Gripla - 20.12.2015, Page 67

67tHe L I F E O F S T . B A S I L IN ICeLANd
illegible, but the final words on the line preceding it appear to be fyrir þeim
oc ‘before them,’ which could be a logical continuation of Exeunte autem
Basilio (W13v3). In any event it is probable that the end of 2v19 would
coincide approximately with W13v5.
the most problematic passage is found on the only legible portion of
f. 2r in 655, which corresponds to chapter 5 of the vita. Both contain the
information that jesus and his apostles appear in church as Basil is making
an offering of bread during the Liturgy of the eucharist. the Latin text
has Basil place a third of the offered bread into a dove of pure gold hang-
ing above the altar, and he then commissions a smith to fashion a dove of
pure gold which he hangs above the altar. the Icelandic text has the Lord
note that Basil sings (a hymn?) to the dove (the Holy spirit). that dove
must then be swung above the altar three times in an east-to-west mo-
tion (sólarsinnis). since all the Latin texts, including those not part of the
17-chapter version, note that the golden dove was present above the altar
before Basil had a smith fashion a dove at the end of the chapter, it is pos-
sible that the Icelandic translator was trying to make sense of this portion
of the text. that the dove above the altar is to be swung three times would
have been known to the translator since it is mentioned at the beginning of
chapter 9. the only verbal similarity on f. 2r identifiable in the Latin ver-
sions occurs when Basil eats a portion of the bread: bergþi han meþ micilli
hrętzslo (2r14), communicauit timore multo (W13r9).
despite the fact that the first eight lines of the fourth leaf of 238 are
quite legible, they present some difficulty. Chapter 16 obviously begins at
4r9 and ends at 4v12, again with the usual deletion from the Latin of whole
sentences. the remainder of the leaf translates the beginning of chapter
17. However, the initial eight lines of f. 4r do not correspond to the end
of chapter 15, where the Latin text describes the Emperor Valens allowing
Basil to take over a church occupied by the Arians. Instead, the Icelandic
text matches loosely that on W22v7–23r3, which is found at the end of
chapter 11.
22v7–23r3 Ista uidens protector [i.e. Anastasius]. post obitum
ualentis, adnuntiauit imperatori ualentiano uirtutes uiri. Ille autem
ammirans glorificauit deum. dans ei multam pecuniam per ipsum
protectorem in opus egentium, et dimisit eum. Qui magnanimitatem
GRIPLA XXVI. - 12.12.B.indd 67 12/13/15 8:24:32 PM