New Testament minuscule

A New Testament minuscule is a copy of a portion of the New Testament written in Greek minuscule, a small, cursive Greek language script (developed from Uncial).^[1] Most of the minuscules are still written on parchment. Paper was used since the 12th century.

New Testament minuscules are distinct from:

• New Testament papyri — written on papyrus and more ancient than minuscules;
• New Testament uncials — written in uncial script (i.e. all capital letters) also more ancient than minuscules; and,
• New Testament lectionaries — usually written minuscule (but some in uncial) letters and generally contemporary.

Minuscules codices contain commentaries and other additional matter, like, Prolegomena to the four Gospels, the Epistula ad Carpianum, the treatise of Pseudo-Dorotheus on the Seventy disciples and twelve apostles (82, 93, 117, 459, 613), List of Lord's miracles (e.g. 536), List of Parables of Jesus (e.g. 273, 536), short biographies of the Apostles, or summaries of the journeys of St. Paul (e.g. 468). Since the 9th century some manuscripts have notes with the date and place of the composition of the different NT books. Some manuscripts informed about name of scribe and date of composition of the manuscript, but date usually reckoning from the creation of the world (5508 BC). It was the Byzantine manner. Only in a few minuscule codices is the date reckoned from the birth of Christ.