Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex containing Latin translations of Homilies of Origen on books of the Old Testament, written in England in the second half of the 12th century. Given by George Davenport to Bishop Cosin's Library around 1670.
Parchment. Flesh and hair sides not readily distinguishable; apparently so treated that rubrics and red initials outside the written area have oxidised; some flaws (stitches remaining, f.53; neatly patched, f.78, before writing, 81, 82, 97), and natural edges.
foliated 1, 1*, 2-124, 124*, 125-206
Conjectural for quires 1-4 and 31-32, based on calculations of space required for missing text: [18 missing], 28 wants 1 before f.2 and 4-7 after f.3, 38 wants 7-8 after f.10, 48 wants 1-4 before f.11, 5-68 wants 6 cancelled after f.27, 78, 88 wants 2-7 after f.38, 9-198, 208 wants 3-8 after f.128, 218 wants 2 after f.129, 22-248, 258 wants 4-5 after f. 162, 268 wants 5-7 after f.169, 27-308, 318 wants 3-8 after f.204, [328 missing].
Prickings in inner and outer margins. Written space 305-314 x 199 mm; ruled in greyish brown, with a varying number of horizontal lines extended across the outer margins, and with double verticals bounding the written space on f.1-38v. Two columns. 42 or, quires 8-31, 40 written lines, the first above top ruled line.
Written in Protogothic minuscule, proficiently, probably by at least five scribes: (I) f.1-27r/b11 and 33r/a15-37v; (II) f.27r/b12-33r/a15 and 38r-57v; (III) f.58r-194v save as IV below, with major variations in proportions imperceptibly introduced; (IV) f. 162v/a4-12; (V) f.195r-204v. I, III and IV occasionally using tailed e, e.g. f.9v/b, 38r/a4,/b8, 58r/b25, 164v/a9. The half-line left blank at the end of f.194v by III suggests that V had already written the start of f.195r; the note in the lower margin of f.194v, “Rogo uos fratres karissimi ut non moleste [accipiatis] R”, may have been intended to advise users, apparently by quoting the opening of Augustine, "Sermo de diligendis inimicis". Punctuation by I and V (at least once, f.197v/b27) including punctus flexus; also, f.34r and elsewhere, by alteration of punctus or by insertion. Rubrics in quires 2-29 apparently all by I, following informally written marginal notes; in quires 30-31 smaller by V (?).
Some text capitals set out to left and enlarged, f.1-27 and 33-37v. Initials: (i) to subdivisions of homilies, 2 or 3 line, in red, green or buff, some with serifs elaborated into curled foliage finials; (ii) to homilies, 6 or 7 line, in red, buff and/or green, decorated with reserve work wavy lines, dots, etc., and with finials as (i), many filled with geometrical patterns and/or curled foliage in green and/or buff, and, f.195r, blue and red. Beside many type (ii) initials a marginal letter in soft brown indicates, in French or Latin, the colour to be used: b, r or v, for bis/bissus, rouge/rubeus or vert/viridis. Running titles. In ink, giving book of the Bible, on most rectos or, f.60v-64r, 112v-140r, 150v-151r and 155v-158r, openings or, f.64v-108r, 140v 150r, 151v-155r and 158v-204v, each page; none on f.108r-111r.
Apparatus, apparently mostly in the ink of the text, comprising marginal marking of lines containing scriptural passages with a diple sign; marginal notes, in red, f.37v-108v and 204v, keyed by signs to particular words, also, similarly keyed, in black, f.52v-106v, by paired letters “AZ”, “AH” (both f.88v), “AO” (f.89r), “NZ” (f.101), “ZS” (f.106v), etc.; single letters, “A” (for Auctor?), e.g. f.84r, 110v, 111r, 112r, 186r, 187r; “R” (for Rufinus?), e.g. f.111v, 126r, 127v, 128r, 130v, 131v, 132r, 139r, 140r, etc.; nota marks, “D.M.” (e.g. f.85r, 119r, 131v, 157v), and marking of passages with pairs of an ad hoc sign, e.g. f.40r-v, 143v 145v, 147v. Early corrections, some implementing marginal notes, e.g. f.196r, 204r; over erasure, some of two or more lines, e.g. f.27v, 29v, 33r and 47r; or by interlineation, e.g. f.101r, 154v, 155r, some implementing marginal notes, e.g. f.196r, 202r, 204r. Punctuation amended early, see below. Later large plummet Notas. Brief marginal indications of content, 12th/13th century. Note, 15th century, f.67r. A few notes on content, 16th-17th century, ff 2r, 7r, 45v, 72r, 92r.
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century).
Written in England, in part by scribes following the Cistercian use of punctus flexus in punctuating, and with early corrections extending its usage, later 12th century.
Another twelfth century copy of the same corpus, slightly less complete, BL MS Royal 4.C.ix, also has the two omissions in Judges and the use of Jeremiah to complete Isaiah, items (6) and (8), also homilies beginning as here: Genesis 16 “Vendiderunt etenim egiptij” (f.15), Judges 2 “Recitatum est nobis et ille” (f.141), and Isaiah 9 “Et exaudiuit” (f.164). The same features recur in a further twelfth century copy of Judges - Jeremiah, BL MS Royal 6.A.ii. Two leaves containing homilies on Ezekiel, ii and xiv, as item (10), with almost identical page-dimensions, 40 lines per column and similar script, written in the second half of the 12th century, survive as binding fragments in Cambridge King's College Archives Bulls box M.9.
Inscription: “Edward bedo”, 15th/16th century, written neatly, upside-down, f.111v.
Note of contents, in the hand of George Davenport, f.1*r.
Homilies iii, vi-x, xii-xvi. The equivalent of almost 9 leaves, making no allowance for a list of capitula, etc., is missing at the beginning; about 4 leaves are missing between f.3, ending “Christo Iesu”, and f.4, beginning “abimelech iste”; and aboutt 6 leaves are missing between f. 10, ending “dixerit mihi”, and f.11, beginning “illa omni”.
Homilies i-vii and xi-xii. The equivalent of 6 leaves worth of text missing between f.38, ending “omnipotentis hoc est”, and f.39, beginning “chaustorum iuxta uelamen”.
Rufinus’s Prefatory Letter to Chromatius and homilies. The equivalent of 6 leaves is the amount of text missing between f.128, ending “salvatoris nostri”, and f.129, beginning “efficiantur sapientie”; the equivalent of 1 leaf is missing between f.129, ending “et reliquie”, and f.130, beginning “uiuentium.”, where a stub remains.
The omission of passages from Homily 2 “Vidisti quia ... in manus diripientium” (f.141r/b19), and Homilies 8 - 9 “et replevit ... adhuc inquit” (f. 149v/a9), whereby the two homilies are amalgamated, is found in other English copies; the latter in some Continental copies also.
The equivalent of 2 leaves of text is missing between f.162, ending `diem hec', and 163, beginning `Propositionem' (part of homilies vi-vii). The latter part of one of Origen's Jeremiah homilies is used to conclude the incomplete Isaiah Homily 9.
The equivalent of 3 leaves of text is missing between f.169, ending “principali cordis”, and f.170, beginning “uindicte eorum” (parts of homilies ii-iii): three stubs remain.
Ends imperfectly in homily vi. The equivalent of almost 15 leaves would be required for the text of the remaining Ezekiel Homilies missing
Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis
dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at
various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including
catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
Stegmüller, Friedrich, Repertorium biblicum medii aevi , (Madrid: 1950-1980)