Garland of Howth

The Garland of Howth, also known as the Codex Usserianus Secundus, designated by r2 or 28 (in the Beuron system), is a fragmentary 8th to 10th century Latin Gospel Book in the possession of Trinity College Dublin as MS. 56 (A. IV. 6).[1] The Insular manuscript is one of seven in the Library of Trinity College Dublin's collection, related examples including the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow.

The text, written on vellum, is a version of the old Latin. The manuscript contains the text of the four Gospels with lacunae.[1] It was written at the monastery of Ireland's Eye, Dublin, and once kept in the nearby parish church of Howth. Only 86 folios have survived; for example only 5:12-10:3 of the Gospel of John have survived.[2] It is written with "diminuendo" script from initials, a feature of the oldest manuscripts in insular script such as Cathach of St. Columba. It has been described as the work of many scribes, none of them first-class.

The Garland of Howth is approximately 241 millimeters by 192 milometers in size.[3] The manuscript is in fragmented condition, with two remaining illuminated pages decorated with interlace.[3]

The text of the codex is mixed.[1] The text of Matthew is Old Latin, similar to that in Codex Usserianus I. The text of Mark, Luke, and John is very near to the Vulgate.[4]

"Vetus Latina" means the text is a Latin version predating the Vulgate - such versions were used in Ireland later than in most areas. The "garland" of its title is taken from a corrupted English form of Ceithre Leabhair, Gaelic for 'four books', i.e., a gospel. Abbott made a collation. The manuscript was examined and edited by Lawlor, Hoskier, and Jülicher.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bruce M. Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament, Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 300.
  2. ^ No 28 in the table[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b Moss, Rachel (2017). "The Garland of Howth (TCD MS 56)". In Moss, Rachel; O'Mahoney, Felicity; Maxwell, Jane (eds.). An Insular Odyssey: Manuscript culture in early Christian Ireland and beyond. Dublin, Ireland: Four Courts Press. pp. 260–282. ISBN 9781846826337.
  4. ^ Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose; Edward Miller (1894). A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. 2 (4th ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. p. 50.

Further reading

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  • T. K. Abbott, Evangeliorum Versio antehieronymiana ex codice Usseriano, vol. II (Dublin, 1884), pp. 819–963.
  • A. Jülicher, Itala. Das Neue Testament in Altlateinischer Überlieferung, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1976.
  • Literature in Ireland, by James Carney, in A New History of Ireland, vol. 2, p. 527-531.
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