Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex containing commentaries on Biblical Books written in England in the first half of the 13th century
Parchment: stout, modest quality with clear distinction between H and F sides. Arranged HF, FH. Fire and water damage to the top of most leaves, resulting in loss of text to varying degrees from f.140.
Modern foliation in ink (1-2) for the medieval flyleaves, in pencil thereafter. The original numbering mistakenly included two 237s, the following numbers then being one below the actual total; however, these erroneous numbers have been crossed out and replaced with 238-242.
Medieval flyleaves (f.1-2) ?a bifolium, I-XXI10, XXII8, XXIII-XIV10, XXV2
Written area: 256 x 165 mm. Two columns (width, 76 mm). Written above top line.
Lines: 57 (space, 4-5 mm; height of minims, 2+ mm).
Pricking: awl and knife. Pricked in both side margins for the horizontal rulings.
Ruling: lead. Double vertical bounding lines at the outer edge of text-block, a single vertical at the inner edge, three in total in the intercolumnar space; a further single vertical in both side margins. First three and last three horizontals invariably extended.
Written in Textualis semi-quadrata, the letters always set well above the ruled baseline. Citations generally presented with the first word or words in full, then initials only for any further words; they were flagged by subscript dots. A single scribe, who also supplied some marginalia and running headings (generally in black but in red on f.3v-15r) as part of the original transcription. Text corrected and repunctuated throughout, vertical lines added to clarify word division; rubrics, chapter numbers and marginalia added, in Anglicana, 15th century, by one or more hands. A few such entries in red. The chapter numbers were evidently marked first in lead or lighter ink and then written in more heavily. Many of these entries were underlined in a red ink very similar to that used to rubricate the main text they accompany, suggesting that some or all of the rubrication was in fact done at the time of these additions.
None. Spaces reserved for initials (5 lines high for the incipit of (a), 4 lines high for the incipits of most subsequent texts, 2 lines high for certain subdivisions within texts) remained unfilled. Some or all of the rubrication may have been added in the 15th century.
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). Traces of turnovers from an earlier binding visible on the flyleaves (f.1-2)
Written in England, earlier 13th century.
Pressmark: “.E.”, later 14th century, f.3r, top, towards the right. Note of content (‘Postilla super iiior Euangelia et epistolas canonicas, actus apostolorum, cantica canticorum, apocaly\p/sim, librum numeri et super librum exodi’ – i.e. items (a), (b), (d), (e), and (h)-(m)), 15th century, f.3r, top. Pressmark “1a 2i.S.”, 15th century, f.3r, top right. Recorded in Cloister catalogue.
f.1: XI.40-XI.43.8. f.2: XI.43.8-XI.48.10. The pages are consecutive, with some text missing between the two, possibly due to the lost lower margin of f.1v. Fragments from the same 13th century Italian manuscript appear in DCL A.I.9 (2 leaves), A.I.11 (2 leaves), B.I.33 (4 leaves), B.III.17 (3 leaves) C.III.1 (8 leaves).
A defective copy, lacking prologue and omitting passages. Lemmata within the text are underlined in red. Some marginalia flagging particular texts and themes, plus occasional distinctiones, neatly written on specially ruled lines, was apparently copied as part of the original transcription. A different hand, 15th century, probably responsible for corrections to text (see, e.g. f.57v-58r), added biblical chapter numbers in the margins plus some further marginalia. This work, too, has been rubricated like the rest.
Anonymous. Lemmata within text underlined in red. Biblical chapter numbers added in margin, and occasional themes flagged, by 15th century hand.
Most of f.80v, col. ii, left blank
Lemmata in text underlined in red. 15th century correcting hand added marginalia, identifying prefaces, supplying biblical chapter numbers, and occasionally flagging themes. Short gaps within text; most of f.142v, col. ii remains blank.
Anonymous. Incomplete commentary on John, without a prologue, and lacking commentary on 7.28-11.1 (this last flagged by 14th/15th century marginal note on f.162v: “Nota deficient hic tria capitula”). Corrections, chapter numbers, the “Finit”, and other marginalia added in 15th century hand.
A quaestio wherein the apostles Peter and John are taken to signify the active and contemplative life respectively. The heading, “Vita activa, contemplativa”, was added in the margin by the 15th century hand.
Ends half way down column i; remainder of f.179v, blank.
In each case the titles were added in the margins, 15th century. Increasing amount of text (and one title) lost through fire damage, as the work progresses.
Mostly lost through fire damage
Mostly lost through fire damage
Anonymous. Title and chapter numeration supplied 15th century. Text ends on line 3 of col. i of f.202r: rest of page blank.
Imperfect due to losses from fire damage at the top of each leaf. End f.218r, col. i; col. ii and 218v, blank.
Anonymous. Breaks off incomplete at the end of discussion of 11.19
Highly imperfect: acephalus - lacking all commentary on Chapters 1-31 - owing to loss of quires between f.230 and 231; the top of the outer column of each surviving page is missing/illegible owing to fire damage; most of the last nine lines are lost. Most of f.233r, col. ii, is blank.
Start of prologue lost through fire damage, but included resumés of each book of the Pentateuch. Text stops incomplete at the bottom of f.242r, amid discussion of Chapter 22. 15th century note in the lower margin: ‘Hic deficient 16 capitula’. f.242v, blank
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, F., Repertorium biblicum medii aevi , (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1950-1961)