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Alternative title

Bibliorum Pars I

Type of resource

mixed material

Extent

ff. 273

Date created

[ca. 1100-1199]

Language

Latin

Material

Vellum

Layout

double columns of 45 lines

Height (mm)

547

Width (mm)

372

Collation

I(4?) (wanting 1, 4) II(8)-XXXV(8) (wants 8). Old foliation and numeration of quires incorrect.

Writing

in a fine hand much resembling that of MS 2

Foliation

ff. i + 1-273

Provenance

From St Martin's Priory, Dover. On the lower margin of f. 4r is the press-mark of that house: : : I : Prima pars Biblie ... es inter omnia animancia ... 273. It is entered in the old catalogue of 1389. See my Ancient Libraries of Canterbury and Dover, pp. 413, 522

Summary

CCCC MSS 3-4 are a two-volume Bible made for Dover Priory, a dependency of Christ Church cathedral priory, Canterbury. Like the Bury Bible, CCCC MS 2, it is of very large size and typical of twelfth-century luxury monastic Bibles. This first volume contains the Old Testament from Genesis to the Minor Prophets. There is no firm evidence for dating, although a date c. 1150 is generally accepted. The script is close to the Eadwine Psalter (Cambridge, Trinity College MS R.17.1) and dated charters produced at Canterbury in the 1150s. It seems fairly certain that the mother house provided its dependency, Dover Priory, with the book, although at what date it came to Dover is not known. It appears first in the 1389 catalogue of their books. There are historiated or decorated initials at the beginning of the biblical books, illuminated by several artists working in different styles. The artists of this first volume work in a Byzantinising style, but different from that of Master Hugo in the Bury Bible, CCCC MS 2. Although it is also a version of the 'damp-fold' style, the folds are patterned in a way closer to that of Byzantine artists. This artist of the Dover Bible may have travelled to Sicily and was influenced by the style of mosaics such as those of the Cappella Palatina, Palermo.

Contents

The Dover Bible, Volume I

M.R. James Date

xii

Downloadable James Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:ts373xq7027/MS_3.pdf

Superseded Interim Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:wc947vn1610/3.pdf

Contains:

• The Dover Bible, Volume I. 1r-273v

  Note:

  f. 1 gone

  Incipit:

  (1r) Incipit ordo librorum catholicorum qui in ecclesia romana ponuntur in anni circulo ad legendum

  Explicit:

  (1r) In octauas theophanie eosdem psalmos easdemque lectiones quas in theophania preter has festiuitates quas superius diximus

  Rubric:

  (1r) Incipit prologus Jeronimi presbiteri in Genesim

  Incipit:

  (1r) Desiderii mei

  Note:

  (2r) Capitula (84), f. 4 (frontispiece to Genesis with word IN) gone, (3r) Genesis, beginning: principio: four lines in large coloured capitals

  Rubric:

  (23r) Explicit liber Bresith id est Genesis. Incipiunt capitula libri Hellesmoth idest Exodus

  Note:

  (23r) Capitula (149), (24r) Initial to Exodus of fine conventional foliage on blue ground. It contains a bust of Jacob in medallion in the cross-bar of the H and busts of the twelve patriarchs in four groups of three below, (41r) Capitula to Leviticus (89), (41v) Initial to Leviticus: decorative, contains lion and dragon, (53v) Capitula to Numbers (74), (54v) Initial to Num. (L.) containing six busts in medallions, the topmost one an angel, the others men, (72r) Capitula to Deuteronomy (154), (73v) Initial to Deuteronomy (H). Above, on blue ground, Moses nimbed, pointing to Mons Horeb on L. and holding scroll which hangs down into the lower half of the letter, inscribed, in wonderfully fine capitals: sufficit vobis quod in hoc monte mansistis. Below, two groups of men (five in each) on yellow ground, receiving the scroll

  Rubric:

  (89r) Explicit ad dabarim quod grece dicitur deuteronomium VIDC (= 1600)

  Note:

  (89r) Praefatio in Josue

  Incipit:

  (89r) Tandem finito

  Note:

  (89v) Capitula (33), (89v) Decorative initial to text, (100v) Capitula to Judges (18), (100v) Initial. IOSVE ET CALEPH, two figures on brown ground robed, each holding sword and shield, one shield (L.) is or seven bends sinister vert, the other checky of az. and arg. a chief or fretty sable

  Rubric:

  (112r) Explicit liber soptim id est iudicum V II DCCL

  Note:

  (112r) Decorative initial to Ruth, with dragon and grotesque head: bust of Ruth in medallion, (113v) Prologue to Kings

