The Greek Fragments of the Apophthegmata Patrum in Vat. iber. 4

Abstract

This contribution presents and analyses a new discovery of three passages from the Greek Apophthegmata Patrum (Pambo 7–8, Sisoes 14) as the middle layer of a double palimpsest (Vat. iber. 4). These passages seem to have been brought together for this manuscript (ff. 1 + 5, middle layer) in either Palestine or Egypt in a multilingual environment between the sixth and eighth centuries. The variant readings demonstrate a close affinity with the old Greek alphabetical collection. At the same time, the association of Pambo 8 and Sisoes 14 shows an attempt to group the apophthegms thematically. The script evinces some peculiar palaeographic features worthy of attention.