Merton College MS. 313
Former shelfmark: H. 3. 13
KORAN IN LATIN &c.; S. XIV med.
Contents
Language(s): Latin
MS 313 is an example of a surprisingly popular collection of translations, originally commissioned by Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny (d. 1156), from a team of scholars at Toledo. The centrepiece is the Latin Koran, accompanied by shorter polemical pieces purporting to outline the basic doctrines of Islam. The purpose of the collection was to provide materials for preaching to and debating with muslims. Like 312, this book had nothing to do with the University curriculum.
Fols. iii-ivv blank.
Pr. T. Bibliander and J. Oporinus (Basel 1543), pp. 213–23; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 559.
Pr. Bibliander and Oporinus, pp. 201–12.
Followed by a table of the names of the months according to the Romans, Egyptians, Persians, Arabs, Hebrews and Greeks.
Latin translation by ROBERT OF KETTON
Pr. Bibliander and Oporinus, pp. 8–188, the preface in PL 189. 657–60; Sharpe, Handlist, pp. 559–60.
On similar collections, see M.-T. d’Alverny, ‘Deux traductions du Coran au moyen âge’, AHDLMA 22–3 (1947–8), 69–131, and J. Kritzeck, Peter the Venerable and Islam (Princeton, NJ, 1964).
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Frame-ruled with pencil; written in c. 36 long lines.
Hand(s)
A single anglicana hand.
Decoration
Blue initials flourished in red, red initials flourished in violet.
Binding
Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on five bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii and 160–1 are paper binding leaves, the outermost from the same printed books as in MS 45. f. iii was a pastedown in an earlier binding; it has the mark of a brass chain-staple near the foot. On f. 1 are the marks of two straps.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
At the head of f. 1 ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ ex legato M. Joh’ Raynham sacre pagine professoris et quondam socii eiusdem domus et rectoris de Holyngbourne in Cancia’. For Reynham, fellow 1335–58, d. 1376, see MS 18.
Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a table of contents, s. xvii, and ‘Q. 3. 15. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘H. 3. 13 (CCCXIII)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘15’ is inked on the foredge.
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.
Bibliography

Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2019-11-05: First online publication