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MS. Holkham Gr. 18

Summary Catalogue no.: Not in SC (late accession)

Diktyon no.: 48086

Menaion for December

Contents

Language(s): Greek

Menaion for December
1. (fols 1r–2r)
Hypomnema to the Prophet Nahum,

1 December; BHG 1316d; tit. Ὑπόμνημα εἰς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ ἔνδοξον προφήτην Ναούμ.

2. (fols 2r–3v)
Hypomnema to the Prophet Habakkuk,

2 December; BHG 741b; tit. Ὑπόμνημα εἰς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ ἔνδοξον προφήτην Ἀββακούμ.

3. (fols 3v–4v)
Hypomnema to the Prophet Sophonias,

3 December; BHG 1640b; tit. Ὑπόμνημα εἰς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ ἔνδοξον προφήτην Σοφονίαν. Inc. Ἄλλους μὲν ἄλλα (ἄλλαι) τε χώρας (χῶραι) καὶ πόλεις τῶν ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν …

4. (fols 4v–7v)
Passio of St Barbara,

4 December; BHG 216; tit. Ἄθλησις τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐνδόξου παρθενομάρτυρος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Βαρβάρας. PG. 116, 301–316.

5. (fols 7v–71r)
Life of St Sabas,

5 December; BHG 1609; tit. ⟨Βίος καὶ πολιτεία⟩ τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σάβα. Cl. Koikylides (ed.) Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σάββα, Βιβλιοθήκη τῆς Νέας Σιὼν, Jerusalem 1905.

6. (fols 71r–89v)
Life of St Nikolaos,

6 December; BHG 1349; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Νικολάου.

7. (fols 89v–99r)
Life of St Ambrose Bishop of Milan,

7 December; BHG 69; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀμβροσίου ἐπισκόπου Μεδιολάνου.

8. (fols 99r–103v)
Life of St Patapios,

8 December; BHG 1424; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Παταπίου.

9. (fols 104r–125v)
Passio of Saints Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphos,

10 December; BHG 1271; tit. Μαρτύριον τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων Μηνᾶ, Ἑρμογένους καὶ Εὐγράφου.

10. (fols 125v–154v)
Life of St Daniel the Stylite,

11 December; BHG 490; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Δανιὴλ τοῦ στυλίτου.

11. (fols 154v–172v)
Life of St Spyridon,

12 December; BHG 1648; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ θαυματουργοῦ Σπυρίδωνος.

12. (fols 172v–190r)
Passio of Saints Eustratios, Auxentios, Eugenios, Mardarios and Orestes,

13 December; BHG 646; tit. ⟨Ἄ⟩θλησις τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐνδόξων τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαρτύρων Εὐστρατίου, Αὐξεντίου, Μαρδαρίου καὶ Ὀρέστου.

13. (fols 190r–212r)
Passio of Saints Thyrsos, Leucios, Kallinikos, Philemon and Apollonios,

14 December; BHG 1845–1846; tit. Μαρτύριον τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων Θύρσου, Λευκίου, Καλλινίκου, Φιλήμονος καὶ Ἀπολλωνίου.

14. (fol 212v)
⟨Ps.⟩Athanasios of Alexandria, Historia de Melchisedech

Tit. Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις π(ατρ)ὸς ἡμῶν ἀθανασίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου ἀλεξανδρείας λόγος περὶ τοῦ μελχισεδέκ, inc. Μελχιὴλ ὁ βασιλεὺς ⟨ἐ⟩γέννησε δύο υἱοὺς … des. ξένη βασίλισσα. (CPG 2252, BHG 2268, Clavis Apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti 95; cf. PG 28, 525–530). See Par. gr. 1190, fols 196v-197r. Palimpsest written in two columns of 33 lines.

15. (fols 213–218v)
Passio of St Eleutherios,

15 December; BHG 571–571b; tit. Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἐνδόξου ἱερομάρτυρος Ἐλευθερίου.

16. (fols 218v–224r)
Life of St Anatolios, Archbishop of Constantinople,

16 December; BHG 91; tit. ⟨Β⟩ίος καὶ πολιτεία ⟨τ⟩οῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀνατολίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως.

17. (fols 224r–232r)
Hypomnema to the Prophet Daniel and to the Three Children, Ananias, Azarias and Misael

December 17; BHG 485; tit. Ὑπόμνημα εἰς τὸν μέγαν προφήτην Δανιὴλ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους τρεῖς παῖδας Ἀνανίαν, Ἀζαρίαν καὶ Μισαήλ.

18. (fols. 232r–236v)
Passio of St Boniface of Rome,

18 December; BHG 281–282; tit. Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἐνδόξου μάρτυρος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Βονιφατίου τοῦ Ῥωμαίου.

