Minuscule 446 (Gregory–Aland number 446, also catalogued as ε 199 in von Soden’s system) is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament. It is written on parchment leaves and has been assigned to the medieval period on the basis of palaeographic analysis.
Physical description
- Material: Parchment
- Script: Greek minuscule, typical of the Byzantine tradition
- Dating: Palaeographically assigned to the 12th–13th century (the precise century is not conclusively established)
- Layout: The text is arranged in one column per page; the number of lines per page varies according to the codex’s format.
Contents
Accurate information is not confirmed. Sources differ on the specific books of the New Testament that the codex contains; some catalogues list it as containing the four Gospels, while others indicate it holds Acts and the Pauline epistles. The presence of lacunae (gaps) in the manuscript is reported, but the extent and location of these gaps are not definitively documented.
Textual character
The manuscript represents the Byzantine text‑type, which is the predominant textual family in the majority of later Greek New Testament manuscripts. No singular or distinctive readings of particular scholarly significance have been reported in the literature that is currently accessible.
Provenance and current location
The present repository of Minuscule 446 is not conclusively identified in publicly available catalogues. Some references suggest that it may be housed in a European national library or a university collection, but the exact institution and shelf‑mark remain uncertain.
Scholarly work
Minuscule 446 has been listed in the standard catalogues of Greek New Testament manuscripts (e.g., the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments). Beyond its inclusion in these lists, there is limited published scholarly analysis of its text, codicology, or history.
Significance
As a representative example of a medieval Byzantine minuscule, Minuscule 446 contributes to the overall picture of New Testament textual transmission in the Middle Ages. However, due to the lack of detailed study and the uncertainty surrounding its exact contents and current housing, its individual impact on textual criticism is modest.
Note: The information presented reflects the data that can be verified from established catalogues and scholarly references. Where specific details are lacking or uncertain, this has been indicated explicitly.