Syriac Manuscript 559

Vat.sir.559 - Vatican Syriac Manuscript 559

Syriac lectionary from Iraq.  paper codex comprising 250 folios is a luxurious Gospel lectionary of the West Syrian (Jacobite) liturgical tradition. A colophon states that it was commissioned by Rabban 'Abdallah ibn Khusho ibn Shim'un for the monastery of Mar (= Saint) Mattai, Mar Zakkai, and Mar Abraham near Mosul (eastern Iraq). The name of the scribe is recorded (Mubarak, a monk at Mar Mattai), as is the date, either 1220 or 1260. The unnamed artists (who may not have been monks) used six pigments, including lapis lazuli, in addition to gold leaf.