Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire. Section de Médecine, H 137

From Clavis Canonum
Library Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire. Section de Médecine
Shelfmark H. 137
Century saec. IX/X/XI
General region of origin France
Collection Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii)
Collection 2 [[Collectio CCCXLII capitulorum]]
Collection 3 [[Collectio Dacheriana]]
Main author Bruno Schalekamp


Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire. Section de Médecine (or BU Historique de Médecine), H. 137 is a composite manuscript with a total 320 folios; the individual parts date from the late ninth to (late) eleventh-centuries. The dates given in the literature are: saec. XI (fols. 1r-306v and 315r-320v) and saec. XI2 (fols. 307r-314r) (Kéry); saec. IX/X (fols. 106v-116r) (Kottje); A: IXex-X; B: saec. XI (Fournier/Mordek). It is written partly in long lines (fols. 1r-174v, 176r-268v, and 269v-320v), partly in two columns (fols. 175r-v and 269r). Its codicological composition and dimensions are unknown. No quire signatures have been included. Modern folio numbering in Arabic numerals in lead pencil are found on the recto side of each folio in a modern hand. Fournier has argued the manuscript consists of two parts, A (fols. 1-166v) and B (fols. 167r-320v). The manuscript was written by numerous (but unknown amount of) hands in either Caroline minuscule (part A) or late Caroline minuscule (part B) The codex's origins are unknown but can be traced to France according to Mordek. Its provenance is known from the 16th century onwards, as it is known to have been in possession of Pierre Pithou (1539-1596). Nothing else known about both parts before his life and connection to the manuscript; according to Fournier, both parts - previously created separately - were probably bound together sometime in the 17th century.

Contents

Montpellier, BISM, H. 137 is a large codex and contains mostly patristic and canonical material, with some penitential additions. The patristic sources are dominated by sermons, originating from a wide range of authors including Caesarius of Arles and St. Augustine (or ascribed to him). Many of these sermons are - at the time of writing - of unknown authorship. Folios 1r-166v probably comprise a coherent (unknown?) collection of these sermons. The canonical material consists of the preface to the Collectio Dacheriana, the Collectio CCCXLII capitulorum, the preface to Pseudoisidore's False Capitularies, a few chapters of the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii), and an unknown collection of 114 chapters. The penitential part includes works by Pseudo-Theodore, Halitgar of Cambrai, Fulbert of Chartres, and a penitential ascribed to pope Gregory III. The manuscript includes many other - sometimes unidentified - works, which can mostly be considered to be part of the previously mentioned categories. Some of these include, for example, a letter of Jerome 'on penance', excerpts from both Isidore de Seville and St. Augustine's large corpus of works, pope Gregory the Great's 25th homily, and the first two books of St. Augustine's The Soliloquies. See below for a complete preliminary overview of the identified and unidentified works.

Fol. 229v of the manuscript, showing the first chapters of the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii)

This very large composite codex contains a remarkable mix of genres and an abundance of literary sources. The owner of part A of this large collection of patristic, canonical, and penitential sources, it can be said, must have had a clear interest in penance and confession. Many of the sources included expound on what these activities - be it spiritually or materially - mean and entail. Part B, however, also includes a penitential and some works relevant to penance, even though its contents are overwhelmingly canonical. It can, therefore, only with certainty be said that the 17th-century owner of both these parts had a very wide interest in the source material of penance and canon law.

Fournier adds the important note that Burchard of Worms, Liber decretorum did not influence these manuscripts in any way. Furthermore, Pseudoisidore’s False Decretals remarkably make no appearance here, whereas the False Capitularies do. One might suggest the second part of the manuscript (B) could be defined as a separate canonical ‘collection’ of sorts, as it includes much canonical material that is intertextually relevant, as well as could be associated with one another. On the other hand, the Collectio CCCXLII capitulorum is ‘its own section’, which criticizes such a possible suggestion.


