Shelfmark

3840 (olim Mordini 194)

Owning institution

Biblioteca Palatina, Parma

Typology

Codex

Copying date

17^th–18^th century, dated on a paleographical basis.

Title

Mäṣḥafä zenahomu läʾabäw (“Book of the history of the fathers”), excerpts from the Mäṣḥafä fälasfa ṭäbiban (“Book of the wise philosophers”)

Subject

Monastic literature

Language

Gǝʿǝz

Short description of the content

Ff. 1ra–106rb: Mäṣḥafä zenahomu läʾabäw (“Book of the history of the fathers”), i.e. Patericon Aethiopice.

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ …ንጽሕፍ፡ መጽሐፈ፡ ዜናሆሙ፡ ለአበው፡ ወነገሮሙ፡ ዘተሰእሉ፡ በበይናቲሆሙ። ወዘቦቱ፡ በቍዔት፡ ወሠናይት፡ ለዘአንበቦ፡ ወለዘሰምዖ፡ ወይሰመይ፡ ገበተ። እግዚአብሔር፡ ይጸግወነ፡ በረከቶሙ፡ አሜን።

Ff. 106va–118va: Excerpts from the Mäṣḥafä fälasfa ṭäbiban (“Book of the wise philosophers”).

Incipit: ክፍል፡ እመጽሐፈ፡ ጠቢባን። ይቤ፡ ጠቢብ፡ ወሬዛ፡ ጠቢብ፡ ይኄይስ፡ እሞን፡ አረጋዊ፡ አብድ። ተብህለ፡ መቅድመ፡ ኵሉ፡ ዘይፈቅድ፡ ባቲ፡ ሰብእ። ልቡና፡ ወተግሣጽ። ጽድቅ፡ ወትዕግሥት።

Writing material

Sheep parchment

Outer size (included the binding)

188 x 170 w x 75 mm

Outer size of the textblock

184 x 170 w x 62 mm

Number of folia

120 (I–II + 118)

Blank folia

Ir, IIr–v

Binding

Two wooden boards. The spine is uncovered. Four sewing stations.

Sewing

Two Z-twisted threads (each thread is S-twisted) of animal origin.

Sewing pattern

Bozzacchi C

Slip case

–

Quires

14 (1 initial protective quire + 13)

Quire marks

–

Layout

2 columns.

Number of lines per column

20–28

Ruling

Blind ruling, from outside to inside.

Lines are written above the ruling.

Ruling pattern

Nosnitsin 1

Scribe

Unknown

Colophon

–

Additional notes

1. F. Ir: the title of the book is indicated in pencil, presumably by the hand of Antonio Mordini, “Nagara Abaw”.

2. F. 120vb: hymn to Jesus Christ: ኦእግዚእየ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ አርእየኒ፡ እመከ፡ መንበረ፡ በዘከመዝ፡ ግብር፡ ፯ዓመተ፡ ወበተፍጻሜተ፡ ፯፡ መጽአ፡ ኀቤ<ሃ፡>.

Decoration

–

State of preservation of the binding

Mediocre.

State of preservation of the textblock

Mediocre.

Provenance and history

The manuscript is mentioned by Antonio Mordini in the inventory list of the books of the monastic collection of Gundä Gunde (Mordini, A., 1953. ‘Il convento di Gunde Gundiè’, Rassegna di Studi Etiopici, 12, 29–70, p. 51 n. 8).

The manuscript was purchased by Mordini in the early 1940s and became part of his private collection in Barga (Lucca). In 1994 the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage bought the collection, which until then had remained the property of the family of Antonio Mordini, who had died in 1975. The collection then entered the Biblioteca Palatina in Parma (cp. Fiaccadori, G., 1995, ‘I manoscritti etiopici di Antonio Mordini’. Malacoda 57 (1995), 24–27).