The following descriptions are available for this manuscript

  • Lowe Elias Avery, Codices Latini Antiquiores. A palaeographical guide to latin manuscripts prior to the ninth century. Part VII: Switzerland, Oxford 1956 (Osnabrück 1982), p. 28.
    (Standard description, currently displayed)
  • Scherrer Gustav, Verzeichniss der Handschriften der Stiftsbibliothek von St. Gallen, Halle 1875, S. 97.
    Show additional description
St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 259
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Lowe Elias Avery, Codices Latini Antiquiores. A palaeographical guide to latin manuscripts prior to the ninth century. Part VII: Switzerland, Oxford 1956 (Osnabrück 1982), p. 28.

Manuscript title: Beda in Actus Apostolorum, in Apocalypsin
Date of origin: Saec. VIII-IX
Support: Parchment of unequal quality.
Extent: Foll. 152
Format: ca. 270 x 170-175 mm.
Foliation: Paginated 1-24, 24-303.
Collation: Gatherings of eight, signed with Roman numerals in the middle of the lower margin of the last page.
Condition: Holes are not infrequent.
Page layout: (210-220 x 130-140 mm.) in 24-26 long lines. Ruling before folding, on the flesh-side, 4 bifolia at a time, with the direct impression usually on the outside bifolium. Double bounding lines in both margins. Prickings in the outer margin guided the ruling.
Writing and hands:
  • Ink dark brown.
  • Script is early minuscule by several hands, some clearly Alemannic; the hand on pp. 3 ff. is very similar to the hand of St. Gall MS. 133, pp. 209-215 (see our No. 911) Both and a are used; g is often top-heavy; the shaft of h occasionally bends to the left; the top of is often looped to the left; o occasionally has a horn-like hair-line at the top, as in Merovingian cursive; the nt ligature occurs even in mid-word; Ɛ stands for hard and soft ti.
  • Punctuation: the medial point, comma, or semicolon marks the main pause, the medial point lesser pauses; many points added.
  • Citations from the Bible are in uncial or minuscule with quotation-marks (apparently added) to the left of each line.
  • Omissions marked by  in the text answered by p before the insertion in the lower margin (p. 104) or by signes de renvoi (pp. 45, 207).
  • Abbreviations include b;, q; = bus, que; au̅ (and auꞇ̄) = autem; = de; dr (and dr̅ = dicitur; ē; id ·ē· = est, idest; , mʼ, ꝴ = men, mus, nus; = non; n̅r̅, nr̅i etc. = noster, -ri, etc.; o = omnes; ꝑ, p ̓, ꝓ, , p: = per, post, prae, pro, pus; ꝗ, qm (and quo̅), q̅q̅ = quia, quoniam, quoque; ꞅɫ, r̅, s̅ = rum, runt, sunt; ꞇ̅n̅ = tamen; ꞇ̅ = ter; ꞇ̅c̅ = tunc; ꞇ̓ = tur; -u̓ = -uit. Spelling fair but condam for quondam.
Decoration:
  • Running titles on each opening, in minuscule.
  • Colophons in uncial mixed with capitals or in capitals.
  • Incipits in black or red capitals or uncial, or in mixed majuscules.
  • Simple black initials.
Origin of the manuscript: Written in the same Swiss centre as St. Gall MS. 133 (our No. 911), possibly at St. Gall.