Shelfmark

Fondo Orientale, Crypt Aet. 8

Owning institution

Biblioteca statale del Monumento nazionale di Grottaferrata

Typology

Codex

Copying date

18^th century, dated on a paleographical basis.

Title

Dawit (Psalter)

Subject

Old Testament

Language

Gǝʿǝz

Short description of the content

Ff. 3r–178vb: Dawit (Psalter)

1. Ff. 3r–140r: Mäzmurä Dawit (“Psalms of David”);

2. Ff. 140r –155r: Mäḥalǝyä näbiyat (“Canticles of the Prophets”);

3. Ff. 155v–163v: Mäḥalǝyä mäḥalǝy (“Song of Songs”);

4. Ff. 164ra–173vb: Wǝddase Maryam (“Praise of Mary”);

5. Ff. 174ra–178vb: Anqäṣä bǝrhan (“Gate of Light”).

Writing material

Sheep parchment

Outer size (included the binding)

228 x 185 x 74 mm

Outer size of the textblock

223 (H) x 179 (W) mm

Number of folia

179

Blank folia

1r–2r, 179

Binding

Two wooden boards covered with reddish-brown leather decorated with blind tooled ornament. Four sewing stations.

Sewing

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

Sewing pattern

Bozzacchi A

Slip case (maḫdär)

–

Quires

24 (23 + 1 initial protective quire)

Quire marks

Ethiopic numerals on the upper and lower inner corner of the recto of the first folio of some quires: ff. 1r (፩), 11r (፪), 19r (፫), 27r (፬). Quire marks are occasionally also present on the upper and lower inner corner of the verso of the last folio of the quires: ff. 18v (፪), 26v (፫).

All numerals are surrounded by interpunction signs in black and red ink.

Layout

1) Ff. 3r–163v: 1 column.

2) Ff. 164ra–178vb: 2 columns.

Number of lines per column

20

Ruling

Blind ruling, from inside to outside.

Lines are written above the ruling (pattern Nosnitsin 1).

Ruling pattern

1) Ff. 3r–163v: 1-1/0/0/C.

2) Ff. 164ra–178vb: 1-1-11/0/0/C.

Scribe

Unknown

Colophon

–

Additional notes

1. F. 92r: Note describing the rewards in the future life for good deeds performed by Christians. Incipit: ስምዑ፡ ዘወሀበ፡ እግዚእነ፡ ተስፋ፡ ለምእመናን፡ ፴፻፼በምሥራቅ፡ ወበምዕራብ፡ በደቡብ፡ ወበስሜን፡ ከመዝ፡ ይከውን፡ ፍሬሁ፡ ዘይጼሊ፡ በቤተ፡ ክርስቲያን፡ ፷፼፡ ለ፩፡ ሰጊድ፡ ፍሬሁ፡. The note is written in a fine hand contemporary with that of the main text. The conclusion is partly illegible due to faded ink.

2. F. 92v: Chant taken from the Məʿraf (The Common of the Office), 2^nd part, śäläst. Incipit: ስምዓኒ፡ እግዚኦ፡ ጸሎትየ፡ ሃሌ፡ ሃሌ፡ ሉያ፡ ወይብጻሕ፡ ቅድሜከ፡ ገዓርየ፡ ሃሌ፡ ሃሌ፡ ሉያ፡ ወአትሜጥ፡ ገጸከ፡ እምኔየ፡ አእርፎሙ፡ ነፍሰ፡ እለ፡ ኖሙ፡ በእደ፡ ኄራን፡. The note is written in the same hand as note 1. It is preceded and followed by two notes carefully erased.

3. F. 93r: Short note written in dark red ink in a recent hand. The full text is the following: ጸሎተ፡ ባህ^ታዊ፡ ሶበ፡ ይቴከዝ፡ ስእለቶ፡ ቅድመ፡ እግዚአብሔር።, “Prayer of the hermit when he is concerned about his request before God”. It presumably refers to Ps 101, which begins immediately below the note.

4. F. 178va–b: Note describing the feast of Mary’s Ascension into heaven (16 Näḥase). Incipit: ዮም፡ ፍስሀ፡ ኮነ፡ በእ[ን]ተ፡ ፍልሰታ፡ ለማርያም፡ በሥጋ፡ ወነፍስ፡ እምድር፡ እስከ፡ አርያም፡ ዕፁብ፡ ግብር፡ ተገብረ፡ ለባሕቲታ፡ አማን፡ መንክር፡ ስብሐተ፡ ፍልሰታ።. The note is written in a fine recent hand.

Decoration

A piece of parchment has been glued on f. 2v. It hosts a miniature depicting an archangel with a sword. The archangel is in a red and purple frame consisting of faces and geometrical intertwining motifs.

State of preservation of the binding

Mediocre.

State of preservation of the textblock

Mediocre.

Provenance and history

Unknown provenance. The manuscript entered the library between 1967 (year of death of Father Lorenzo Tardo) and 1991, when it was reported for the first time by Osvaldo Raineri (cp. Raineri O., 1991, ‘Rec. S. Uhlig, Introduction to Ethiopian Palaeography’. Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 58 (1991), 215–16).