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A COMPILATION OF THEOLOGICAL TEXTS, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum and paper [Spain, perhaps Castile, mid-15th century]
An intriguing collection of unusual theological texts, with a particular focus on the Arian heresy: the compiler of the present manuscript follows John of Damascus’ exposition on the Orthodox faith with Vigilius of Thapsus’ anti-Arian dialogues; the rare complete text for Richard of Saint-Victor’s De trinitate, for which very few 15th-century manuscripts exist; and homilies of Pseudo-Chrystostom, to whom a number of sermons by an Arian bishop of the 5th or 6th century have historically been attributed.
278 x 215mm. i + 178 leaves, complete (final leaf a blank), two columns, 37-40 lines, ruled space: c.193 x 149mm, catchwords and gathering numbers survive, decorated penwork initials throughout (small tear to margin on f.130, occasional light marginal staining). 16th-century brown calf over pasteboard (some losses and bumping, small splits to spine, rebacked with original spine).
Provenance: Likely made for a Spanish religious house; the style of the flourished initials in red and purple is close to those in manuscripts produced in Castile in the middle of the 15th century, including such de luxe examples as the Castilian translation of Boccaccio’s De montibus held in Paris (BnF, Espagnol 458) with which it shares a watermark (Briquet 2401; Venice, 1437-1457) and composition (the innermost and outermost bifolia of each gathering of vellum else paper) — 19th-century ‘I9’ shelfmark added on fore-edge — ‘LVR 1962’ in modern pencil on final blank.
Content: John of Damascus, De fide orthodoxa, translated from the Greek in 1153-1154 by Burgundio of Pisa ff.1-68; Vigilius of Thapsus, excerpts from the Contra Arianos dialogus (‘Incipit altercatio fide inter arrium et athanasium episcopum’; ‘Incipit sententia iudicis’) ff.68-99; Richard of Saint-Victor, De trinitate (‘Iustus meus ex fide vivit […]’) ff.99-148; Pseudo-Chrystostom, Homelia de Psalmo 50 (‘Pictores imitantur arte naturam […]’) ff.148-155; Homelia cum expulsione eius ageretur (‘Multi quidem fluctus et unde […]’) ff.155-156v; Homelia eiusdem post exilii prioris reditum (‘Quid dicam. Quid loquar.’) ff.156v-157v; Homelia eiusdem quando de asia regressus est constantinopolim ipse iohannnes (‘Moyses magnus ille […]’) ff.157v-159v ; Homelia eiusdem de passione domini (‘Paucis hodie necessarium […]’) ff.159v-169v; Homelia eiusdem de asscensione domini (‘Quand de cruce nostra […]’) ff.169v-173v; St Ambrose, Homelia pastoralis (‘Si quis fratres oraculum […]’) ff.173v-177.
An intriguing collection of unusual theological texts, with a particular focus on the Arian heresy: the compiler of the present manuscript follows John of Damascus’ exposition on the Orthodox faith with Vigilius of Thapsus’ anti-Arian dialogues; the rare complete text for Richard of Saint-Victor’s De trinitate, for which very few 15th-century manuscripts exist; and homilies of Pseudo-Chrystostom, to whom a number of sermons by an Arian bishop of the 5th or 6th century have historically been attributed.
278 x 215mm. i + 178 leaves, complete (final leaf a blank), two columns, 37-40 lines, ruled space: c.193 x 149mm, catchwords and gathering numbers survive, decorated penwork initials throughout (small tear to margin on f.130, occasional light marginal staining). 16th-century brown calf over pasteboard (some losses and bumping, small splits to spine, rebacked with original spine).
Provenance: Likely made for a Spanish religious house; the style of the flourished initials in red and purple is close to those in manuscripts produced in Castile in the middle of the 15th century, including such de luxe examples as the Castilian translation of Boccaccio’s De montibus held in Paris (BnF, Espagnol 458) with which it shares a watermark (Briquet 2401; Venice, 1437-1457) and composition (the innermost and outermost bifolia of each gathering of vellum else paper) — 19th-century ‘I9’ shelfmark added on fore-edge — ‘LVR 1962’ in modern pencil on final blank.
Content: John of Damascus, De fide orthodoxa, translated from the Greek in 1153-1154 by Burgundio of Pisa ff.1-68; Vigilius of Thapsus, excerpts from the Contra Arianos dialogus (‘Incipit altercatio fide inter arrium et athanasium episcopum’; ‘Incipit sententia iudicis’) ff.68-99; Richard of Saint-Victor, De trinitate (‘Iustus meus ex fide vivit […]’) ff.99-148; Pseudo-Chrystostom, Homelia de Psalmo 50 (‘Pictores imitantur arte naturam […]’) ff.148-155; Homelia cum expulsione eius ageretur (‘Multi quidem fluctus et unde […]’) ff.155-156v; Homelia eiusdem post exilii prioris reditum (‘Quid dicam. Quid loquar.’) ff.156v-157v; Homelia eiusdem quando de asia regressus est constantinopolim ipse iohannnes (‘Moyses magnus ille […]’) ff.157v-159v ; Homelia eiusdem de passione domini (‘Paucis hodie necessarium […]’) ff.159v-169v; Homelia eiusdem de asscensione domini (‘Quand de cruce nostra […]’) ff.169v-173v; St Ambrose, Homelia pastoralis (‘Si quis fratres oraculum […]’) ff.173v-177.
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