Manuscript Catalogs

Note:

• OLIVER, the online catalog of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (Collegeville, MN), contains information about an enormous number of manuscripts in collections throughout the Middle East. HMML can provide images of manuscripts for a very reasonable cost; much cheaper (and faster) than most of the great libraries in Europe. A current hand-list (July 2012) of Syriac, Christian Arabic, and Garshuni manuscripts available through HMML, organized and enumerated by library collection, can be found here (pdf).
• Hatch's An Album of Dated Syriac Manuscripts is the standard reference work for Syriac paleography.
• Gregory's Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament is useful to know about if you are working on NT textual criticism.

(in alphabetical order by city)

Aleppo (Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese)

Twelve manuscripts from the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese are available online as part of the World Digital Library.

Alqosh (Notre-Dame-des-Semences)

A. Scher, ed., Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conservés dans la bibliothèque du couvent des Chaldéens de Notre-Dame-des-Semences, extrait du Journal Asiatique (Paris, 1906).

Vosté, Jacques-M., ed., Catalogue de la bibliothèque syro-chaldéenne du Couvent de Notre-Dame des Semences près d’Alqoš (Iraq) (Rome–Paris, 1929).

Beirut (USJ)

L. Cheikho and Ignace-Abdo Khalifé, eds., Catalogue raisonné des manuscrits historiques de la Bibliothèque Orientale de l'Université Saint-Joseph, 2 parts, collected from Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph (Beirut, 1913–1929 and 1951–1964). (Part 1: Arabic MSS 1–792; Part 2: Arabic MSS 793–1520 and Syriac MSS 1–58). The catalogue of Syriac manuscripts begins on page 239 of the second part.

Berlin (Königlichen Bibliothek)

E. Sachau, ed., Die Handschriften-Verzeichnisse der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, 23. Band: Verzeichniss der syrischen Handschriften, 2 vols. (Berlin, 1899).

Birmingham (Mingana Collection)

A. Mingana, Catalogue of the Mingana Collection of Manuscripts, 3 vols. (Cambridge, 1933). (PDF links: Volume 1; Volume 2; Volume 3)

Cambridge (University Library)

W. Wright, A Catalogue of the Syriac Manuscripts Preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, 2 vols. (Cambridge, 1901). (Volume 1; Volume 2)

Cambridge, Massachusetts (Harvard: all libraries)

The most up-to-date catalog of Harvard’s important collection of Syriac manuscripts is online thanks to Dr. J.F. Coakley.

Charfeh

I. Armalat, Catalogue des manuscrits de Charfet (Jounieh, 1937). (PDF link)

Damascus (Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate)

F. Dolabani, R. Lavenant, S.P. Brock, and S.K. Khalil, ''Catalogue des manuscrits de la bibliothéque du patriarcat Syrien Orthodoxe à Homs (auj. à Damas)'', Parole de l’Orient 19 (1994): 555–661.

Dayr al-Anba Antunyus, Egypt (Monastery of St Anthony)

Katalug makhtutat dayr al-anba Antunyus bi-'l-bahr al-ahmar (2 vols).

Dayr al-Suryān, Wadi al-Natrun, Egypt ("Monastery of the Syrians")

Contrary to common belief, the Vatican Library and the British Museum did not get hold of all the Syriac manuscripts present at Dayr al-Suryan in the Wadi Natrun in Egypt. More than three dozen manuscripts remain there. In 1901, an Arabic handlist was made of the remaining manuscripts there at Dayr al-Suryan and in the middle part of the 20th century, Murad Kamil made a more detailed description, a translated copy of which made it to Leiden, whence other copies of copies have floated around among scholars for years. At present, Sebastian Brock and Lucas van Rompay are working on a catalog of these codices, which promise to contain some truly exciting new material. First impressions (PDF) of the material present there are very exciting, indeed. (Here is a color version of the entire newsletter).

Here is Wright, supplementing the information in his monumental Catalogue, on the purchase of the Dayr al-Suryan convent by the merchants of Tikrit for 12,000 dinars.

Diyarbakir (Chaldean Archbishopric)

A. Scher, "Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques et arabes conservés à l’archevêché chaldéen de Diarbékir," Journal asiatique 10 (1907): 331–362, 385–431.

Here is another discussion of Diyarbakir by Voste.

Florence (de'Medici, Laurentian, and Palatine collections)

S.E. Assemani and A.F. Gori, eds., Bibliothecae Mediceae, Laurentianae et Palatinae codicum Mms. [sic] orientalium catalogus, sub auspiciis regiae celsitudinis serenissimi Francisci III... (Florence, 1742).

Jerusalem (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate)

J.-B. Chabot, ''Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conservés dans la bibliothèque du Patriarcat grec orthodoxe de Jérusalem'', Journal asiatique 9.3 (1894): 92–134.

NB: Though these are in the Greek Orthodox Patriachate, they originally came from the East Syrian Monastery of St Mary Magdalen in Jerusalem.

The Library of Congress has also made available online its Checklist of manuscripts in the libraries of the Greek and Armenian Patriarchates in Jerusalem.  Syriac material is included.

Jerusalem (Syrian Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark)

BYU Checklist of 31 Syriac and Garshuni "Brown Manuscripts" with PDFs of MSS.

