Merton College MS. 12

Former shelfmark: B. 2. 2

AIDS TO BIBLICAL STUDY ; S. XV med.

Summary of Contents: MS 12 is representative of an important class of book in the Merton Library: practical aids to the study of the Bible and other fundamental texts (see also MS 22). It contains analyses of the Bible itself and of the popular commentary on Matthew ascribed to John Chrysostom, a biblical dictionary, and an alphabetical subject-index to the important commentaries of Nicholas de Lyra. It is not surprising that a reference-book such as this was chained in the Library soon after receipt.

Language(s): Latin

ff. i–iii blank but for a brief note, quoting Gennadius, De Viris Illustribus, and the Polychronicon, at the head of iiv. On f. iiiv is a table of contents, s. xv.

1. (fols. 1-6v, 20-77)

Petrus Aureoli OFM, Compendium Litteralis Sensus Totius Scripturae

Rubric: Incipit compendium litteralis sensus tocius diuine scripture editum a fratre P. Aureoli ordinis fratrum minorum et ponitur primo commendacio sacre scripture in generali

Incipit: Venite ascendamus ad montem Domini... ; Gregorius 23.libro moralitatis exponens illud Iob ...

Explicit: (f. 6v) de quibus dictum est

Final rubric: Explicit commendacio sacre scripture

Rubric: (f. 20) Incipit compendium litteralis sensus tocius diuine scripture

Incipit: Considerandum est quod scriptura potest diuidi in 8 partes principales

Explicit: gratia D. n. I. C. cum omnibus uobis amen

Final rubric: Explicit compendium litteralis sensus tocius diuine scripture ...

ed. P. Seeboeck (Quaracchi, 1896); Glorieux, Théol. 351h; Stegmüller, Bibl. 6422.

2. (fols. 7-13v)

Principium Biblicum

Incipit: Stude sapientia Prouerbiorum 27. Omnem hominem primo generaliter ecclesiasticum et religiosum secundo specialiter prelatum

Explicit: ad istum paradisum leticie ualeamus peruenire quod nobis concedat qui ...

Stegmüller, Bibl. 10197, citing only the copy in MS 201, art. 5.

3. (fols. 13v-17v)

Augustine, Sermones

Rubric: Sermo beati Augustini de legendo scripturam sacram

Incipit: Scriptum est f. k. quod Moyses posuit in tabernaculo labrum eneum

Rubric: Sermo 30 de penitencia

Incipit: Admoneo f. in conspectu Dei timori uestro timorem meum

Rubric: Sermo 31 de Ieiunio et oratione

Incipit: Aduersus demonum nequiciam nobis Dominus arma ostendit

Rubric: Sermo de cogitacionibus 32

Incipit: Primum quidem cogitacionibus malis repugnandum est

Rubric: Sermo de filio prodego Luc. 15

Incipit: Pax uobis d. qui optimam partem elegistis

Rubric: Sermo de oratione et eius perseuerancia 34

Incipit: Fratres mei et leticia cordis mei tempus est ut reuertar ad eum

Final rubric: Expliciunt sermones ad fratres habitantes in heremo per beatum Augustinum editi

Serms 38 fr. er.,app. 73, 76 fr. er., 27 fr. er., 22 fr. er.:PL 40. 1304-6; 67. 1082-3; 39. 1886-7; 40. 1358; 40. 1280-2; 40. 1271-3.

4. (fols. 17v-19; 19v blank)

Ps.-Augustine (Nicetas of Remesiana), De Psalmodiae Bono

Rubric: Sermo beati Augustini de utilitate psalmorum

Incipit: ⟨Q⟩uam grata sit et acceptabilis

Explicit: ipsi laudabunt Dominum in s. s. amen.

Final rubric: Explicit sermo beati Augustini ualde deuotus de utilitate psalmorum

CPL 649; PL 68. 371-6; ed. C. H. Turner, JTS24 (1923), 225-52; Römer 2. 382.

5. (fols. 77v-133v)

Repertorium Vocabulorum Bibliae

Incipit: Licet nonnulli cuncta uocabula biblie simplicibus ignota lucidius exponenda diligenter laborauerunt

Incipit: Abba secundum Papiam Syrum nomen est

Explicit: Zizannia penultima corda grecum est

Final rubric: Explicit repertorium biblie

unpr.; also in Eton Coll. 4, Graz, Universitätsbibl. 322; Hereford Cath. O. V. 2; BL Harl. 2270, Royal 8 E. vii; Lambeth 162; Bodl. Libr., Bodl. 863, Laud. misc. 30; MS 234 below, art. 2. Stegmüller, Bibl. 1159. Ascr. by Bale (Index, p. 25) to Alexander Nequam, and seen by him at Oriel College and London, St Peter

6. (fols. 133v-67v)

An Anthology of Ps.-John Chrysostom, Opus Imperfectum in Mattheum

6.1. (fols. 133v-8 ‘)

Incipit: Liber generacionis Christi. Quomodo Ysaac Christum figurabat

Explicit: ex usu inuocacionum ubi fides

An analysis of the contents of each Homily.

