De opificio Dei and De ira Dei

Lactantius, approximately 240-approximately 320

1440/1450

1440-1450

Italy -- Ferrara
Italy -- Rome

This manuscript includes two short works by Lactantius, a fourth-century Christian apologist and theologian. One of the lesser known Latin Fathers, Lactantius was neglected during the Middle Ages, but was extremely important during the Italian Renaissance. This elegant, attractive copy with wide margins is written on paper with simple initials and distinguished by the exceptionally attractive script of the main scribe, and the passages in Greek by the second scribe.--Vendor description.

The two texts, De opificio Dei and De ira Dei, in this manuscript are complete. Most copies of these two texts, however, are found in manuscripts that also include the much longer work by Lactantius, the Divinae institutiones (“Divine Institutes”), and it is at least possible that these two texts were once part of a longer manuscript.

Latin
Greek

Christianity
Theology
Providence and government of God

Early Manuscripts Digital Collection
Medieval Manuscripts

MSC0542

xMMs.Misc7

http://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/repositories/2/resources/514

Height of Binding (mm): 300
Height of Written Space (mm): 212
Width of Written Space (mm): 112
Text Dimensions: 212 x 112 mm
Number of Leaves: 34

Material: Paper (Fiber product)
Form: Paper codex

Physical Description: Vertical catchwords written top to bottom in the lower margin along the bounding line. Partially trimmed No signatures.

Binding: Bound in modern limp vellum. Quires 1-3 reinforced at the beginning, middle and end with very narrow strips from earlier manuscripts, probably dating from the thirteenth century, on parchment.

Collation: i-iii10 iv4 [+5, f. 35, later replacement leaf]

Foliation: i (paper) + 35 + i (paper) folios on paper

Ruling: Ruled in blind with double vertical bounding lines.

Hand: Written by two scribes. The first copied folios 1-33, line 31, in a beautiful cursive humanistic script in thirty-eight long lines
the second scribe finished folio 33, and copied folios 33v-34v in a bold upright idiosyncratic cursive humanistic script. The Greek passages on these folios are in a different color of ink but may be written by this scribe. Folio 35 is a replacement leaf copied in a later hand.

Initials and Capitals: The layout varies. Scribe one: guide letters for the initials: one-line blue initials within the line of text or in the outer-margin if the beginning of a section coincides with the beginning of a new line, folios 1 and 18, five to four-line blue initials, edged in a greenish-gold. Scribe two: folios 33v-35, red rubrics, blank spaces for two-line initials.

Page Titles: Inscribed at head of leaf 1 recto: Lactan[ius] de opifirio ho[min]is. Incipit title of De opificio Dei: Quam minime sim quietus etiam in summis neccessitatibus ex hoc libello poteris. Inscribed at head of leaf 18 recto: Lactan[ius] a ira Dej. Incipt title of De ira Dei: Animadverti saepe donate plurimos id existimare.

Rubrication: Folios 33v-35: red rubrics

Marginal Notation Notes: A marginal note on folio 12 in a tiny elegant humanistic script cites Albertus Magnus, In libro de animalibus. Added titles in the margins, folios 1 and 18
and stains from fore-edge tabs, folios 15-20. Inside back cover, “108,” in pencil.

Marginal Notation, Annotations: Modern foliation in pencil top outer corner recto.

University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Department

2018-08-16

Material in the public domain. No restrictions on use.

Contact the Special Collections Department at The University of Iowa Libraries: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/contact

31858064875424
index.cpd

Text

Initials

Miscellaneous

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