W.F. Macomber, Final Inventory of the Microfilmed Manuscripts of St. Mark's Convent, Jerusalem (Provo, UT, 1990). (PDF link)

Kirkuk

B. Haddad, Fihris al-makhtutat al-suryaniyya fi mutraniyya al-kaldan fi-kirkuk (Baghdad, 2003).

Leiden (multiple collections)

J.H. Hottinger, Promptuarium; Sive Bibliotheca orientalis... (Heidelberg, 1658).

(Syriac MSS here. Scaliger's Syriac books here. Bibliotheca Erpeniana Karshuni here and Syriac here).

Leipzig

C. von Tischendorf, Anecdota sacra et profana ex oriente et occidente allata... (Leipzig, 1861).

K. Vollers, . Leipoldt, Katalog der islamischen, christilich-orientalischen, judischen und samaritanischen Handschriften der Universitaetsbibliothek zu Leipzig, vol. 2 (Leipzig, 1906).

London (British Library)

Rosen, F. and Forshall, J., Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum orientalium qui in Museo Britannico asservantur. Pars prima: codices syriacos et carshunicos amplectens (London, 1838).

W. Wright, Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in the British Museum acquired since the year 1838, 3 vols. (London, 1870–1872). (Volume 1; Volume 2; Volume 3.)

A wonderful catalog and work of stunning erudition; it is the gold standard in Syriac MSS catalogs. One can read it for pleasure.

G. Margoliouth, Descriptive List of Syriac and Karshuni MSS. in the British Museum acquired since 1873 (London, 1899).

Here is Cureton writing about the history of the manuscripts of Dayr al-Suryan and how they arrived in the British Museum. Here is Lamy writing about the same collection.

Manchester (John Rylands University Library)

J.F. Coakley, ''A Catalogue of the Syriac Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library'', Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 75.2 (1993): 105–207.

Mardin (Chaldean Bishopric)

A. Scher, "Notice des mss. syriaques et arabes conservés dans la bibliothèque de l’évêché chaldéen de Mardin," Revue des bibliothèques 18 (1908): 64–95.

Mosul (Chaldean Patriarchate)

A. Scher, "Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conservés dans la bibliothèque du Patriarcat chaldéen de Mossoul," Revue des bibliothèques 17 (1907): 227–260.

New Haven, Connecticut (Yale: Beinecke and American Oriental Society)

L. Depuydt, "Classical Syriac Manuscripts at Yale University: A Checklist," Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 9.2 (2006): 173–188.

New York City (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Met's Syriac manuscripts were described briefly in Clemons, James Thomas, ''A Checklist of Syriac Manuscripts in the United States and Canada'', Orientalia Christiana Periodica 32 (1966), pp. 491-493.  Now, one can see digital images of the Met's Syriac collection by searching its collection online.

Oxford (Bodleian)

R. Payne-Smith, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae. Pars sexta: Codices syriacos, carshunicos, mendaeos, complectens (Oxford, 1864).

Paris (Bibliothéque Nationale)

H. Zotenberg, Manuscrits orientaux: Catalogues des manuscrits syriaques et sabéens (mandaïtes) de la Bibliothèque nationale (Paris, 1874).

J.-B. Chabot, ''Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques de la Bibliothèque Nationale acquis depuis 1874'', Journal asiatique IX, 8 (1896): 234–290.

F. Nau, ''Notices des manuscripts syriaques, éthiopiens et mandéens, entrés à la Bibliothèque nationale de Paris depuis l’édition des catalogues'', Revue de l’Orient chrétien 16 (1911): 271–323.

Princeton (Princeton Theological Seminary)

There is an unpublished handlist of the Syriac manuscripts in the collection of Princeton Theological Seminary.

Rome (Vatican)

J.S. Assemani and S.E. Assemani, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana: Bibliothecae Apostolicae Vaticanae codicum manuscriptorum catalogus in tres partes distributus; in quarum prima Orientales, in altera Graeci, in tertia Latini Italici aliorumque Europaeorum idiomatum codices. vols. 2–3. (Repr. Paris, 1926).

There is now an online catalog for the Vatican Library for bibliography related to their manuscripts. The simple search includes basic options: you can search by MS number (SEGNATURA), or by author (AUTORE/NOME) of the bibliographical item, or by title or incipit. The advanced search includes many more options, which can be combined.

St. Louis University has a number of Syriac (and Arabic and Greek) manuscripts from the Vatican on microfilm in its Vatican Film Library.  Here is a search engine which allows you to see which manuscripts they have.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the Sinai

A.S. Lewis, Catalogue of the Syriac Mss. in the Convent of S. Catharine on Mount Sinai, Studia Sinaitica 1 (London, 1894).

Hiersemann 500 Catalog (1922)

Hiersemann 500 contains descriptions of a number of Syriac and Arabic manuscripts which originated at St. Catherine’s but which ended up being sold on the antiquities market in Europe between the wars. Some of the manuscripts described in Hiersemann 500 were destroyed in the Second World War. This is an important source of information about Melkite Syriac MSS.

There is also a Library of Congress Checklist of manuscripts in St Catherine's Monastery, which contains Syriac, Arabic, and Greek, among its contents.

The Syriac New Finds contain some truly exciting material.

Saint Petersburg

B.Dorn et alii, Catalogue des manuscrits et xylographes... (Saint Petersburg, 1852).

Seert

A. Scher, Catalogue des manuscrits syriaques et arabes, conservés dans la Bibliothèque épiscopale de Séert (Kurdistan) avec notes bibliographiques (Mosul, 1905).

Urmia (Oroomiah College)

O. Sarau, Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in the Library of the Museum Association of Oroomiah College (Oroomiah, Persia: 1898).