folios texts
Front cover and multiple flyleaves
1r-166v Collection of various excerpts from sermons, letters, books, and other works from various patristic fathers and other relevant authors
1r-3v Unknown author (in Migne: Exhortatio poenitendi): Cur fluctuas anima merorum quassata procellis
3v-8v Unknown author (in Migne: Exhortatio poenitendi): Audi Christe tristem fletum amarumque canticum
8v-24r Unknown author (in Migne: Oratio pro correptione vitae): Deus omnium mirabilium auctor miseri
24v Blank page
25r-30r Epistle of St. Jerome to Rusticus, titled De Poenitentia
30r-40v Alleged sermon of St. Augustine (n. 351), titled De Poenitentia
41r-43r Alleged homilia of St. Augustine. Rather, probably a sermon ascribed to him (n. 258), titled De Agenda Poenitentia
43r-44r Sermon of pseudo-John Chrysostom, titled De Confessione
44r-46v Excerpt from St. Augustine’s De vera religione liber unus, chapter 55
46v-47v Excerpts from St. Augustine’s Libri contra Faustum, book 20, n. 21
47v-49v Sermon of St. Augustine (n. 350), titled De laude caritatis
49v-52v St. Cyprian's Exhortatio de paenitentia
52v-56v St. Ephraim the Syrian’s De judicio Dei et resurrectione, de Regno coelorum et munditia animae. Here mentioned as De munditia animae
57r-69r St. Augustine's De agone Christiano
69r-77v St. Augustine's Episcopi de patientia
78r-96r St. Jerome’s epistle (n. 22) to Eustochium, titled Libellus de virginitate servanda
96r-103r Gennadius of Marseille's De ecclesiasticis dogmatibus
103v Blank page
104r-105v Pope Gregory the Great’s 25th homily
105v-106r Alleged work of St. Augustine. Rather, probably the 11th chapter of Alcuin’s De virtutibus et vitiis, titled De compunctione cordis
106r-v St. Augustine's De confessione chapter 12
106v-107r Excerpts from Halitgar of Cambrai’s De poenitentiae
107r-117v Various excerpts from patristic fathers such as, among others (and allegedly?), St. Jerome, St. Augustine and Isidore de Seville
117v-118r Excerpts from St. Eucherius’ Instructiones, book 1
118r Excerpt from the 21st chapter of Alcuin’s De virtutibus et vitiis, chapter 21, titled De falsis testibus. Also an excerpt from Halitgar of Cambrai’s De poenitentiae
118r-v Various excerpts from biblical and patristic sources
118v Excerpt from Halitgar of Cambrai’s De poenitentiae. Also an excerpt from Alcuin’s De virtutibus et vitiis, chapter 19, titled De fraude cavenda
118v-119r Excerpts from Halitgar of Cambrai’s De poenitentiae, De furtu
119r Unknown excerpt ascribed to pope Gregory the Great's De discordia
119r-120v Sermon of Caesarius of Arles (n. 54) on methods of divination. Here ascribed to St. Augustine
120v-121r Unknown sermon, titled De detractione
121r Unknown sermon, titled De contentione
121r-122v Sermon of Caesarius of Arles (n. 57), titled De ebrietate. Here ascribed to St. Augustine
122v Excerpt from pope Gregory the Great’s Dialogues
123r Unknown sermon, titled De uerbo otioso
123r-v Unknown sermon, titled De cogitationibus malis
123v Unknown sermon ascribed to St. Augustine, titled De curiositate
123v-124r Unknown sermon, ascribed to pope Gregory the Great, titled De fructu digno penitentiae
124r-v Excerpt from Alcuin’s Opusculum de baptismi ceremoniis
124v-126r John Cassian's Conferences, book 3, chapters 8-11
126r-v Unknown sermon, titled De non celandis propriis peccatis
126v-127r Unknown sermon, titled De alienis peccatis non tacendis
127r-128r Excerpt from the Penitential of Cummean
128r-130r 30th canon of the Penitential of pseudo-Theodore with an expoundation
130r-132v Series of fragments of pope Gregory the Great concerning various topics. These were mostly excerpted from his Dialogues, book 4. Chapters in order of appearance include chapters 50, 39, 42, 43, 44, 25, 28, and 39
132v-133v Epistle of Hrabanus Maurus to Regimbald
133v-137r St. Ephrem's De iudicio extremo et de compunctione
137r-v Isidore de Seville's Sententiae, book 2, chapter 6
137v-147v John Chrysostom's De compunctione cordis
147v-166r St. Augustine's The Soliloquies, books 1 and 2
166r-v Excerpts from St. Augustine's The Soliloquies, which cuts off in the middle of a sentence
167r Beginning of a penitential ascribed to Fulbert of Chartres (952/970-1028), titled De diuersis criminibus et remediis eorum
167r-172r Penitential of 33 chapters ascribed to Gregory III (d. 741). This concerns a complete version of the work
172v-229r Collection of capitularies, which are excerpts from Ansegisus (c. 770-833/834) and Benedict Levita. According to Fournier, some were also taken from Isidore de Seville
229v-230v Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii), chapters I-VIII
230v-269r Preface to the Collectio Dacheriana, titled De utilitate penitentiae
269r Short table of a collation of the Greek and Latin alphabet with Roman numerals
269r-272v Canons 1 through 25 of the council of Meaux-Paris (845/846)
272v-306r Collectio CCCXLII capitulorum
306r-307r Excerpts from Pseudoisidore's False Capitularies, praefatio
307r-314r Unknown canonical collection consisting of 114 chapters
314r-v Epistle of Fulbert of Chartres (n. 13) and an excerpt from a council of Toledo
315r-316r Small collection of canons from councils at Toledo (III-IV), Agde, Orléans, Sevilla (II), Carthage (IV), Chalcedon, Tarragona and Arles (I), as well as a decretal by pope Siricius. Furthermore includes some chapters of Martin of Braga and of an unknown council, titled Concilia Orientalium patrum
316v-320v Series of epistles by Fulbert of Chartres (ns. 74, 55, 22, 56, 4, 87, 106, 58, 75, 11, 12, 842, 10, 95, 91, 16, 98, 18, 14, 17, 6, and 23)
Multiple flyleaves and back cover

Links

Literature

Catalogue général Vol. 1 (1849), p. 335-336; Fournier, ‘Notice sur le Manuscrit H.137’ (1897), p. 1-33; Kéry, Canonical Collections pp. 75, 81, 89, 122, and 181; Kottje, Die Bussbücher Halitgars von Cambrai (1980), p. 64; Mordek, Bibliotheca capitularium (1999), p. 127 and 524; Mordek, Kirchenrecht und Reform (1975), p. 181 n. 394 and 398, 194 n. 495, 259, and 262; Fowler-Magerl pp. 62-64; Rambaud-Buhot, ‘Un corpus inédit’ (1968), p. 271-281.

An edition of the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) is currently being prepared by Sven Meeder, Gideon de Jong, and Bruno Schalekamp.