Cassiodorus, Historia Ecclesiastica Tripartita, in Latin, decorated manuscript on paper [Germany (probably Marienmünster), c.1465]

227 leaves, 295mm. by 210mm., complete, collation: i-xviii^{12, xix11 (last blank and cancelled), double column, 36-39 lines in brown ink in a late gothic hand, one- and 2-line initials in red, thirteen large initials in blue, some with contrasting penwork (those on fol.1 slightly washed out), discolouration to first and last leaves (first leaf with restoration to edges), slight stains to corners throughout, overall good condition, contemporary blind-stamped calf over bevelled wooden boards (stamped with "ihesus" and "maria" and circular tools, some enclosing agnus dei and lions), rebacked but now cracking along spine, 4 metal bosses on lower cover}

provenance

1. The Benedictine Abbey of Marienmünster, diocese of Paderborn; founded in 1128 and suppressed in 1803: notes by van Ess and Phillipps on fol.2r; S. Krämer, Handschriftenerbe des Deutschen Mittelalters, 1989, p.560, as untraced; and M. Mc C. Gatch, 'Untraced Ess/Phillipps Manuscripts', Book Collector, Winter 1993, p.550; his E211.

2. Dr. Leander van Ess (1722-1847); a member of the community at Marienmunster from 1790 until its suppression; published as Sammlung und Verzeichniss Handschriftlicher Bücher, 1823, no.211.

3. Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872); his MS.595; acquired from van Ess; his sale in our rooms, 6 June 1910, lot 162.

4. Leighton cat. for 1913, no.55.

5. General Theological Seminary, New York, bought from Joseph Martini (letter enclosed in volume): their bookplate and stamps; their sale, Christie's 1 October 1980, lot 148; resold in our rooms, 22 June 1982, lot 60, to Alan Thomas (his cat.49, no.16).

6. Acquired by the present owner from Thomas.

text

This is a fine and handsome late medieval copy of the Historia Ecclesiastica of Cassiodorus (c.485-c.585), the giant of late Roman culture, who stood between the world of Classical learning and the earliest beginnings of Christian study. He was consul in Rome in 514, praetorian prefect in 533 and retired from public life in 540 to found a community of Christian learning at Vivarium, near Naples. He composed this text there, a history of the Roman Empire from Constantine (306) to Theodosius II (439), based on three fourth- and fifth-century Greek sources (Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret), which were translated for him by his friend Epiphanius.