DCL MS. B.II.17St Augustine, On St John's Gospel
Held by: Durham Cathedral Library: Durham Cathedral Manuscripts

St Augustine's In Johannis Evangelium (a commentary on the Gospel of St John) that was one of the group of books donated by William of St Calais, bishop of Durham (died 1096). It was created in Normandy towards the end of the 11th century.

Digitised: https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1mwp988k083.html

Physical description of manuscript
Support

Parchment

Extent: i+199+i f
Size: 358 mm x 248 mm

Foliation

Modern pencil foliation


Secundo folio: Abeo quod scriptum est
Collation

I4,II-XXV8,XXVI3 (i.e.4th leaf cancelled)

Signatures: Contemporary signatures “xxi”, “xxiii” and “xxiiii” on the final versos (lower margin centre) of those quires.
Script

Written in late Caroline Minuscule transitional to early Proto-Gothic in two hands, the first that of the Carilef Bible Scribe.

Decoration

Binding

Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards with 2 metal clasps (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the mid 19th century)

Manuscript history
Creation

Written in Normandy, end of 11th century.

Provenance

Probably the eighth item on the list of books donated to the Priory by William of St Calais (in DCL MS A.II.4). Recorded in the Cloister library catalogue 1395 (DCL MS B.IV.46), f.22v under Libri Augustini, F. Inscription f.5r “Augustinus super Iohannem De communi libraria monachorum dunelm”. Press marks F (f.2r) and E (f.5r), and 1a 3i altered to 2a2i (f.1r).

Manuscript contents
(a)     f.1r
Modern title: Index
Original title: Tabula
Date: [early 13th century]
Incipit: In principio erat verbum: In tractatu primo. Miserunt Judei
Explicit: Amen amen dico vobis, Nisi granum frumenti
Language: Latin

Virtually identical to (and probably copied from) the tabula added mid 12th century to DCL MS B.II.16

(b)     f.4v-199v
Modern title: St Augustine, Commentary on Gospel of St John
Original title: In Johannis Evangelium Tractatus CXXIV
Author: St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430)
Date: [before 1096]
Incipit: In principio erat verbum, usque ad et tenebre eam non comprehenderunt. Intuentes quomodo audivimus ex lectione apostolica
Explicit: etiam ipse compellerer meum terminare sermonem AMEN
Rubric: Incipit Tractatus Sancti Augustini De Evangelio Secundum Iohannem Abeo Quod Scriptum Est
Language: Latin
Edited: Willems 1954

Digitised material for Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.17 - Augustine, On St John's Gospel
Digitised December 2014 as part of the Durham Priory Library Recreated project
https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1mwp988k083.html
Bibliography

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.   OCLC citation, Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).

Browne, A. C., "Bishop William of St. Carilef's book donations to Durham Cathedral Priory", Scriptorium 42 (1988) 140-155

Willems, R., ed., Sancti Aurelii Augustini In Iohannis Evangelium tractatus CXXIV   OCLC citation CCSL 36 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1954)

Mynors, R., Durham Cathedral manuscripts to the end of the twelfth century. Ten plates in colour and forty-seven in monochrome. With an introduction [including a list of all known Durham manuscripts before 1200]   OCLC citation, (Durham: 1939)

Index terms