From a Pilgrim to a Resident

Zaki, Vevian (2021): From a Pilgrim to a Resident. The Marginalia of Yuwakim Ghazzī in the Manuscripts of Mt Sinai. In: Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, Vol. 73, No. 3-4: pp. 219-262

Abstract

This paper investigates marginal notes (marginalia) written in Christian Arabic manuscripts in the early modern period. It takes the Arabic manuscripts of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt, as its primary focus, examining the notes written in the margins of twenty-one manuscripts. These notes were all written by the priest Yuwākīm al-Ghazzī during the years 1534-1538 CE. The investigation is performed on two levels. First, on the historical level, the research constructs parts of the life of this Arabic-speaking Christian individual, Yuwākīm, starting with his annual visits to St. Catherine’s until he eventually became a resident there. Taken together, his marginalia function as a sort of ego-document that reveals much about his family, his connections to several places, and even his future aspirations. Second, in terms of scribal practices, the study looks specifically at the practice of marginalia-writing, and compares Yuwākīm’s marginal notes to those of others who used the same manuscript collection in the same century. This comparison shows the common practices and the particularities of Yuwākīm and the authors of other notes.

• Item Type: Journal article
• EU Funded Grant Agreement Number: 638578
• Keywords: Travel; Pilgrimage,St. Catherine's Monastery; Gaza; marginal notes; scribal culture
• Faculties: Cultural Studies > Department of Ancient and Modern Cultures > Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies; Cultural Studies > Department of Ancient and Modern Cultures > Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies > Arabic and Islamic Studies
• Subjects: 200 Religion > 270 History of Christianity; 900 History and geography > 910 Geography and travel; 900 History and geography > 990 History of other areas
• ISSN: 1783-1520
• Language: English