.

the invention of the art of printing substituted a much easier and cheaper mode of multiplying books. A few, however, were written in the sixteenth century.

They are much more numerous than the uncials. "\Vc have, in round figures, more than 600 cursive MSS. of the Gospels ; over 200 of the Acts and Catholic Epistles ; near- ly 300 of the Pauline Epistles; about 100 of Revelation, exclusive of more than 400 lectionaries which contain only the Scripture lessons for public service.*

The critical value of the cursives is, of course, not near so great as that of the uncials, because they are much fur- ther removed from the primitive source. But some twen- ty or thirty of them are very important for their agreement with the oldest authorities, or for some other peculiarity. Cod. 33 (Regius 14, Colbertinus 2844, in Paris, eleventh century), which contains all the New Testament except the Apocalypse, and agrees mostly with B, D, L, is " the queen of the cursive MSS. ;" Scrivener says its readings " deserve the utmost attention ;" and Tregelles calls it " the most im- portant of the Biblical MSS. in cursive letters extant," but it suffered " most from damp and decay." Besides this, we mention Cod. 1 (Cod. Basiliensis), 22, 28, 59, 66, 69, 102, 118, 124, 131, 157, 201, 209, of the Gospels; 13, 15, 18,

MSS. for the Gospels (pp. 164-209), and of a large number of MSS. for the other books of the New Testament (pp. 209-249). Then follows a section on the lectionaries or manuscript ser- vice-books of the Greek Church (250-269), which have as yet received little attention from Biblical critics. Dean Alford gives also a list of 469 cursive MSS. in convenient columns (Prolegg. i. 120-137). Compare Table IX. in Mitchell, pp. 119- 132.
 * Dr. Scrivener gives a careful description of 469 cursive

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