A collation of the Gospel texts contained in Durham Cathedral mss. A.II.10, A.II.16 and A.II.17, and some provisional conclusions therefrom regarding the type of Vulgate text employed in Northumbria in the 8th century, together with a full description of each ms.

Abstract

Part I. A description of the types of Latin Gospel texts in use in the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Churches: (a) The Latin Gospels in the Celtic Church - the evidence of Patrick, Gildas and Columbanus; the early, seventh century, MSS.; the text of the "Celtic mixed family": a discussion of the reputed characteristics of that family and the conclusion that those characteristics indicate a common editorial tradition rather than a common textual tradition. (b) The Latin Gospels in England - in the south; in Northumbria; the conclusion that the Gospel texts in the early Ango-Saxon Gospel Books show a continuing influence of Italian text-types.
Part II. The early history of Durham A.II.10, A.II.16 and A.II.17 - conclusion that both parts of A.II.17 (foll. 2-102, Majuscule, and foll. 103 - 111, Uncial) came from Lindisfarne with the community of St. Cuthbert and that A.II.17, Uncial, is part of the exemplar of the Lindisfarne Gospels; earliest eveidence for A.II.16 being at Durham is twelfth century; the fourteenth century catalogues; Rud and the loan of A.II.16 and A.II.17 to Richard Bentley; earliest eveidence for A.II.10 not until the nineteenth century.
Part III. Full collation of the texts of A.II.10, A.II.16 and A.II.17 (excluding John in A.II.16 and the Uncial leaves in A.II.17) against the text of Wordsworth and White, Novum Testamentum Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Latine, pars prior - Quattuor Evangelia, Oxford 1889-1898, and description of the individual mss.
(a) A.II.10 (and C.II.13 and E.III.20) contains an Old Latin section (MK.II:12 - VI:6) with a text very close to the of Dublin, Trinity College Ms. 55; the rest of the text appears to be Old Latin corrected against the Vulgate.
(b) A.II.17 (foll 2-102) belongs textually to the OXZ, mixed Italian, tradition; also certain points of contact with the text of the Book of Kells.
(c) A.II.16 (foll. 1-102) - the text of Mark is very close to that in A.II.17; the text of Matthew is similar to that found in the Echternach Gospels (Paris lat. 9389), with certain "Celtic" readings; Luke presents a mixed text with many points of contact with the texts of the "Celtic" Vulgate.