What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to reassess the classification of liturgical manuscripts in the Kurzgefasste Liste.

April 3, 2026Open Access

Liturgical Manuscripts and the Siglum Lit in the Kurzgefasste Liste

Key Points

The aim is to reassess the classification of liturgical manuscripts in the Kurzgefasste Liste.
Critically analyzed a corpus of 184 manuscripts.
Focused on structural and liturgical criteria for classification.
Examined the actual use of manuscripts in Byzantine worship.
Identified that many manuscripts labeled as biblical are essentially liturgical.
Found that current categorization misrepresents the true nature of these texts.
Proposed a new classification to clarify the relationship between New Testament texts and liturgical use.

Abstract

This study critically re-evaluates the classification of “Lit” (liturgical) manuscripts within the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments. It argues that these codices – often Euchologia, Menaia, and Hieratika – are primarily liturgical books, not biblical manuscripts. Their current categorization, based on the incidental presence of New Testament pericopes, obscures their true nature as instruments of Byzantine worship. By analyzing a corpus of 184 manuscripts, this article demonstrates that a structural and liturgical, rather than purely philological textual, criterion is essential for accurate classification. The proposed reclassification aims to refine the Liste and better situate these manuscripts within the intertwined histories of the New Testament text and Byzantine liturgical praxis

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