LEMMA: Leuven Multilingual Manuscript Research Centre

The LEMMA Research Centre is based in the Research Unit of Biblical Studies (RUBS) at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies (FTRS) at KU Leuven. Its core research area is the study of manuscripts to investigate the multilingual and multicultural contexts of New Testament texts and contents. Proceeding from primary evidence, scholars connected to LEMMA work in a variety of disciplines, including primarily New Testament Textual Criticism, Documentary Papyrology, Early Christianity and Digital Humanities. The centre’s scientific goal is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the New Testament, that is its texts and their transmission, its historical contexts and its theological contents based on primary sources in multiple languages and cultural environments.

NEWS SUMMARY

ARC Discovery Early Career Award for Dr. Robert Turnbull

Dr. Robert Turnbull has been awarded a Research Grant by the Australian Research Council to investigate Arabic Gospels, starting in 2026 Read More

New International Collaboration: BICROSS goes Down Under

The ERC-COG BICROSS project welcomes Dr. Robert Turnbull and the University of Melbourne as a beneficiary Read More

Project News

1COR Milestone Announcements:
- Vetus Latina fascicle of 1Cor 1:1–3:22 published
  - Congratulations to Dr. Anna Persig on her edition of Vetus Latina 1Cor 1:1–3:22 Read more
- Transcription Phase Complete Read more
  - Browse the synopsis at: http://www.epistulae.org/synopsis/1Cor/index.html
  - Download the XML files from: www.epistulae.org

Dissemination

A tenth-century Gospel of John and its ancient comentary – a blog entry by Andrew Patton Read
Join Christina M. Kreinecker on her time travelling adventure with the Biblical Time Machine to revisit ancient documentary papyri – Learn more here and Listen here
Bilingual Observations on 1 Corinthians: watch a paper by Christina M. Kreinecker on YouTube Watch here
"To the Core of 1 Corinthians": TRN-Interview with postdoctoral scholar Andrew Patton Read here

Publications

"The Use of Sense-Lines in Codex Laudianus. A Formal Analysis" in Vulgata in Dialogue 9 (2025): 48–62 by Tilke Nelis Read online
"Contra Graecum: Bilingual Observations from 1 Corinthians" in NTS 71 (2025): 156–170 by Christina M. Kreinecker Read online
Vetus Latina edition of 1Cor 1:1–3:22 published by Anna Persig Read more
"Altered, Not Antique: The Latinized Greek Text of 1 Corinthians in GA 629" by Andrew Patton in TC 30 (2025): 37–55 Read online
"A New Leaf of GA 2311" by Andrew Patton in Novum Testamentum 67 (2025): 402–407 Read More
Revelation 19–21 in the Exegesis of Early Christian Roman Africa by Martina Vercesi Read More
The Imperial Ousiai of Roman Egypt (Trismegistos Online Publication Special Series VIII) by Yanne Broux Download here
Codex Sinaiticus Arabicus and its Family. A Bayesian Approach by Robert Turnbull Read More
"A Disordered Genealogy and a New Family of Greek New Testament Manuscripts" by Andrew Patton in Novum Testamentum 66.3 (2024): 402–422 Read here
Everyday Life in Graeco-Roman Times edited by Kreinecker, Kloppenborg, and Harrison Read More
February 2024: Release of 21 additional electronic transcriptions of 1Cor View online

"Can A Slave Serve Two Masters?" by Afetameafu Alabi in NTS 70 (1/2024): 38–50 Read More
"Direct Copying in a Group of Gospel Manuscripts with Catenae" by Andrew Patton in NTS 9.4 (2023): 445–461 Read Online
"Unchaining the Scriptures" by Andrew Patton in TC 28 (2023): 131–148 Read Online
More Light from the Ancient East by Arzt-Grabner, Kloppenborg, and Christina M. Kreinecker Read More
Oxford Handbook of the Latin Bible by Hugh Houghton (with contributions by Anna Persig and Christina M. Kreinecker) Read More

Projects

1COR

1COR is an FWO Odysseus Type I project (G0E9821N) to investigate the text, transmission and translation of 1 Corinthians in the First Millennium.

More information

BICROSS

The BICROSS project is an ERC-CoG project to investigate the significance of bilingual manuscripts for detecting cross-language interaction in the NT.

More information

NTT

The New Testament in Translation (NTT) project is a Start-Up Grant project by KU Leuven Internal Funds to investigate translations in and of the NT texts.

More information