Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.06.2003, Blaðsíða 86
48*
INTRODUCTION
it would have been a volume of some 92 folios plus the quantity, inde-
finable but probably substantial, required for Thómas saga erki-
byskups: a fair-sized codex though not notably large.
XII. The date of AM 234 fol.
1. Literary history and earlier opinions. As mentioned at the begin-
ning of this introduction, Augustinus saga was put together by Runólfr
Sigmundarson, abbot of Þykkvabær 1264-1306, and the oldest manu-
script witness of it is AM 221 fol., dated c. 1300 (see p. 4*). Since 221
was the exemplar for Jóns saga and Augustinus saga in AM 234 fol., a
terminus post quem for the latter codex is obviously assured. The like-
ly date of origin of the texts preceding Jóns saga does not affect this
terminus. The Thómas saga fragments reflect a translation made in
Iceland about or not long after 1200. AM 234 fol. is the only early wit-
ness of Antonius saga\ the date of its translation can only be conjec-
tural. The recension of Páls saga postola represented in the codex is
evidenced in an earlier fragment, AM 655 4to XVII, which is dated to
c. 1250. The variants quoted in Post., 260-63, 271-74, 276-78 appear
to show that the texts of 655 XVII and 234 were not derived from the
same sub-archetype. Maríu saga itself is associated with Kygri-Bjgrn
Hjaltason (died 1237/38) and was finished after 1215 (see Maríu saga,
386, on the Lateran Council of that year), possibly after 1224 (G.
Turville-Petre, Nine Norse Studies, 106-07). Several archaisms in the
234 text point to its origin early in the thirteenth century;9 when in the
same century the many Mary miracles were translated is not immedi-
ately apparent. There are however five miracles, on fols. 55ral-vb30
(printed as nrs 52-56, Maríu saga, 153-57), which are not known else-
where. Of nr 52 it is said that Bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt used to
tell it; he died in 1211. Nr 54 refers to an event at Kálfafell, where St
Nicholas and St Þorlákr are associated with the Virgin in effecting a
cure. This must be Kálfafell in Fljótshverfi (Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla),
where the church was dedicated to St Nicholas (cf. Cormack, 201). Nr
55 concerns a pregnant woman at Svínafell, who gave birth with the
9 Prep. of and umb (also used adverbially) 29va26-27, 29vbl7, 31rb30, 42vb42,
46ra26, 50rb43; um and of as verbal particles 36va22-24, 36va30-31; conj. unz 50rbl6,
26, 28; conj. svát 51 vb 13; manngi 42val8; hversugi 53vb31-32.