Stichometric list in Codex Claromontanus (about A.D. 400).

A stichometric catalog 1 thought to be from the third century is inserted between Philemon and Hebrews in Codex Claromontanus, a sixth-century Greek-Latin manuscript of the epistles of Paul. The catalog lacks Hebrews, Philippians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians, but scholars generally suppose that these four books dropped out by an error of transcription, the scribe's eye jumping from the end of the word ephesious (Ephesians) to the end of ebraious (Hebrews). Strangely, the two epistles of Peter are listed as if they were epistles of Paul to Peter (ad Petrum). Some of the line totals given in the list cannot be right. The inclusion of such works as The Epistle of Barnabas and the Acts of Paul at the end of the catalog does not necessarily indicate that these were ever regarded as canonical books. Probably the list was made for the sake of the statistics, which would have been useful to scribes. Among other things, the number of lines would indicate the amount of paper, time, or money needed for the copying of each of the books.

The Latin text below is reproduced from Westcott's General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (London, 1870), appendix D.

Versus Scribturarum Sanctarum
ita Genesis verus ĪĪĪĪD Genesis has lines 4500
Exodus versus ĪĪĪDCCExodus 3700
Leviticum versus ĪĪDCCCLeviticus 2800
Numeri versus ĪĪĪDCLNumbers 3650
Deuteronomium ver. ĪĪĪCCCDeuteronomy 3300
Iesu Nauue ver. ĪĪJoshua of Nun 2000
Iudicum ver. ĪĪJudges 2000
Rud ver. CCL. Ruth 250
Regnorum ver. Kings: 2
primus liber ver. ĪĪD first book 2500
secundus lib. ver. ĪĪsecond book 2000
tertius lib. ver. ĪĪDCthird book 2600
qvartus lib. ver. ĪĪCCCCfourth book 2400
Psalmi Davitici ver. D Psalms of David 500
Proverbia ver. ĪDC Proverbs 1600
Aeclesiastes DC Ecclesiastes 600
Cantica Canticorum CCC Song of Songs 300
Sapientia vers. Ī Wisdom 1000
Sapientia ihu ver. ĪĪDWisdom of Jesus 2500 3
XII Profetae ver. ĪĪĪCXTwelve Prophets: 3110
Ossee ver. DXXX Hosea 800
Amos ver. CCCCXAmos 410
Micheas ver. CCCXMicah 310
Ioel ver. XC Joel l90
Abdias ver. LXX Obadiah 70
Ionas ver. CL Jonah 150
Naum ver. CXL Nahum 140
Ambacum ver. CLX Habakkuk 160
Sophonias ver. CLX Zephaniah 160
Aggeus vers. CX Haggai 110
Zacharias ver. DCLX Zechariah 660
Malachiel ver. CC Malachi 200
Eseias ver. ĪĪĪDC Isaiah 3600
Ieremias ver. ĪĪĪĪLXXJeremiah 4070
Ezechiel ver. ĪĪĪDCEzekiel 3600
Daniel ver. ĪDC Daniel 1600
Maccabeorum Maccabees:
lib. primus ver. ĪĪCCCfirst book 2300
lib secundus ver. ĪĪCCCsecond book 2300
lib. quartus ver. Ī fourth book 1000
Iudit ver. ĪCCCJudith 1300
Hesdra ĪDEsdras 1500 4
Ester ver. Ī Esther 1000
Iob ver. ĪDC Job 1600
Tobias ver. Ī Tobias 1000
Evangelia .IIII. Four Gospels:
Mattheum ver. ĪĪDC Matthew 2600
Iohannes ver. ĪĪ John 2000
Marcus ver. ĪDC Mark 1600
Lucam ver. ĪĪDCCCCLuke 2900
Epistulas PauliEpistles of Paul:
ad Romanos ver. ĪXL To Romans 1040
ad Chorintios .I. ver. ĪLX To Corinthians 1 1060
ad Chorintios .II. ver. LXX To Corinthians 2 70 5
ad Galatas ver. CCCL To Galatians 350
ad Efesios ver. CCCLXV To Ephesians 365 6
ad Timotheum .I. ver. CCVIII To Timothy 1 209
ad Timotheum .II. ver. CCLXXXVIIIITo Timothy 2 289
ad Titum ver. CXL To Titus 140
ad Colosenses ver. CCLI To Colossians 251
ad Filimonem ver. LTo Philemon 50
ad Petrum prima CCTo Peter 1 200
ad Petrum .II. ver. CXLTo Peter 2 140
Jacobi ver. CCXXOf James 220
Pr. Iohanni Epist. CCXXOf John 220
Iohanni Epistula .II. XXOf John 220
Iohanni Epistula .III. XXOf John 320
Iudae Epistula ver. LXOf Jude 60
Barnabae Epist. ver. DCCCLOf Barnabas 850
Iohannis Revelatio ĪCCRevelation of John 1200
Actus Apostolorum ĪĪDCActs of the Apostles 2600
Pastoris versi ĪĪĪĪShepherd 4000
Actus Pauli ver. ĪĪĪDLXActs of Paul 3560
Revelatio Petri CCLXXRevelation of Peter 270



NOTES

1. A "stichometry" is a table which gives the number of stichoi or lines of text (counting usually sixteen syllables as a line) for any series of books. This information was used by ancient scribes in quickly checking manuscripts for completeness.

2. The four books of the "Kings" refers to First and Second Samuel and First and Second Kings.

3. "Wisdom of Jesus" refers to Ecclesiasticus.

4. "Esdras" here evidently refers to both Ezra and Nehemiah.

5. The number of lines given for Second Corinthians is far too low. Probably the first digit has been lost in transcription.

6. The omission of Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Hebrews is probably due to scribal error, the scribe's eye jumping from the end of the word ephesious (Ephesians) to the end of ebraious (Hebrews).