Shelfmark

3845 (olim Mordini 200)

Owning institution

Biblioteca Palatina, Parma

Typology

Codex

Copying date

15^th century, dated on a paleographical basis.

Title

Collection of hymns from the Dǝgg^wa (“Antiphonary”)

Subject

Liturgy, Chants

Language

Gǝʿǝz

Short description of the content

Ff. 6r–122v: Collection of hymns from the Dǝgg^wa (“Antiphonary”)

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ … ጸሐፍነ፡ በዘ፡ ንዜክር፡ መዝሙር፡ […]ዕል፡ እምዮሐንስ፡ እስከ፡ […] ብፁዕ፡ አንተ፡ ዮሐንስ፡ ዘሀለወከ፡ ታእምር፡ ወተሐውር፡ ቅድመ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ጸሊ፡ በእንቲአነ፡

Writing material

Goat parchment

Outer size (included the binding)

173 x 115 x 72 mm

Outer size of the textblock

171 x 115 x 60 mm

Number of folia

124

Blank folia

1r–v, 3v–4v, 5v, 123r–124v

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

18 (17 + 1 initial and 1 final protective quires)

Quire marks

–

Layout

1 column.

Number of lines per column

20–22

Ruling

Blind ruling, from inside to outside.

Lines are written below the ruling.

Ruling pattern

Nosnitsin 2

Scribe

Unknown

Colophon

–

Additional notes

1. F. 1r: the title of the book is indicated in pencil in Italian, presumably by the hand of Antonio Mordini, “Wazema Mazmur?”.

2. Ff. 2r–3r: short stanzas of chants and biblical quotations have been added in an ancient hand, possibly contemporary to that of the main text. Incipit: ሮማን፡ ወተቀበልዎ፡ ኅዝብ፡ ብዙኀን፡ አእሩግ፡ ወኅፃናት። እንዘ፡ ይብሉ፡ ሆሳዕና፡ በአርያም። ለወልደ፡ ዳዊት።.

3. F. 5r: short supplication to the Lord, written in an ancient hand, possibly contemporary to that of the main text. Incipit: አድኅነነ፡ እግዚኦ፡ አምላክነ፡ ወአስተጋብአነ፡ እምአሕዛብ፡ ከመ፡ ንግነይ፡ ለስምከ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ወከመ፡ ንትመካሕ፡ በስብሐቲከ፡ ጸወንነ፡ ወኀይልነ፡.

Decoration

–

State of preservation of the binding

Mediocre.

State of preservation of the textblock

Mediocre.

Provenance and history

The book 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. 55 n. 10).

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).