Evangeliary
F-bxab
Middletown, CT, Wesleyan University Library, Z113 .E33 1900z
Otto F. Ege, Fifteen Original Oriental Manuscripts, c1940, no. 4 (Printed, Handwritten, or Typescript)
General Information
Title
Excerpts from the Evangelists
Material
glazed paper
Place of Origin
Eastern Christendom
Date of Origin
late 14th century
Script, Hands
Coptic style; Byzantine Script
General Remarks
In this cursive book-hand of Eastern Christendom the alphabet played an historically important role. Vowels were added to the earlier Greek alphabet of only consonants, thus making a more complete alphabet. In addition, there is an interesting way of mixing uncial and capital forms of letters with minuscule and semiuncial. The same letters have several shapes; none of them have at least two. There also seems to be a mixture of Coptic style and Greek letters, and there are many ligatures. With all of these changes, the script has symmetry and beauty.