St John's College MS. 207
Bible
Contents
Language(s): Latin
A Bible in the normal Ker order (MMBL 1:96–7), including the prayer of Manasses and 2/3 Ezra. At fols. 287vb–8rab, at a join between booklets and scribal stints, a portion of Stegmüller, Bibl. 457, the prologue to Proverbs, was copied twice, once by each of the scribes. Only three lines are written in the concluding column, fol. 590vb.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In double columns, each column 93–7 × 30 mm. , with 5 mm between columns, in 44 lines. No prickings; bounded and ruled in pencil and black ink.
Hand(s)
Written in gothic textura semiquadrata. Punctuation by point.
Decoration
At the heads of books, champes in gold leaf, blue, and violet, with vine or floral and animal motifs and painted marginal extenders, often the full column.
At the heads of chapters, 2-line blue lombards on extended flourishing and bar-borders in red and blue; chapter numbers in alternate red and blue.
Verses marked by red-slashed capitals.
Headings in red, a substantial number unfilled and some not filled as planned (cf. fol. 288).
Running titles identifying book in alternate red and blue lombards.
No running titles in Psalms, and nocturns marked with champes.
There are several historiated initials:
Fol. 1ra, 7-line: Jerome writing the book and, at the centre of the foot of the page, a similar-sized painting of the crucifixion with Mary and John; both use a very silvery tint for skin and gold leaf haloes.
Fol. 4v, the head of Genesis, full-column I: the seven days of creation.
Fol. 76va, Deuteronomy, 3-line: the horned Moses addressing two of the Hebrews.
Fol. 214vb, Nehemiah, 6-line: a crowned throned king addressing another man who is staring into a cup.
Fol. 247ra, Job, 7-line: Job and a comforter.
Fol. 288rb, Proverbs, 7-line: king beating his son with a mallet.
Fol. 304rb, Wisdom, 6-line: Wisdom enthroned addressing a knight.
See AT, no. 691 (68), dating s. xiii3/4, and plate xli (fol. 4v).
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on six thongs. At the front, one vellum flyleaf; at the rear, one vellum flyleaf (ii); the second certainly, and the first probably, pastedowns from an earlier binding.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
A list of biblical books (s. xv, textura prescissa), not complete, filled in and with the number of chapters in each added (fol. iv, mixed anglicana/secretary s. xv).
A list of Sundays in the year, with the gospel pericopes not filled in (fol. ii, s. xv).
The old shelfmark ‘Abac: ij. No. 21’ (front pastedown).
‘Liber Collegij Sancti Joannis Baptistae Oxon Ex dono Guilelmi Laud Theologiae Doctoris et hujus Collegij Socij 1610’ (fol. i, top); the signature ‘William Laud’ (fol. iv). Exhibited Laud Exhib, no. 1 (1).
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact St John's College Library.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2021-10: First online publication