6.2. (fols. 138-167v)

Incipit: Aduersitas. Vtilitas aduersitatum temporalium

Explicit: ⟨Xristianus⟩ huc intrasti non habens &c.

Final rubric: Explicit tabula Crisostomi

unpr.; Stegmüller, Bibl. 4350, 1, citing only Durham Cath., A. III. 11 (s. xiii), ff. 152–70. Van Banning, pp. ccxxvi, cclxii–cclxxii, however, lists another dozen copies.

7. (fols. 170-265)

William Norton OFM, Index to Nicholas de Lyra, biblical commentaries

Preceded by a list of quaestiones , ff. 167v-70.

Incipit: Vtrum apocalipsis liber conuenienter ponitur ultimus in canone cum tamen scriberetur ante euuangelium Iohannis in prologo expositionis super euuangelium

Explicit: Vtrum liris [ sic foriris] sit signum federis Gen. 9.

Final rubric: Expliciunt questiones fratris Nicholai de Lira super Bibliam

The same list is in Eton Coll. 108, ff. 186-7 (MMBL 2. 722).

Rubric: Tabula super doctorem de Lyra super uetus et nouum testamentum

Incipit: Abacuck prophetauit destruccionem Caldeorum

Explicit: Zorobabel erat de tribu regia

Final rubric: Explicit tabula super doctorem de Lira compilata per fratrem Willelmum Norton de sacro ordine fratrum minorum in conuentu Couentrensi anno Domini millesimo CCCC tercio

unpr.; Stegmüller, Bibl. 3000; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 795; one of seven copies.

8. (fols. 265v-83v; 284-6v blank)

Expositio Litteralis Psalterii

Incipit: Ad consolacionem fidelium eorum maxime qui expositio sancte Paule amplectuntur scripturarum historicum

Explicit: Hebreos consueuit uocari liber iste soliloquium Messie et sic finis restat psalterii

Final rubric: Explicit &c

Stegmüller, Bibl. 10195, apparently the unique copy.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: citatur intelligencia

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 289 leaves (iii + 286)

Dimensions (leaf): 315 × 220 mm.

Dimensions (written): 230 × 150 mm.

The edges retrimmed with loss of marginalia and spattered with red. ff. i-iii and 286 are of thick, stiff parchment. The outer col. of f. 18 excised.

Collation

a bifolium, a singleton, 1⁶, 2¹²(+ 1 after 12), 3-24¹², a bifolium, a singleton; catchwords. Quire 2 is bound out of order.

Layout

Frame-ruled with crayon in 2 cols; written in c. 52 lines.

Hand(s)

Written in a single proficient secretary hand. At the foot of f. 7 is ‘pro scriptura quat’ xv d.’ At the foot of f. 167v, in tiny letters, ‘pro scriptura iii. s. vii d.’ At the foot of f. 283v is pencilled ‘of gret let’ xl lett’ / of paraf ii s qa’’. Correction marks. Marginal annotation in contemporary hands.

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red; red or blue paraphs; red underlining of lemmata.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, repaired and rebacked by Maltby, 1953; sewn on six bands; formerly chained from the usual position. On a previous binding were two straps from the front board to clasps at the rear. At the foot of the front board, towards the foredge, was a brass chain-staple. The outermost leaves were pastedowns in an earlier binding.

History

Origin: S. XV med. ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

At the foot of f. iii^v‘Liber Willelmi Romsey propriis sumptibus scriptus’. Romsey or Rumsey (BRUO 1606-7) was fellow c. 1449 until at least 1463, d. 1512; he also gave MSS 47 and 247. The College received this book on 25 May 1493, chaining it in the library on 2 Aug. 1494 (Registrum, pp. 173, 184). On f. i is ‘2’, written early but probably after rather than before the leaf was a pastedown. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with contents and ‘F. 7, 13’ (canc.), s. xvii, and the College bookplate. ‘B. 2. 2’ is pencilled near the head. At the head of f. 1 is the James no. ‘208’, s. xvii in. ‘13’ is inked on the foredge.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

Coxe, p. 7; Powicke, no. 1102; Römer 2. 299.