AUTHOR: IRISH MONK

LANGUAGE: GREEK, LATIN, IRISH

DATE: 9TH CENTURY

PAGE #: 232

REPRODUCTION DIMENSIONS: 11.75 X 8.75 IN

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION: THE CODEX BOERNERIANUS IS A SMALL NEW TESTAMENT CODEX AND WAS PROBABLY WRITTEN BY AN IRISH MONK IN THE ABBEY OF ST. GALL, SWITZERLAND. IT IS DATED PALEOGRAPHIC ALLY TO THE NINTH CENTURY DATE OF THE CODEX. THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS DATE IS ALL IN THE EVIDENCE OF THE HAND THAT WROTE THE MANUSCRIPT. CODEX BOENERIANIUS CONTAINS THE TEXT OF THE PAULINE EPISTLES, EXCEPT FOR HEBREWS. THE MAIN TEXT IS IN GREEK WITH AN INTERLINEAR LATIN TRANSLATION INSERTED ABOVE THE GREEK TEXT.

IN 1670 IT WAS IN THE HANDS OF P. JUNIUS AT LEIDEN. THE CODEX GOT ITS NAME FROM ITS FIRST GERMAN OWNER, UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG PROFESSOR CHRISTIAN FREDERICK BOERNER, WHO BOUGHT IT IN THE DUTCH REPUBLIC IN THE YEAR 1705. IT WAS COLLATED BY KUSTER, DESCRIBED IN THE PREFACE TO HIS EDITION OF MILL’S GREEK NEW TESTAMENT. THE MANUSCRIPT WAS DESIGNATED BY THE SYMBOL G IN THE SECOND PART OF WETTSTEIN’S NEW TESTAMENT. THE TEXT OF THE CODEX WAS PUBLISHED BY MATTHAEI, AT MEISSEN, IN SAXONY, IN 1791, AND SUPPOSED BY HIM TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BETWEEN THE 8TH AND 12TH CENTURIES. RETTIG THOUGHT THAT CODEX SANGALLENSIS IS PART OF THE PART OF THE SAME BOOK AS THE CODEX BOERNERIANUS.

DURING WORLD WAR II, THE CODEX SUFFERED SEVERELY FROM WATER DAMAGE. THUS, THE FACSIMILE, AS PUBLISHED IN 1909, PROVIDES THE MOST LEGIBLE TEXT. OUR FACSIMILE IS BASED ON THE 1909 VERSION.

ON FOLIO 23 VERSO AT THE BOTTOM IS WRITTEN A VERSE IN OLD IRISH WHICH REFERS TO MAKING A PILGRIMAGE TO ROME:

TEICHT DOROIM
MOR SAIDO BECC TORBAI
INRI CHONDAIGI HIFOSS
MANIMBERA LATT NIFOGBAI
MORE BAIS MOR BAILE
MOR COLL CEILLE MOR MIRE
OLAIS AIRCHENN TEICHT DO ECAIB
BEITH FO ETOIL MAIC MAIRE

STROKES AND STRACHAN’S TRANSLATION: TO GO TO ROME, MUCH LABOUR, LITTLE PROFIT: THE KING WHOM THOU SEEKEST HERE, UNLESS THOU BRING HIM WITH THEE, THOU FINDEST HIM NOT. MUCH FOLLY, MUCH FRENZY, MUCH LOSS OF SENSE, MUCH MADNESS (IS IT), SINCE GOING TO DEATH IS CERTAIN, TO BE UNDER DISPLEASURE OF MARY’S SON.

REPRODUCTION DETAILS: OUR HARDCOVER BOOKS ARE MADE WITH REAL WOOD FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS AS WELL AS THE SPINE. THE LEATHER IS A 4 OZ COWHIDE, FROM A SMALL SUPPLIER IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LEATHER IS ADHERED TO THE COVERS WITH GLUE AND MOLDED INTO THE SHAPE AT THE HAND OF OUR LOCAL ARTISANS. THE SIGNATURES/PAGES ARE HANDSEWN USING A LIBRARY BINDING METHOD. THE SEWN BOOK IS BOUND WITH A STRONG ADHESIVE GLUE THAT MAKES THE BINDINGS LAST, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LARGER BOOKS. WE ALSO ADD A THICK MULL CLOTH TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BINDING, DRYING IN BETWEEN EACH LAYER, A TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE THE BINDING STIFF, STRONG, AND RESILIENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

NOTE: ALL OF OUR FACSIMILES ARE MADE TO ORDER. PLEASE ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR NOTIFICATION OF SHIPMENT.