Nestorius again

I have been following up the story of the manuscript of the “Dialogue with Heracleides” by Nestorius.  The consensus seems to be that the single manuscript was damaged in the 19the century during Turkish-led massacres of Christians.  It was discovered late in that century, and several hand-written copies made, including one for the library of the American missionaries at Urmiah, one for Cambridge (presumably the university library) and another.  

But the original has perished, destroyed during the First World War during massacres by Turkish troops (again).

All this highlights the fragility of manuscripts, and the importance of photographing the things whenever possible.  And it really is possible!  Cheap airflights make all sorts of ventures possible.

Last year I did a day-trip to the Rhineland.  I got a budget flight from London Stansted airport (about an hour from where I live) to Frankfurt-Hahn airport.  Hahn is nowhere near Frankfurt, and is a converted American airbase, about 10 miles from Bernkastel-Kues.  I hired a car at the airport and drove there, photographed a manuscript at the Stiftsbibliothek, and returned the same day.  It was a long and weary day, but very possible.

Early this year I went even further, this time flying to Salzburg and driving 100 miles east towards Vienna to a monastery named Seitenstetten, photographing a manuscript, and coming back the same day.  This was an 18-hour day, and middle age is not an asset here — as the day wore on I started to become uncomfortably conscious that I have an uncle who suffered a heart-attack and was never the same again after doing an 18-hour day of unaccustomed exertion!  But it all shows what can be done.