Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 3720
(formerly typ/1805)

	Βίβλος πέφυκα πρὸς λόγους γηροτρόφους,
	γηρῶσα τῷ νῷ καὶ νεάζουσα πάλιν,
	τῶν γραμμάτων καινίσιν ἐκ πολλαχόθεν.
	Τοίνυν πρὸς ἔνδον εἰσφέρω τῶν ἐγκάτων,
	βίους ἀνάκτων τῆς νέας Ῥωμαΐδος
	Ῥώμης παλαιτάτης τε καὶ τριπεμπέλου,
	πολλῶν τε πάντων τῶν βεβασιλευκότων,
	Πέρσαις τε, Χαλδαίοις τε καὶ Ἀσσυρίοις,
	πόνημα καὶ γὰρ πανσόφου Κωνσταντίνου
	πέλω Μανασσῆ τοῦ γραμματικοτάτου.
	Χειρός δε πάλιν γραμμάτων, ὧνπερ φέρω,
	οἰκτροῦ Γεωργίου καὶ τάλανος Βαρέος.
	Εὔχεσθαι τοίνυν οἱ λόγων τῶνδ' εἰδότες
	τῷ τερματώσαντί με καὶ γεγραφότι,
	Γεωργίῳ τῷ πέλοντι Βαρεῖ τῇ θέσει,
	ὑμῶν δε πάλιν ἀνταμείψει δεσπότης
	τὰς ἐυχὰς ὡς εὔσπλαγχος ὡς πανοικτίρμων,
	δόξα τῷ θεῷ τῷ συνεργῷ τοῦ τέλους.

Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Scribe-related epigram
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Constantine Manasses (1130-1187) - PBW: Konstantinos/302/
Tag(s)	Praise of the author Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	Ich bin das Buch, das die Alten an Wörtenrn nährt, alt im Geist und wieder jung werdend, Erneuerung der Schriften von vielen Seiten. Daher bringe ich ins tiefste Innere ein die Biographien der Herrscher der neuen Römerstadt und des ganz alten und des ganz vergreisten Rom und all jener vielen, die geherrscht haben bei den Persern und Chaldäern und Assyrern. Denn Werk bin ich ja des allweisen Konstantinos Manasses, des äußerst gelehrten. (translation of vv. 1-10, i.e. the occurrence in Oxon. Bodl. Auct. T. 2.5) Language German Source(s) A. Paul, A. Rhoby, 2019, Konstantinos Manasses. Verschronik, Stuttgart: 60
Comment	Text based on Hardt (1806b: 171-172), from his description of MÜNCHEN - Bayerische Staatsbibliothek - gr. 153, a manuscript from the sixteenth century. A few corrections were introduced by DBBE after inspection of the manuscript and collation with Monac. gr. 154, also from the sixteenth century, which contains the same 18-verse poem with some variants.
Bibliography	Primary S. Eustratiades, S. Lauriotes, 1925, Catalogue of the Greek Manuscripts in the Library of the Laura on Mount Athos, Cambridge: 283 K. Hajdú, 2003, Katalog der griechischen Handschriften der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek München. Codices graeci Monacenses 110–180 (vol. 3), Wiesbaden: 240 I. Hardt, 1806, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum graecorum Bibliothecae Regiae Bavaricae. Cod. CVI-CCXXXIII continens (vol. 2), Munich: 171-172 A. Paul, A. Rhoby, 2019, Konstantinos Manasses. Verschronik, Stuttgart: 59-60 I. Sakkelion, 1890, Πατμιακὴ Βιβλιοθήκη, Athens: 170 C. Samberger, 1965, Catalogi codicum graecorum qui in minoribus bibliothecis Italicis asservantur (vol. 1), Leipzig: 175 display 3 more references (6 in total) hide 3 references (6 in total)
Number of verses	18
Occurrence(s)	[23083] βίβλος πέφυκα πρὸς λόγους γηροτρόφος [14th-15th c.] BERN - Burgerbibliothek B 48 [14th-15th c.] (f. 141r) (10 verses) [19590] Βίβλος πέφυκα, πρὸς γηροτρόφους λόγους [15th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Riccardiana 62 [14th-15th c.] (f. 23v) (18 verses) [21263] βίβλος πέφυκα πρὸς λόγους τηροτρόφος [15th c.] MUNICH - Bayerische Staatsbibliothek - gr. 254 [1400] ((gen.) end of ms.) (1 verse) [19776] βίβλος πέφυκα πρὸς λόγους γηροτρόφος [1301-1325] OXFORD - Bodleian Library - Auct. T. 2.5 [1301-1325] (f. 223r) (10 verses)
Acknowledgements	Creator(s) Delphine Nachtergaele Contributor(s) Raf Praet, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Julián Bértola, Kyriaki Giannikou The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 105: "In Constant. Manassis Breviarium Chronicum"
Permalink	http://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/3720

Last modified: 2026-03-19.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.