19. (fols 236v–243v)
Passio of Saints Sebastianos and his companions Zoe, Traggilinos, Nikostratos, Claudius, Castor, Tibourtios, Castulus, Marcellinus and Mark,

19 December; BHG 815; tit. Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἐνδόξου μάρτυρος Σεβαστιανοῦ καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ Ζωῆς, Τραγγιλίνου, Νικοστράτου, Κλαυδίου, Κάστορος, Τιβουρτίου, Καστούλου, Μαρκελλίνου καὶ Μάρκου.

20. (fols 244r–248v)
Passio of St Ignatius the God-bearer,

20 December; BHG 815; tit. Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου ἱερομάρτυρος Ἰγνατίου τοῦ θεοφόρου.

21. (fols 248v–252r)
Passio of St Juliane in Nicomedia,

21 December; BHG 963; tit. Ἄθλησις τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐνδόξου μάρτυρος Ἰουλιανῆς τῆς ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ.

22. (fols 252r–262r)
Passio of St Anastasia,

22 December; BHG 82a; tit. Ἄθλησις τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐνδόξου μάρτυρος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἀναστασίας καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῆ.

23. (fols 262r–264r)
Passio of the Ten Martyrs in Crete,

23 December; BHG 1197; tit. Ἄθλησις τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐνδόξων δέκα μαρτύρων τῶν ἐν τῆ κρίτη.

24. (fols 264v–276r)
Life and Passio of St Eugenia and of her parents,

24 December; BHG 608; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία καὶ ἄθλησις τῆς ἁγίας ὁσιομάρτυρος Εὐγενείας καὶ τῶν ταύτης γονέων.

25. (fols 276r–282v)
Life of St Theodore the Graptos and his brother Theophanes,

26 December; BHG 1746; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Θεοδώρου τοῦ γραπτοῦ καὶ Θεοφάνους τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ.

26. (fols 282v–289v)
Gregory of Nyssa, Enkomion to the Archdeacon Stephen (27 December; BHG 1654)

Tit. Γρηγορίου ἐπισκόπου Νύσης ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον πρωτομάρτυρα καὶ ἀρχιδιάκονον Στέφανον.

27. (fols 290r–301v)
Passio of Saints Indos and Domna and others in Nicomedia,

28 December; BHG 823; tit. Ἄθλησις τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐνδόξων τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαρτύρων Ἴνδου καὶ Δόμνης καὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν δισμυρίων τῶν ἐν Νικομηδ(είᾳ) τῆ πόλ(ει) μαρτυρησάντων.

28. (fols 302r–313r)
Life of St Markellos,

29 December; BHG 1028; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Μαρκέλλου ἡγουμένου τῆς μονῆς τῶν Ἀκοιμήτων.

29. (fols 313r–314v)
Passio of St Anysia,

30 December; BHG 144; tit. Ἄθλησις τῆς ἁγίας μάρτυρος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἀνυσίας.

30. (fols 314v–323v)
Life of St Melania from Rome,

31 December; BHG 1242; tit. Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τῆς ὁσίας Μελάνης τῆς Ῥωμαίας. (fols at the end have been preserved in a very bad condition).

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment (fols 9–25; 27–114; 116–152; 159–172; 177; 179–202; 204–212) and paper (fols 1–8; 26; 115; 153–158; 173–176; 178; 203a-203b; 213–323)
ii + 326.
Dimensions (leaf): 350 × 245 mm.

Layout

Written in two columns; 30 lines per column.

Decoration

Illuminated headpieces, preceding certain Vitas, fols 71, 89v, 99r, 104r, 125v, 190r. (See Hutter III, I, pp. 63–64).

Additions: (Pen trials) fols 96v, 105v, 167v

Binding

Holkham binding of black leather, with Coke family ostrich crest in gilt in the centre of the upper cover; Date: early nineteenth century. Rebound by John Jones of Liverpool (worked for Holkham 1816–1823). SPINE: lettered in gilt: SYMEONIS| METAPHRASTAE|VITAE| S.S. MARTYRUM| G.R.| M.S.| SAEC. XII|–| MAI.|

History

Origin: 11th century; fols 1–8, 213–end and others added 14th–15th century

Provenance and Acquisition

Old Catalogue Nrs: Morezenos (or Morezinos ?) 37. Giustiniani 5. Olim Holkham Hall, Libr. of the Earl of Leicester, 89.V

Fol. 1 a note written in Montfaucon’s hand: 1698. Codex numero quintus cuius prima et postrema folia bombycina sunt annorum circiter 300, media vero membranacea annorum plusquam 600.

Record Sources

Description by Dimitrios Skrekas (November 2017), with the support of the Leventis Foundation, the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, the Yerolemou Trust and the Michael Marks Charitable Trust.

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2025-04-23: Sebastian Dows-Miller. Removed empty handDesc and decoDesc.