Beinecke MS 263               Byzantium, s. XIII
Gregory Nazianzen, Sermons (in Greek)

The order of the sermons is as follows (numbers are those assigned in PG
35-36):  1, 45 (directly after the two sermons that comprise Part I occur the
commentaries of Nicetas of Heraclea:  PG 36.944-69 and PG 127.1301-401, in
Latin translation only), 44, 41, 15, 24, 19, 38, 43, 39, 40, 21, 42, 16, 11,
14.  The table of contents that precedes the text (also written by Scribe 1)
gives a different order for the sermons after 40:  11, 21, 42, 14, 16.

Composed of two separate sections.  Part I:  ff. 1-18; Part II:  ff. 19-303
(including 183 bis).
Part I was apparently added to the beginning of the codex to complete the
series of sermons and to furnish a table of contents (f. 1).

     Parchment (thick, dark), ff. i (paper) + ii (parchment) +
304 + ii (parchment) + i (paper).  Parts I and II have the
following features in common:  275 x 195 (170 x 130) mm.  Written in 25 long
lines with double inner and outer vertical bounding lines, full length,
and additional single
rulings in upper, lower, and outer margins; ruled in hard point on hair
side; prickings are sometimes visible in all but inner margins.

     Part I:  it is not possible to determine the collation for these folios;
there are neither catchwords nor signatures.  Written by a single copyist
(Scribe 1) in a large, bold hand.  The entire table of contents (including
headpiece and title) is in red.  Title, headpiece, and incipit on ff. 2r
and 4v, in red; many simple initials, 5- to 2-line, throughout text.  Folio
1 has been severely trimmed.
     Part II:  I-XXXIII^^8, XXXIV^^7 [?], XXXV^^8 (-8), XXXVI^^8.
Quire signatures are letters of
the alphabet with accompanying dots and flourishes, in red, on both verso and
recto, in lower margin near outer edge of leaf.  The writing of Scribe 2, who
was responsible for the remainder of the text, is delicate and somewhat smaller
than that of Scribe 1.  The style of decoration is similar to that at the
beginning of the manuscript, but many of the initials and letters in headings
are characterized by discus-shaped protruberances on the shafts.
     Binding:  s. xix.  Diced brown calf, gold-tooled.

Written in Byzantium in the 13th century; early provenance unknown.
Collection of Dr. Anthony Askew (1722-1772); given by his son to George Dyer
(1753-1841), whose signature is on ff. ii recto and 1r.  A note by Dyer, now
pasted on f. i verso, states:  "This very valuable MS. of Greg. Nazianz.
was given me by Adam Askew Esq. the son of my early friend, Dr. Anthony
Askew.  -George Dyer, N. 15 Clifford Inn. Fleet Street.  Lent it Mr. Burger,
for three months, 16 Apr. 1820."  Acquired from Payne by Sir Thomas Phillipps
(stamp with no. 3006 on f. ii recto; tag on spine).  Purchased from
L. C. Witten with funds from the Jacob Ziskind Charitable Trust in l957 (MS 30).

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 47, no. 263.
     Ziskind Catalogue, p. 49.

Barbara A. Shailor