Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 2670
(formerly typ/776)

	Ὁρῶν τὸ κάλλος τῆς προκειμένης βίβλου
	τὴν ἀστραπήν, ἄνθρωπε, τῶν λόγων νόει
	οὓς ἡ τετρακτὺς τῶν σοφῶν ἀποστόλων
	ἐρητόρευσε πνεύματος μουσουργίαις.

Text source	D. Pallas, 1955, Κατάλογος χειρογράφων τοῦ Βυζαντινοῦ Μουσείου Ἀθηνῶν, Athens: 37
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Reader-related epigram Text-related epigram
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Four Evangelists Holy Spirit
Tag(s)	Address to the reader Beauty of the book Praise of the author Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	Behold the beauty of the present book, man, and consider the light of the words that the quaternity of the wise apostles has written with singings inspired by the Spirit. 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: 249 When looking at the beauty of the present book, consider, man, the lightning of the words which the foursome of the wise apostles has written rhetorically, inspired by the Spirit. Language English Source(s) K. Demoen 2022, Reading: Book Epigrams - Introduction, in F. Spingou (ed.), The Visual Culture of Later Byzantium (vol. 2), Cambridge / New York, 1369-1380: 1379
Comment	Text source Pallas (1955: 37) modified by DBBE.
Bibliography	Primary K. Demoen 2022, Reading: Book Epigrams - Introduction, in F. Spingou (ed.), The Visual Culture of Later Byzantium (vol. 2), Cambridge / New York, 1369-1380: 1379 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: 249
Number of verses	4
Occurrence(s)	[18290] ὁρῶν τὸ κάλλος τῆς προκειμένης βίβλου [14th c.] ATHENS - Byzantino kai Christianiko Mouseio 157 (B.M. 2782) [14th c.] (f. 184v) (4 verses) [29511] ὁρῶν τὸ κά\|λλο(ς) τῆς προκειμ(έν)(ης) βί\|βλου [13th c.] SINAI - Mone tes Hagias Aikaterines - gr. 261 [13th c.] (f. 14v) (4 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Rachele Ricceri, 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, 549: "In quattuor evangelia"
Permalink	http://dbbe.ugent.be/types/2670

Last modified: 2026-03-24.

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