Ecclesiasticus, bifolium from a large Carolingian Old Testament, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [probably Germany or Switzerland, second half of the ninth century]

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Vellum

a bifolium, one leaf 295mm. by 180mm., the other with a section cut away and hence 294mm. by 105mm. (with loss of approximately 35mm. of text from one side), single column, 27 lines in black ink in an accomplished early Carolingian minuscule in dark brown ink, 2 titles in ornamental capitals, recovered from a binding, with small stains and folds to outermost side, and rubbing, discolouration and annotations dated 1685 on innermost, else good condition

Catalogue Note

This bifolium was recovered from an account book for Leutzingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland, and is perhaps the only surviving remnant of a Carolingian Bible from a medieval community in that region. It must have passed into secular ownership during the conversion to Protestantism in 1528, and ultimately was reused as binding material.

It contains the text of Ecclesiasticus 30:15-31:4-20 and 33:15-34:12, one of the Old Testament books declared apocryphal by the Jewish and Protestant traditions, but accepted by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The use of ornamental titles in the present manuscript to break up the text into sections relevant to 'restraint' and 'discipline', suggest that the parent manuscript was produced for public reading in a church or monastic community.