The "Codex Argenteus Upsaliensis": A codicological examination

One of the most treasured holdings in the library of Upsala University, the deluxe Gothic Gospel book known as the Codex Argenteus Upsaliensis, has, for almost four centuries, provided scholars in the field of Germanic philology with invaluable information about the language of the Goths in sixth-century Italy, as well as serving as the primary resource for Gothic studies. Beginning in 1662 with Junius' Editio Princeps of the Codex Argenteus, scholars have investigated various aspects of the language and the text of this manuscript.While the various studies of the CA have already provided a wealth of linguistic and text-critical information, the pages of the manuscript still offer valuable insights into both the sixth-century world of the Goths in western Europe and the affect of the CA on the various scholars who have examined it over the centuries. A codicological study, which considers the manuscript as a vehicle of the text, concentrates on the evidence in the manuscript which witnesses to the ways in which the manuscript was used throughout its history. Such a study of the CA reveals the significance of the manuscript not only to those for whom it was originally created, but also to those who later came in contact with it.In my preliminary codicological examination of the CA I concentrate on three sources of codicological information: information provided in the construction of the CA, information provided in the extra-textual features provided to expedite and facilitate the use of the manuscript, and interventions to the manuscript added after the text was copied. I also include an historical overview of the manuscript, in which I attempt to identify the various locations in which the CA may have been, as well as some of the individuals responsible for the interventions in the CA. The final four chapters of this study categorize, describe and discuss the majority of the interventions which occur in the CA.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio