Help to Identify Manuscript Fragments

With the introduction of the Virtual Manuscript Room, new possibilities open up for collaboration with scholars and interested public worldwide. About three weeks ago, the Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung (INTF) uploaded several MSS from Biblioteca Nazionale, University of Turin: 333, 334, 335, 339, 2350, 2594, L1942 which can now be examined in the VMR.

In addition, numerous fragments of minuscule manuscripts were uploaded. These fragments have previously undergone a restoration and were subsequently placed in boxes in the library registered under three shelf marks: B.V.19, B.VI.43, and B.VII.33, but these unfortunately do not correspond to three MSS, because fragments of GA 338 have been found in two boxes (B.VI.43 + B.VII.33) and fragments of GA 612 have also been found in two of the boxes (B.V.19 + B.VI.43) - talk about contamination and block mixture!!!

Moreover, the fragments contain not only New Testament text but other texts and other MSS. The INTF staff says the process of identification will require some time and effort. And this is where the VMR users come in! The fragments have already been photographed and included in the VMR where anyone can look at them and contribute to their identification and subsequent registration. In the meantime the items are registered under temporary object id. numbers:

Turin B.V.19 ==> ObjID 90001
Turin B.VI.43 ==> ObjID 90002
Turin B.VII.33 ==> ObjID 90003

It is important to read the background and further description of these boxes and fragments in Martin Fassnacht's report here (click on "zeigen" to see the whole report). As you can see, we can expect more fragments to turn up in the future. Read also my earlier report here.

If you want to help with identification, go to the VMR (Münster) and click on VMR. Browse or read the MSS by choosing these ObjID numbers in the menu and go ahead.

Postscript: The majuscule MS GA015, the extant parts of which are divided between eight institutions (– how could this happen!), has also been registered in the VMR under a temporary number, ObjID 90004 (contrary to other items in this category, 90004 is found in the top of the menu). Two folios are in Turin (shelfmark A.1), and there are photos of these.

Manuscript Travel to Turin 2010

Under "News" in the Virtual Manuscript Room of Münster Martin Fassnacht of the INTF has just published a fascinating report of his travel to photograph MSS in Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria Torino in Italy. Click on "zeigen" (show) to read the whole story, and do check out the accompanying photo gallery including nice images of the city, the folks and the manuscripts – the actual high-res. images of the MSS will be uploaded in the next days.

Also read my earlier report here.

Greek New Testament Manuscripts in Turin That Survived the Fire

When I worked on Jude I had access to a microfilm collection assembled by the Swedish scholar C. A. Albin in the 50-60's. There I came across a microfilm of Greg.-Aland 613 = Turin, Bibl. Naz. C. V. 1, that contained Jude 21-25 followed by a copy of the third century tract, On the Twelve Apostles traditionally ascribed to Hippolytus. According to the Kurzgefasste Liste this MS had been destroyed in a fire, referring to the severe fire of the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin in 1904 that destroyed thousands of books and MSS. I also found a letter from a librarian that was enclosed with the microfilm, saying that this fragment was the only thing left of 611, 612 and 613.

Last year at the SBL in Rome, I met Matteo Grosso for the first time. He presented a paper in our Working with Biblical Manuscript unit. Then I met him again in New Orleans where he presented an improved version of the same paper. Since Matteo is from Turin, I suggested to him that he should visit his library and examine the GNT MSS there. I told him there would probably be some suprises. He agreed. Then, not much later, Martin Fassnacht of the INTF in Münster, by chance told me he was going to Turin to examine and photograph the MSS there(!) This was of course a win win situation since Matteo could then help him out in various ways, which he did.

I was also able to report to Martin everything I knew about the MSS there, and that was probably helpful, because at first they could not locate C.V.1 at all, but I told him it should be there, because it had been extant long after the fire. And, lo and behold, they were able to locate this exciting box containing 85 fragments! So now, I suspect we are in for more than what was on the microfilm I had examined.

Photo by M. Fassnacht (Februrary 2010)









There are likely to be many other surprises — there were other boxes with many fragments of various MSS - but the material now has to be properly examined and Martin will write a full report. There will be another visit to Turin to shoot some remaining MSS, and the photos will successively be uploaded to the Virtual Manuscript Room starting soon. (Martin, by the way, is one of the developers of the VMR.)

It is very nice to be able to be assist on a distance. Some time ago I was able to tip Dan Wallace and his team about an unregistered MS on Patmos when they were there. I had come across that one in a Danish microfilm collection.

Let's do our best to support these initiatives!