Les scolies ariennes du 'Parisinus latinus 8907'

The history of Latin scripts in the Late Roman Empire still remains to be discovered. A number of inscriptions and literary manuscripts, written for the most part in capital or uncial scripts have survived, and there are also quite numerous specimens of the Common Script of that period written on various materials. This Common Script differs from the uncial by the relative speed of development throughout the period.

The details of this development are still uncertain in addition to very difficult readings, these documents present numerous chronological problems, all of which effectively camouflage the critical stages of the process of evolution. Hence the particular interest of the Arian scholia in the Parisinus latinus 8097: a close study of the script used should provide certain fixed chronological points of reference for this type of script.

Two sections of this collection of Nicean works (dealing with the Trinitarian controversy) have had their margins filled with transcriptions of Arian texts; thus about fifty-five pages present a central text in early uncial script surrounded by marginal texts in Common Script, which can be classified as belonging to the same general type although important variations serve to differentiate several hands.

The present volume presents fac-simile reproductions (scale I/I) of the pages that contain scholia, and an introductory study richly illustrated with photographs both in the text and in a supplement.