The codex contains the text of the four Gospels, on 184 thick parchment leaves, with several lacunae. One leaf was misplaced in binding. The parchment is coarse and yellowed by age. The text of the codex was written two columns per page, 27-30 lines per page, 17 letters per line, in minute hand, in brown ink. The same scribe wrote all four Gospels. There are breathings and accents used in regular form, but in some sort of system. There is not found iota subscript, iota adscriptum occurs very often. The titles to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark run: Ευαγγέλιον εκ του κατά Ματθαίου. The titles to the Luke and John are usual: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Λουκάν. The lists of the κεφαλαια are placed before every Gospel, numbers of the κεφαλαια are given at the left margin, with their τιτλοι in red at the top of pages. There is a division according to the Ammonian Sections, with a references to the Eusebian Canons. It contains lectionary markings, Synaxarion, Menologion, subscriptions, ρηματα, and '' — one page of it lost.
The nomina sacra are contracted in the usual way, but there are a number of words which the scribe failed to abbreviate. In some of the cases where nomina sacra are uncontracted, they have the heavy bar signifying contraction. υιος is contracted only once. On the other hand, it gives unusual abbreviations: for σταυρωσον the manuscript has στωσον, for σταυρωθη — στρωθη, παρθηνος is contracted to παρνος. Quotations from the Old Testament are indicated in the left margin by a rubricated letter or sign.
Errors
Almost all the necessary corrections of misspellings have been made. Sometimes a stroke of the pen indicates an error, perhaps to be corrected later. Some corrections seem to be written by prima manu others plainly secondary manu. The apostrophe is used even when not required, especially in εξ', and ουκ'. According tο Scrivener movable nu occurs 416 times especially with words ειπεν, εστιν. In Matthew 12:7; Luke 8:10; John 5:46; 7:7; 8:27 there is a hiatus for lack of it. The error of iotacism occurs 358 times: ει for ι, ι for ει, ο for ω, ω for ο, αι for ε, ε for αι, ει for η, η for ει, η for ι, ι for η, ε for η, η for ε, οι for ι, ω for ου, η for υ, υ for η, υ for οι, υ for ει, η for οι, οι for η, ι for υ, οι for ει. There are many errors by homoioteleuton. There are some unusual forms like: ανεπεσαν, ειπαν, εθεωρων, εμελλεν, εμπροσθε, εσπλαγχνισθη, ιδαμεν, ιδεν, σαρκαν, συνετιθεντο.
Text
The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Caesarean text-type. It belongs to the textual family f13, known also as Ferrar Family. Also the handwriting and the menology show that is a close member of the group. According to Kurt and Barbara Aland it agrees with the Byzantine standard text 151 times, and 72 times with the Byzantine when it has the same reading as the original text. It agrees 31 times with the original text against the Byzantine. It has 57 independent or distinctive readings. Alands placed it in Category III. According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents the textual family f13 in Luke 1, Luke 10, and Luke 20, as a core member. The Pericope Adulterae follows Luke 21:38, like in other manuscripts of the Ferrar Family. ; Textual variants The words after the bracket are the readings of the codex.
Matthew 11:5 — και νεκροι εγειρονται και πτωχοι ευαγγελιζονται ] και πτωχοι ευαγγελιζονται και νεκροι εγειρονται
Matthew 26:39 — ] ωφθη δε αυτω αγγελος απο του ουνου ενισχυσον αυτον και γενομενος εν αγωνια εκτενεστερον προσηυχετο εγενετο δε ο ιδρος αυτου ωσει θρομβη αθματος καταβαινοντες επι την γην
Mark 1:9 — Ναζαρετ ] Ναζαρεθ
Mark 1:10 — απο ] εκ
Mark 1:10 — εκ ] εις
Mark 2:4 — κραββατον ] κραβαττον
History
pointed out that the menology of the Ferrar group contains saints which appear to be peculiar to Calabria or Sicily. Abbe Martin had previously stated that certain palaeographical traits to be observed in these manuscripts were characteristic of Calabrian scriptoria. Of the history of the codex 543 nothing is known until the year 1864, when it was in the possession of a dealer at Janina in Epeiros. It was then purchased from him by a representative of Baroness Burdett-Coutts, a philanthropist, together with other Greek manuscripts. They were transported to England in 1870-1871. The manuscript was presented by Burdett-Coutts to Sir Roger Cholmely's School, and was housed at the Highgate, in London. In 1922 it was acquired for the University of Michigan. It is currently housed at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Scrivener observed a close textual affinity to the Ferrar group and announced in 1883 in the third edition of "Plain Introduction" as portaining to the same class. Scrivener collated its text and it was edited posthumously in 1893. This collation was not wholly accurate and Jacob Geerlings, from the University of Utah, gave a new and more accurate collation in 1932. The collation was made against the Textus Receptus in Stephanus edition.
