The Muratorian Fragment: Text, Translation, Commentary

Description

This volume offers an introduction, critical edition, and fresh English translation of the Muratorian Fragment. In addition to addressing questions of authorship, date, provenance, and sources, Clare K. Rothschild carefully analyzes the text's language, composition, genre, and possible functions with reference to a breathtaking range of scholarly positions and findings from the eighteenth century to the present. She also investigates its position within the eclectic eighth-century Muratorian Codex (Ambr. I 101 sup.). A line-by-line philological commentary draws attention to literary, philosophical, and religious aspects of the individual traditions represented. This study should be of interest to scholars of the New Testament and early Christian literature, as well as experts on the emergence of the canon and historians of the Latin Medieval West. Cover Title Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Abbreviations Chapter One: History, Genre, Text A. Introduction B. Problems in the Study of the Muratorian Fragment Presumed Date(s) of Composition C. Theoretical Issues Text and Genre Deciphering the Genre Analysis Excursus: Decretum Gelasianum Eucherius of Lyons D. Text and Translation Critical Edition E. English Translation Conspectus: Muratorian Fragment F. Composition Table 1. Ring Composition G. Conclusion Chapter Two: History of Scholarship A. Introduction B. Manuscript Discovery 1740–1840: Discovery and Initial Reaction 1840–1940: Renaissance of Interest Tregelles’s Visit to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana Excursus: Tregelles’s Letter to His Cousin Brooke Foss Westcott (1825–1901) Friedrich Hermann Hesse, Theodor Zahn, Gottfried Kuhn Joseph Barber Lightfoot August Reifferscheid, Guerrino Amelli, Carl Paul Caspari, Paolo Angelo Ballerini Giovanni Mercati (1866–1957) Cuthbert Hamilton Turner (1860–1930), John Chapman, O. S. B. (1865–1933), Edgar Simmons Buchanan (1872–1932), Henri Leclerq (1869–1945) Saverio Ritter, Agostino Saba Excursus: Documentary Notes 1940–Present Albert C. Sundberg Jr. (1921–2006) Geoffrey M. Hahneman Mirella Ferrari Carolyn Osiek William Horbury C. Conclusion Chapter Three: Codicology, Paleography, and Contents of Ambr. I 101 sup. A. Introduction B. Codicology of Codex Ambr. I 101 sup Introduction Provenance: Bobbio Abbey Excursus: Bobbio Catalogue Excursus: Comparative Evidence Physica Description, General Conditions, Appearance and Numbering of Leaves and Gatherings Table 1. Elements of the Codex Table 2. Quire Signatures in Ambr. I 101 sup Table 3. Number of Lines per Page in the Muratorian Codex Excursus: Computus Tables of Contents of Codex Ambr. I 101 sup Table 4. Monti’s Two Tables of Contents in Ambr. I 101 sup Table 5. Comparison of Two Reports of Contents of Ambr. I 101 sup C. Paleography and Orthography of Ambr. I 101 sup Organizational Paratext, Ornamentation, Marginalia Summation D. Actual Contents of Ambr. I 101 sup Table 6. Contents of Ambr. I 101 sup. (“Muratorian Codex”) Discussion of the Contents of Ambr. I 101 sup Table 7. Contents of the Muratorian Codex Excursus: Anonymous, Abraham’s Sermon Table 8. Pseudo-Augustine, Sermo 7 and the Sermo de Abraham E. Conclusion Chapter Four: Latinity of the Muratorian Fragment A. Introduction B. The Fragment’s Language: A Brief History of the Debate Latinity Julio Campos Bilingual Case for Victorinus of Pettau Greek Translation Excursus: Victorinus, Comm. Apoc. 1.7 and the Muratorian Fragment Table 1. Victorinus, Comm. Apoc. 1.7 and MF ll. 46–63 Conclusion C. Medieval Manuscript Abbreviation Hypothesis Introduction Abbreviation Systems Major Abbreviation Symbols Orthography at Monte Cassino Hypothesis of an Abbreviated Archetype Table 2. Hypothetical Reconstruction of the Fragment’s Abbreviated Archetype Analysis Menda vera Scribal Training Summation D. Ecclesiastica disciplina E. Conclusion Chapter Five: External Evidence for the Muratorian Fragment A. Introduction B. External Evidence The Benedictine Prologues Prologue Text English Translation Introduction in Monte Cassino 235 (C2) C. Analysis Table 1. Parallels between the Benedictine Prologues and the Muratorian Fragment Table 2. Parallels between the Muratorian Fragment and the Benedictine Prologues Table 3. Parallels Among the Four Benedictine Prologues Table 4. Letter Lists Across the BPs Adolf von Harnack Ambrogio Maria Amelli Euthalian Apparatus Table 5. BPs, Euthalian Apparatus, Vulgate Preface to Paul’s Letters Conclusion: Benedictine Prologues Chromatius of Aquileia Table 6. MF and Chromatius on Luke Table 7. MF and Chromatius, Tract. Mat., prologue Table 8. Regulae fidei Anti-Marcionite Gospel Prologues Monarchian Prologues Table 9. Lukan Prologues Summation Table 10. Lukan Authorship in Four Witnesses D. Conclusion Table 11. The Muratorian Fragment and Biblical Prologues Chapter Six: Commentary A. Introduction Extent and Significance of the Parallel Texts B. Commentary Gospels Mark Table 1. Tregelles’s Discussion of Early Reconstructions of the Fragment’s First Line Table 2. Distribution of Lines Dedicated to Individual Texts Listed in the Fragment Luke John Excursus: Acts of Timothy Table 3. Attestation of the Elements in the Johannine Legend Regula fidei Excursus: Diatessaron 1 John Acts of All the Apostles Letters of Paul Excursus: “Schism of Heresy” Two Spurious Letters Laodiceans Alexandrians Jude and 2 Johannine Letters Wisdom of Solomon Three Apocalypses Revelation Apocalypse of Peter Shepherd of Hermas Periodic Reading Other Witnesses to the Fraternity Legend Liberian Catalogue Carmen adversus Marcionitas Liber Pontificalis Spurious Letters of Pius Letter to All Churches about the Date of Easter Letter to Justus of Vienne Fraternity Legend and the Shepherd of Hermas Excursus: We-Passages of the Muratorian Fragment Catalogue of Heretical Texts Table 4. Parallel Heretical Catalogues C. Conclusion Chapter Seven: A Star Rising in the Darkness A. Results B. Hypothetical Historical Contexts Arithmology and the Medieval Church Unification of the Church during the Fourth Century Heresiology Rufinus of Aquileia Chromatius of Aquileia Ambrosiaster Table 1. Ambrosiaster and the Fragment: Parallel Words and Phrases Table 2. Fragment with Structural Conjunctions Highlighted Excursus: Evagrius of Antioch Concluding Remarks Appendices A. Theories concerning the Authorship of the Muratorian Fragment B. Two Letters by Antonio Maria Ceriani C. Fragmentum Muratorianum Iuxta Codices Casinenses D. Muratori’s Latin Introduction to the Fragment E. English Translation of Muratori’s Introduction F. Sermo de Abraham (Ambr. I 101 sup., fols. 72r–73r) G. Synopsis of Reconstructions of a Hypothetical Greek Urtext H. Five Regulae Fidei (“Statements of Faith”) I. Lovers Doodle of the ‘Muratorian Codex’ (Ambr. I 101 sup.) Table 1. Running Headers in Ambr. I 101 sup Table 2. Liquid Damage Bibliography Index of Sources Index of Modern Authors Index of Subjects