  Incipit:

  (113v) Uiginti ed (!) duas

  Note:

  (114v) Capitula of 1, 2 Reg. (96), (114v) Initial. Blue panel on green. Goliath in mail shirt, peaked helmet, kite-shaped shield, long spear. David small on L. slings at him. At the tail of the letter Goliath fallen, with broken spear, helmet fallen off showing nose-piece. David stands on him and beheads him, (131r) 2 Reg. Initial. David throned rends his clothes, a courtier at each side weeps. The Amalekite kneels on L. holding up crown and ring. At the tail of the letter, a man beheads the Amalekite, (143v) Capitula of 3, 4 Reg. (86), (144v) 3 Reg. Decorative initial, (159v) 4 Reg. Initial. Blue ground, coloured clouds above. Christ nimbed in car drawn by two dappled horses surrounded by red flames (He holds the reins) grasps the wrist of Elijah on L. who is in a single brown garment. Below his feet the mantle. At bottom Elisha looks up and holds scroll (damaged) Pater mi Pater mi currus Israel et auriga eius, (173v) Prologue to Isaiah

  Incipit:

  (173v) Nemo cum prophetas

  Note:

  (173v) Initial. Isaiah (on blue and green ground) with scroll ve genti peccatrici. He holds his hand to his face, (195r) Prologue to Jeremiah

  Incipit:

  (195r) Ieremias propheta cui hic

  Note:

  (195r) Initial. Christ (Α̂ and ω̂ on the background) holds scroll, Prophetam in gentibus dedi te. Outside the letter, on brown ground, Jeremiah (beardless). Above him the words A, A, A, domine deus

  Rubric:

  (220r) Lamentatio ieremie prophete

  Incipit:

  (220r) Et factum est

  Rubric:

  (222r) Finit lamentatio Jeremie prophete. Oratio Jeremie prophete (Lam. v), (222v) Explicit liber Jeremie prophete secundum Hebraicam translationem

  Note:

  (222v) Prol. to Ezekiel

  Incipit:

  (222v) Ezechiel propheta cum loachim

  Note:

  (222v) Initial decorative, (245r) Prologue to Daniel

  Incipit:

  (245r) Danihelem prophetam iuxta

  Note:

  (245v) Initial. Daniel pointing upward to bust of Christ. Scroll, cum venerit sanctus sanctorum cessabit unctio, (255r) Prologue to Twelve Prophets

  Incipit:

  (255r) Non idem ordo

  Note:

  (255r) Hos. Initial. Hosea with scroll in both hands. Recte vie domini iusti ambulabunt in eis, (258r) Joel. Initial. Joel nimbed with scroll. Magnus enim dies domini et terribilis valde, (259v) Amos. With scroll. Ve desiderantibus die(m domi)ni, (261v) Obadiah with scroll. In monte Sion erit salvatio et vocabitur sanctus, (262r) Jonah baldheaded, with scroll in both hands. Adhuc xl dies et ninive subvertetur. Below his feet the fish, with Jonah's head protruding from its mouth, (263r) Micah, beardless with scroll. Erit mons domus domini preparatus in vertice montiunt, (264v) Nahum. Preface

  Incipit:

  (264v) Naum consolator

  Note:

  (265r) Initial. Nahum with scroll. Dominus patiens est et magnus fortitudine, (265v) Habakkuk. Preface

  Incipit:

  (265v) Abacuc luctator

  Note:

  (265v) Initial. Habakkuk with hand to head and scroll. Domine audivi auditionem tuam et timui, (266v) Zephaniah. Preface

  Incipit:

  (266v) Sophonias speculator

  Note:

  (266v) Initial. Zephaniah nimbed with scroll. Sol convertetur in tenebras et luna in sanguinem, (267v) Haggai. Preface

  Incipit:

  (267v) Aggeus festiuus

  Note:

  (267v) Initial. Bust of Haggai in medallion at top with scroll. Ecce veniet desideratus cunctis gentibus, (268v) Zechariah. Preface

  Incipit:

  (268v) Zacharias memor

  Note:

  (268v) Initial like the last, scroll. Exulta satis filia syon ecce rex tuus venit, (272r) Malachi. Preface

  Incipit:

  (272r) Malachias aperte

  Note:

  (272r) Initial. Malachi beardless with scroll. Quis poterit cogitare diem adventus domini, Each of the minor prophets is described in title and colophon as secundum hebraicam veritatem, (273r) Text ends

TJames

358

Stanley

Under C. 4

Repository

UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

Location

MS 003

Use and reproduction:

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License:

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