Siglum

Location

Shelfmark & Notes

Date /
Century

GROUP 1

Most Mss. of the Philocalia commence with a short preface stating that it was compiled by Basil and Gregory, and sent by the latter to Theodore, Bishop of Tyana, together with a letter which then follows.  After this comes a table of contents.  However B begins with a long preface of 5 pages, including the usual material but with extensive additions amounting to a defence of the action of Gregory and Basil in producing a compilation from the works of Origen.  It also suggests that the text has been interpolated by heretics since it left their hands.  Finally the author adds that he has marked the heretical passages.  Then follows Gregory's letter, and another insertion.  

Finally the table of contents appears.  This shows 27 chapters, correctly numbered, with the subsections of chapter 21 also properly numbered. This MS is the only one in which the numbers are exactly correct.   Against some portions in a later, blacker ink are references to the corresponding passages in Contra Celsum.  The MS. ends on f. 156 r.  The verso contains some extracts relating to Origen from Photius Bibliotheca, 117-8, in a later hand, but the closely written text is smeared.

Two correctors worked on the MS.  One was contemporaneous with the main scribe; the other wrote in a black ink at a later period, and inserting corrections from an Ms. of Contra Celsum.  Finally a large and clumsy hand has written occasional notes to defend Origen against the charges made against him in the margin.

The MS. belonged to Cardinal Bessarion, whose signature appears on the first page. 

There is marginal note in ch.1 on the passage where Origen suggests that some beasts listed in scripture as unclean have no actual existence, being intended allegorically.  This reads, "But we once saw a trage/lafoj, which came from Thrace to Caesar Barda's house...".  Barda was a clever statesman in the reign of Michael III, under whom he enjoyed almost absolute power.  He was made Caesar in 862 and murdered in 866 AD.  Notorious for his vices, he was a good jurist and as the solitary patron of literature he brought about a revival of learning which alone redeems his memory from disgrace.  Among his acts was appointing Photius as patriarch, according to Zonaras (pp. 160-1).  This suggests that Constantinople in the second half of the 9th century was the location of the act of copying.

The preface describes the codex from which the copy was made as palaiota/th ou}sa ,suggesting a seventh century or earlier date, and so probably a good quality text.  This is found to be so.  Often the text of this MS agrees with our Ms. of Contra Celsum against the rest of the Mss. of the Philocalia.  But most importantly it shows that some loose leaves were extracted, and replaced in each other's position in an ancestor of all the other Mss.  Looking at the pieces of text out of order, we see that this ancestor of the others must have had 29 lines.

GROUP 2

Robinson: "During the Easter Vacation of 1887 I was hospitably entertained in the Monastery of St. John the Divine, while I was engaged in making a collation of this MS."  The MS became known after a visit by Tischendorf in 1844 and again in 1859, on his return from Mt. Sinai.  His attention was directed to a 10th century MS. erroneously described as 'Origenis Hexapla', which proved to contain (1) the Philocalia, (2) Scholia from the Hexapla on Proverbs, and (3) Scholia on certain works of Gregory the Divine, together with a life of that saint.  The MS is thus the oldest known, but is difficult of access, and so was unknown until this time.

The top part of f.1 is torn off.  The Philocalia ends on f.185 v, l. 5.  The second work follows, ending at f. 230 r.  f. 321 r gives an index to "some work of Gregory the Divine", followed by the scholia.  The writing stops suddenly on f. 435v.

The start of the MS. is damaged but the initial portion then contains the close of the long preface from B.  However none of the marginal notes from B appear, and the epithet directed at Origen at the end of the long preface has been omitted.

The text seems quite independent of B -- the long preface is their only point of contact.  This means that their agreement on a text reading gives a strong presumption that this is the original text, especially when confirmed by the Ms. of Contra Celsum.

GROUP 3

SUBGROUP 3b

GROUP 4

GROUP 5

SUBGROUP 5.1

SUBGROUP 5.2 

GROUP 6 (Incomplete, quite unimportant late copies)