Minuscule 550


Minuscule 550, 537, ε 250, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.
The manuscript has complex contents, with marginalia. It was adapted for liturgical use.

Description

The codex contains a complete text of the four Gospels on 211 parchment leaves. The writing is in one column per page, 33 lines per page, in large and spread minuscule letters.
The text is divided according to the κεφαλαια, whose numerals are given at the margin, and the τιτλοι at the top of the pages. There is also a division according to the Ammonian Sections,.
It contains the Epistula ad Carpianum, Prolegomena, tables of the κεφαλαια before each Gospel, lectionary markings at the margin, incipits, liturgical books with hagiographies, subscriptions at the end of each Gospel with numbers of Stichometry, and marginal notes.

Text

The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Hermann von Soden included it to the textual family Kx. Aland placed it in Category V.
According to the Claremont Profile Method it represents Kx in Luke 1 and Luke 20. In Luke 10 no profile was made.

History

In 1609 the manuscript belonged to Gerasimus. It was held in the Karakalou monastery at Athos peninsula. In 1837 Robert Curzon, Lord Zouche, brought this manuscript to England. The entire collection of Curzon was bequeathed by his daughter in 1917 to the British Museum, where it had been deposited, by his son, since 1876.
The manuscript was added to the list of the New Testament manuscript by F. H. A. Scrivener and C. R. Gregory. It was examined by Scrivener, Dean Burgon, and Gregory.
It is currently housed at the British Library in London.