Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 2997
(formerly typ/1098)

	Ἐρεύγεται μὲν καρδία ναὶ τοὺς λόγους
	ἀνδρῶν μεγίστων (...) πανσόφων
	τούτους δὲ χεῖρες εὐστόχων καλλιγράφων
	δέλτοις κατατάττουσιν εὐφυεστάτως
	καθὼς ὁρᾶτε τὴν βίβλον ταύτην ἔχειν.
	Τοίνυν ἄριστον τυγχάνει τὸ βιβλίον.
	Ἄμφω γὰρ αὐχεῖ πῆξιν εὐφημουμένην.
	Ἐν γράμμασι μὲν χειρὶ τοῦ χρυσογράφου,
	γνώσει δὲ συγγράμμασι τῶν συγγραφέων.
	Οἱ συγγραφεῖς δέ τίνες; εἴπω συντόμως.
	Τὸν Νύσσης Γρηγόριον, Κλήμεντα Ρώμης
	τοῦ Στεφάνου Στέφανον ἐν Συμεῶνι
	τῷ Μεταφραστῇ συγγραφεῖς ἐγὼ λέγω.
	Ὧν ταῖς προσευχαῖς καὶ Θεόδουλον σκέποις
	βασιλεῦ τῶν καλῶν χορηγέτα.

Text source	S. Eustratiades, S. Lauriotes, 1925, Catalogue of the Greek Manuscripts in the Library of the Laura on Mount Athos, Cambridge: 68
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Scribe-related epigram
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Clement of Alexandria (2nd-3rd c.) Gregory of Nyssa (saint) (4th c.) (episkopos of Nyssa < Cappadocia) Symeon Metaphrastes (10th c.) - PMBZ: 29659: "Personenkennziffer: 27504"
Tag(s)	Beauty of the book Introduction to the subject Prayer Spiritual value of the book
Translation(s)	Yes, the heart pours the words of the great wise men, (...) but it is the hands of well-aimed calligraphers that put them very gracefully in volumes, as you see this very book has them. (5) Therefore this book is excellent. For it boasts the acclaimed solidity in two ways. On the one hand through the letters by the hand of the scribe who uses golden ink, on the other hand through the knowledge in the writers’ writings. Who are the writers then? I will say it briefly. (10) I mean the writers Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Rome and Stephen of Stephen, as in Symeon the Metaphrast. Through their prayers may you protect also Theodoulos, o king, provider of good things. (15) Language English Source(s) R. Ricceri 2026, Text and Image, Text as Image: The Beauty of the Book in Byzantine Book Epigrams, in M. Cutino, F. Stella (eds.), Versus ad picturas. Text/Image Relation in Greek, Latin and Arabic Poetry, Berlin, 243-263: 250-251
Bibliography	Primary F. Euangelatou-Notara, 1982, Σημειώματα ἑλληνικῶν κωδίκων ὡς πηγὴ διὰ τὴν ἔρευναν τοῦ οἰκονομικοῦ καὶ κοινωνικοῦ βίου τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἀπὸ τοῦ 9ου αἰῶνος μέχρι τοῦ ἔτους 1204, Athens: 180 R. Ricceri 2026, Text and Image, Text as Image: The Beauty of the Book in Byzantine Book Epigrams, in M. Cutino, F. Stella (eds.), Versus ad picturas. Text/Image Relation in Greek, Latin and Arabic Poetry, Berlin, 243-263: 250-251 Secondary B. Atsalos 2000, Termes byzantins relatifs à la décoration des manuscrits grecs, in G. Prato (ed.), I manoscritti greci tra riflessione e dibattito. Atti del V Colloquio Internazionale di Paleografia Greca Cremona, 4 - 10 ottobre 1998 (vol. 2), Florence, 445-511: 492-493
Number of verses	15
Occurrence(s)	[17146] Ἐρεύγεται μὲν καρδία ναὶ τοὺς λόγους [11th c.] ATHOS - Mone Megistes Lauras Δ 71 (Eustratiades 447) [11th c.] (f. 6v) (15 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Rachele Ricceri, Quinten Goethals, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 251: "Librarii subscr."
Permalink	http://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/2997

Last modified: 2026-03-24.

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