The quires are numbered in letters of the Greek alphabet, including ζ. As
the MS. is imperfect at the beginning, commencing with Acts vii. 37, and six
leaves are likewise lost from the first existing quire, γ comes on f. 1 a and
on f. 2 b. The rest go on regularly on quires of eight leaves, except quire ιδ,
which contains only six. The last number in the Biblical section is ιζ on f. 97
a.
A fresh numbering commences at the beginning of the Treatise on f.102 a,
where an α can be seen at the foot of the page and also on f. 109 b. β is
visible on f. 117 b, then come γ, δ, ε at intervals, shewing quires of eight
leaves each. This distinctly proves the Treatise to be a different MS. from all
that precedes it.
The style of calligraphy is very archaic, nearly approaching Kufic. The upper
limb of ك
is so short that it is easily mistaken for
ص. As
د
and
ذ
have also a short upper limb, a confusion of
ك
or
ص
with one of these letters is also possible, if the reader does not observe
their connection with the letters following them. Final
ن
is sometimes uncommonly like
ر
, but
ﻫ
is always
boldly and clearly written.
د
does not descend below the line, and
ه
never receives its dots.
Punctuation all through the Acts and Epistles as well as the short story and
aphorisms which follow them is carried on by means of the little double comma,
which our printers have successfully reproduced. Full stops are like large
stars, and are very sparingly used. I have made few changes in editing, the
principal ones being to substitute Alif Maksoureh for Alif where
that is the modern usage, and to supply
final with dots to distinguish it
from the pronominal suffix. The grammar is very faulty, as is usual in Christian
Arabic. The indicative is constantly used for the subjunctive, and forms like
اصفياه وانبياه
are often substituted for اصفيايه وانبيايه
Yet this latter does not always take
place, and I have thought it better to print these words as they stand in each
place, rather than to load my pages with foot-notes.
The translation is, as is to be expected from an Arab, somewhat free, but I
have not noticed any theological or ecclesiastical bias, unless it be the
rendering of
