How to Link to a Manuscript in the VMR

Readers of this blog may find it useful to be able to link to a certain MS in the List of MSS in the Virtual Manuscript Room (Münster). Martin Fassnacht recently told me that he had broadened this possibility.

The link to use for Papyrus 1 is the following: http://intf.uni-muenster.de/vmr/NTVMR/ListeHandschriften.php?ObjID=10001

It is the last five digits that identifies the specific MS. The first digit represent the type of MS, and the other four the Greg.-Aland number of that MS with zero digits to fill out if necessary:

1 = papyrus, e.g., 10120 = P 120
2 = majuscule, e.g., 20004 = 04 (Codex Ephraemi rescriptus)
3 = minuscule, e.g., 30081 = 81
4 = lectionary, e.g., 41775 = l1775

Below is a link to P1:
P1

News from the Virtual Manuscript Room

As we have announced previously, the Kurzgefasste Liste is now online, which means that changes will be effective immediately. Naturally, such updates will largely go unnoticed unless the specific entry is consulted by someone.

However, more significant updates, and changes of other nature (technical, design etc) are published under "News" in the main entrance of the Virtual Manuscript Room, so to speak. These notices are published only in German for now, but English versions are planned for the future. In the meantime, the developers can always hope that there are some benevolent bloggers who help translate and disseminate the news ;-)

The latest major news (2010-03-02) is that several entries for the Albanian MSS have been updated. There were 30 MSS registered in Tirana in the 2d ed. of the Liste, and so far it has been verified that 23 of them are still there: 043, 1141, 1143, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1709, 1764, 2244, 2245, 2246, 2247, 2252, 2253, 2514, L758, L882, L1204, L1207, L1433, L1434, L2353, L2372.

Another one, 1142, is now in the US, divided between Cambridge/Mass., Harvard University Houghton Library (MS Typ 215), and Washington/D. C., Dumbarton Oaks (acc. no. 58.105). The latter only has one illuminated folio with John. (In this connection I should point out that I have found there are plenty similar loose leaves with miniatures out there, e.g., one in Stockholm - it has very popular to rip them out.)

In sum, six MSS previously registered in Tiranan have not been located there. On the other hand, eleven new MSS in Tirana have been registered: 2900, 2901, 2902, 2903, L2439, L2440, L2441, L2442, L2443, L2444, L2445. In 2007, the CSNTM photographed the Albanian MSS. Thus, you can view the MSS online here, but I think the CSNTM will now have to update the left column with Gregory-Aland numbers according to the latest information from Münster.

The next in the row of lectionaries, by the way, is L2446 (Iviron 1404 or s.n.) – a manuscript that I suggested for registration some time ago. I am glad it has now received a number, but more on that soon.

Conspiracy Against Users of Internet Explorer?

Several people have complained that the Virtual Manuscript Room does not support Internet Explorer, now recently James F. McGrath, who, with his tongue in his cheek, expressed disappointment that he could not find Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when he followed the link to the VMR (and "Münster X-Files"), although he had found one conspiracy:

Actually, there is one indication of a conspiracy on the site. It is a conspiracy against users of Internet Explorer. The virtual manuscript room web site is not optimized for use with Internet Explorer, although you can just barely make use of the site anyway.

Therefore I thought it useful to publish below the response made in the comments to previous post by Ulrich Schmid, one of the responsible person's for the VMR in Münster:

Since the issue of IE support comes up every now and then with regard to the INTF's NT.VMR, I would like to clarify our position on that.

1. For the first installment of the NT.VMR we had to meet deadlines and our limited resources did not include coding support.

2. We had to choose between supporting a rather limited range of functions and options for more than one platform or additional functions for just one platform.

3. Since it seems to be fairly easy to download one of the supported (free) browsers and we do not ask to pay for our service, we thought people could live with that for the time being.

4. For the next few months we have to meet other deadlines that leave little room for supporting IE in the nearest future.

5. Depending on the results from the next deadlines, we might be in a position (mid-2010) to set up a forum in which requests for additional functions and support can be placed and will be dealt with.

Ulrich Schmid

Münster X-Files on NT Manuscripts Go Public

Those who have visited the Institute for New Testament Textual Research in Münster probably know that each of the registered New Testament manuscripts have a special dossier containing various information relating to the manuscript. These "Münster X-Files," hitherto safely stored in large metal lockers, are now being scanned and the documents (PDF) are made available in the Virtual Manuscript Room (Münster), accessible through each manuscript entry. The links appear in the field "Resources."

I am certain that researchers will be able to find goldnuggets among these files in the future. So far only the dossiers of a number of papyrus MSS have appeared, e.g., P1, P20, P21, P22, P26 und P37. This image shows the entry of P1. There are 13 documents available for download.

Read also my previous announcement of the digitial Kurzgefasste Liste here.

A New Home for the Mingana Collection

Jim Davila brought my attention to the news article in today's Birmingham Post, reporting that "one of Birmingham’s most iconic buildings has finally reopened following completion of a two-year refurbishment programme costing more than £40  million." This building is the Muirhead Tower, a central feature of the landscape for almost 40 years, 16 storeys high, located on the University of Birmingham campus. The Mingana collection will be located here:

The university’s Special Collections will be based in the purpose-built Cadbury Research Library, bringing all the university’s collections under one roof including the famous Mingana collection of middle-eastern manuscripts.

The space has been designed to be fire and moisture protected and temperature controlled to protect the priceless collection, which consists mainly of Arabic and Syriac Middle Eastern manuscripts, a very small number of Hebrew/Jewish works, coins, seals and a few clay tablets.

The Collection was founded in Birmingham between 1925 and 1929 by Edward Cadbury who named it after its collector, Alphonse Mingana.

Read the whole story here.

Read also the information from Birmingham University: Special Collections Muirhead Tower Development including images of the new Special Collections facility.

This summer I saw some magnificent items in the collection during the official launch of the Virtual Manuscript Room. I also took part in a special workshop led by David Parker on one of the Greek New Testament MSS: Birmingham University Library, Mingana MS Peckover Gr. 7 (Gregory-Aland 713 and L586).

More on Mingana here and here.

GNT Manuscripts in the VMR

After our recent report on the Virtual Manuscript Room a few days ago, several MSS have now been added in the manuscript section here. Among the now accessible Greek New Testament MSS are:

Ming. Chr. Arab. 93 = 0106

Ming. Gr. 2 = L1982

Ming. Gr. 3 = 479

Peckov. Gr. 7 = 713 and L586 (palimpsest)

To my knowledge there are seven more GNT MSS in Birmingham, and we can hope that they will also appear in due course, although only one of them belong to the Mingana Collection which is now being added to the VMR (in Selly Oak College: Ming. Georg. 7; Braithwaite 1-5; and one in Woodbrooke College, s.n.).

Peter Robinson of the ITSEE also made a clarifying comment to our last report here

Update: Ulrich Schmid points out that only a fragment of 0106 is found in the binding of Ming. Chr. Arab. 93 (see comments).

I have also added a link to the Virtual Manuscript Room in the sidebar (links).