Menologium

Menologium (μηνηλόγιον, from μήνη and λόγος), a name given by the Greek Christians to such of their Church books as contained, besides the Mencea (q.v.), or special prayers and hymns for each festival and saint's day, short biographical notices and descriptions of the death of the saints and martyrs. The menologia were generally divided into monthly parts; sometimes into two semi-annual volumes. There are yet a number of them extant in MS., and extracts of them for the use of the Greek Church were repeatedly printed in the 17th century. It nearly corresponds to the Martyrology of the Roman Church. The Greeks give the names of the saints, together with short biographical notices of them, taken from the μηναῖα, and also the Gospel lessons for the day. Allatius, in 'De libris Graecorum, p. 83-88, gives an account of their origin and contents. Several of them are very ancient, and known to us by the accounts of Assemani, Genebrardus, and Ant. Contius. The most important are: Menol. ex versione Cardinalis Sirleti in, Canisii lectt. anztiqua-ruan (tome v):-Menol. ex Menceis Graccorum eruturn et in linguamn vern. versum a Maximo Margunio ed. Anton. Pinello (Venet. 1529): Menol. Graecorumn jussu Basilii Imperatoris Greece olim editum — nunc psrimum Gr. et Lat. prodit studio et opera Annibalis Tit. 'S. Clementis (Urbini. 1727). Still more remarkable than this edition of the so-called Menologium Basilianum is the Μηνολόγιον τῶν εὐαγγέλων ἑορταστιχῶν sive 'Calendarium Ecclesice Constantinopolitanoe primitus ex Bibliotheca Romuna Albanorum in lucemn editum, etc., 'cursa' Steph. Anton. Morcelli (Rome, 1788, 2 vols.). The text in this edition, revised with great care, was, according to the opinion of the author, written during the, reign of Constantinus Copronymus. See 'Augusti, Denkwiirdigkeiten, 6:208; 12:300; Suicer and Du Fresle, Lexicon, s.v.; 'Siegel, Christl. Alterthiinme (see Index); Neale, 'Introd. Hist. East. Church.