Minuscule 796 is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, catalogued as number 796 in the Gregory‑Aland list of New Testament manuscripts. It is classified among the medieval parchment codices that contain portions of the Christian biblical text written in the minuscule script.
Description
- Script and Dating – The manuscript is written in Greek minuscule hand. Palaeographic analysis places its creation in the 11th century, though a more precise dating has not been universally agreed upon.
- Material – The codex is composed of parchment leaves. The exact number of folios, dimensions, and the presence of any supplementary material (e.g., marginalia, illuminations) are insufficiently documented in publicly accessible catalogues.
- Contents – The manuscript is known to contain portions of the New Testament. The specific books or passages represented (e.g., the four Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation) have not been consistently reported in secondary literature; thus, the precise contents remain insufficiently documented.
- Textual Character – Based on comparative analysis with other Greek manuscripts, Minuscule 796 is generally associated with the Byzantine text‑type typical of many later medieval witnesses. No significant textual variants of notable critical importance have been reported, and the manuscript has not been cited extensively in modern critical editions of the Greek New Testament.
Historical Context
The manuscript was likely produced in a monastic or ecclesiastical setting, as were most Greek minuscules of its era. Its provenance, including the scriptorium or region of origin, has not been definitively established in scholarly sources.
Current Location
The present repository of Minuscule 796 is not conclusively identified in the major manuscript databases (e.g., the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Berlin). Some catalogues suggest that it may be held in a national library or archive in Greece or elsewhere, but insufficient encyclopedic information is available to confirm its exact location.
Scholarly Treatment
Minuscule 796 has been listed in the standard catalogues of Greek New Testament manuscripts, such as those compiled by Caspar René Gregory and later updated by the Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF). However, it has received limited scholarly attention; detailed codicological studies, photographic facsimiles, or comprehensive textual analyses have not been published in the accessible literature.
References
- Gregory, C. R. Textkritik des Neuen Testaments (1908).
- Aland, K., Aland, B., The Text of the New Testament (1995).
- Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF), Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neues Testaments (latest edition).
Note: Several specific details regarding Minuscule 796—such as exact contents, physical dimensions, provenance, and current repository—are presently lacking in publicly available scholarly resources. Consequently, the entry reflects the known information while acknowledging gaps that require further research.