Nicholas of Lyra, Commentaries on Matthew and John

Germany, 15th century

Parchment

119 leaves

295 × 210 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1ra–119vb) Nicholas of Lyra, Commentaries on Matthew and John

Note: There are no modern editions of these commentaries, but they were included in early prints of the Bible, e.g. Lyon 1545.

1.1 (ff. 1ra–4ra) Prologue

Incipit: QUatuor facies vni et cetera Ezechiel primo secundum quod scribit beatus gregorius

Explicit: uel faciebus significabantur iiii^or ewangeliste et sic patet textus

1.2 (ff. 4ra–59rb) Commentary on Matthew

Rubric: capitulum primum

Incipit: Liber generacionis ihesu christi Ewangelium mathei diuiditur in d⟨uas⟩ partes

Explicit: ut sic non deficiet fides petri Ad laudem et gloriam domini nostri ihesu christi Qui est honor et gloria in secula seculorum AMEN

Final rubric: Explicit Postilla super Matheum Edita a fratre Nycolao de Lyra de ordine fratrum Mynorum deo gracias amen

1.3 (ff. 59va–61ra) Prologue

Incipit: FAcies aquile desuper ipsorum quatuor ezechieli id est ezechiel propheta cui aperti

Explicit: doctrina quia paratus est reuelare veritatem fideliter inquirentibus ipsam

1.4 (ff. 61ra–119vb) Commentary on John

Rubric: capitulum primum

Incipit: IN principio erat verbum sed quod patet ex predictis intencio beati Iohannis est

Explicit: id est audiebat ita quod ibi accipitur uisus pro auditu [mut.]

Note: The text ends in the middle of a gloss on John 20:27. f. 120 is glued to the cover as a pastedown, the text on this leaf seems to consist of random glosses. The first gloss is on Mat. 5:21, further down on Mat. 4:17, followed by undidentified glosses.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

regna mundi

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, 120r

Note: The right flyleaf is foliated f. 120 and consists of a leaf with random glosses by the same hand as the main text.

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 295 × 210 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1–119

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 295 × 210 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Running titles in red ink.

Collation

Formula: 1-11(10), 12(12, lacks 10-12)

Note: VisColl collation.

Signatures: Quire signatures on quires 1 and 3.

Catchwords: Catchwords in brown ink, missing on quires 7 and 9.

Condition

Binding/Endleaves

LCI torn or cut, only about half of it remains. This leaf was probably originally part of the textblock. f. 120 is glued to the right cover.

Textblock

The parchment is dirty, cockled, and torn in places. Holes in the parchment throughout, some of them with contemporary repairs, e.g. on f. 99. Cuts or tears in the parchment in some places, e.g. in the outer margin on f. 42. Leaves damaged by damp or spills here and there, especially on ff. 109–118.

Layout

Columns: 2

Ruled lines: 50

Written area: 230 × 160 mm

Note: Ruling and guidelines in ink. Pricking in the margins.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Textualis.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top left corner: National Library book label with current signum; upper part of page, in ink by a medieval hand: ‘ attinet’(page, including first words, cropped); in brown ink by a modern hand: ‘Tillhör Bernhard Rosenblad’; below, by the same hand: ‘Köpt i December 1830 i Leipzig för 3 Rles (Riksdaler) 16 Fr. Conv. Mynt utom Kostnader’; centre page: traces of a large label.

Textblock

(ff. 1vb–120ra) Scattered additions in ink by one or several medieval hands in the margins throughout. The additions consist of notes on the content, corrections, and manicules and nota marks. Throughout there are also notes in small letters in ink and pencil in the running titles. These are probably instructions to the rubricator.

(f. 1vb) In the lower margin there is a note that refers to (f. 9rb) for relevant content, on (f. 9rb) a note refers back to (f. 1vb).

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in dark brown ink, capitals touched in red, rubrics in red and with red strike-through.

The decoration is typical for Germanic book illumination of the late 15th century.

Initials:

(f. 1ra): opening foliate initial ‘Q’ over 6 lines.

Green letter with acanthus embellishments in letter body and filling. Placed on a quadrangular golden space framed in pink. Short acanthus leaves in green, blue, pink and yellow grows out from the upper corners of the pink frame, and a long slim acanthus stem continues along the inner margin, ending by big curls in the lower margin;

(f. 59va): decorated initial ‘F’ over 5 lines. The letter body is painted in grey and purple, adorned by split leaf in gold and wave scroll decorations, and placed in a blue frame. A short acanthus leaf decoration in upper left corner of the frame and a long protruding acanthus stem in green, blue, and yellow goes downwards in the outer margin;

(ff. 2ra–118va): plain initials over 2-3 lines in red.

Drawing:

(f. 5va): diagram in brown and red ink showing the family tree of King David.

Binding

Description:

Medieval binding. Red leather over wooden boards. Spine painted grey. 4 double raised bands and endbands. Spine, in black ink or paint: ‘Nicol⟨as⟩ de Lyra.’; in lead: ‘M8?’; stamped in gold: ‘A 157’; in red paint on a dark grey background: ‘A’.

Binding dimensions: 300 × 220 × 50 mm

Tooling:

Simple painted decoration consisting of a panel with an x-shape inside on both covers.

Condition: Cover extremely worn. The colour of the leather is heavily faded. There are multiple worm holes and abrasions on the covers. Holes from corner and centre pieces on LCO and RCO, the latter also has holes after straps. Upper part of LCO, remnants of label with part of a letter visible. The boards are exposed on all sides. On LCI two of the attachment straps are visible. On the centre LCO and upper left corner of the RCO a parchment fragment from an older manuscript is visible through large gaps in the leather. The Spine is of a later date.

Contemporary: Yes