Paris, BnF, lat. 1557
| Library | Bibliothèque nationale de France |
|---|---|
| Shelfmark | lat. 1557 |
| Century | s. IXmed-¾ or X |
| General region of origin | Northern France, possibly Laon (Kéry) |
| Collection | Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) |
| Main author | Bruno Schalekamp |
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 1557 is a ninth-century (mid- or second half) manuscript of 96 folios in 2 cols. (330 x 130 mm). Its codicological composition is unknown and no quire signatures have been included. Modern foliation numbering in Arabic numerals. It was written by six hands in Caroline minuscule, probably in saec. IXmed according to Reynolds, saec. IX3/4 according to Kéry), or, more generally, saec. X according to its catalogue. The manuscript's origins can be traced to Northern France and possibly Laon according to Kéry. Its provenance, however, is less sure. Possibly, the codex was in possession of Jacques-Auguste de Thou (1553-1617), possibly also Nicolas Le Févre (1615-1669) due to its connection to MS Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, lat. 9629. It was definitely in possession of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in the year 1897 (front cover includes MS signature).
Contents
The manuscript is a large-sized codex - but relatively small in amount of folios - and contains a varied mix of canonical material (including the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii)), which is dominated by pope Nicholas I's epistles, as well as various (oecumenical) councils from the near east and Iberia, and (excerpts of) a few epistles of other early medieval popes. The work also contains an excerpt of Isidore de Seville's encyclopedia, a few chapters of Cassiodorus' Historiae, a Visigothic chronicle, and an unknown text titled electio pontificalis. The codex, therefore, comes across as a private collection of canonical material, clearly pick-and-choosing rather specific parts of early canon law and including some of the greater works. It could be speculated this was an episcopal collection.
This conclusion is underscored by conclusions in historiography about fifty years ago. Both Merlette and Reynolds have argued Paris lat. 1557 was possibly originally part of the famous Laon-manuscript Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, lat. 9629, containing much of Pseudoisidore's work. According to them, lat. 9629 may have been glossed by Hincmar of Laon himself. Such conclusion would implicate lat. 1557 may have been part of Hincmar's collection or, at least, been in his hands. In other words, the contents of the manuscript studied here may have been complementary to other codici present in the same archive or private collection.
While the codex has been preserved in a well-readable state, it has endured some hardships. The corners of many folios have extensively been used as page-turners, indicated by the black spots which they have been riddled with. Possibly, this has been worsened by some water damage, as the text seems to have been affected. The damage seems to get more intense toward the end of the manuscript. It must be noted that the rest (read: upper half) of the folios have remained fine and unimpinged.
See the digitized version: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b100324392.
| folios | texts |
|---|---|
| Front cover, including MS signature | |
| 1ra-7rb | Eighth council of Toledo (653) |
| 7rb-8vb | Epistle of Gregory IV (probably 833) |
| 9ra-19ra | Council of Chalcedon (451) |
| 19ra-20ra | Cassiodorus' Historia Tripartita, book 12, chapters 8-11 |
| 20ra-21ra | Excerpt of an epistle of pope Pelagius II (no. 1049) |
| 20va-b | Chronica regum Wisigothorum |
| 20vb-24vb | Excerpts of various epistles of pope Gregory the Great |
| 24vb-27vb | First Council of Nicaea (325) |
| 27vb-28rb | Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) |
| 28rb-30vb | Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae, book 8, chapters 5-7 |
| 30vb-31rb | Eleventh Council of Toledo (675), canon 10 |
| 31rb-35va | Epistle of Nicephorus of Constantinople to pope Leo III |
| 35va-36ra | Epistle of Benedict III to the bishops of (Carolingian) Francia |
| 36rb | Electio pontificalis |
| 36va-37rb | Blank pages |
| 37va-78vb | Various epistles of pope Nicholas I |
| 79ra-93vb | Various epistles of pope Hadrian II |
| 93vb-96vb | Various epistles of pope Nicholas I |
| Back cover |
Literature
Catalogue général des manuscrits (1940), p. 65-66; Bischoff, Katalog der festländischen Handschriften (2014), p. 157 n. 4614; Contreni, Cathedral School of Laon (1978), p. 62 n. 81, 64 n. 90, 74, 140; Kéry, Canonical Collections (1999), p. 76, 81; Merlette, Écoles et bibliothèques Laon (1975), p. 32 n. 61; Mordek, Kirchenrecht und Reform (1975), p. 226 n. 60 and 259; Reynolds, Law and Liturgy (1994), p. 116 (IV).
An edition of the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) is currently being prepared by Sven Meeder, Gideon de Jong, and Bruno Schalekamp.
