YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS
Marston MS 215 Northern France, s. XIV 2/4
Nicolaus de Lyra, Postillae in Testamentum Vetus
1. ff. 1r-44v Primus prologus de commendacione sacre scripture. Hec
omnia liber vite. Ecc. 24. Secundum quod dicit beatus gregorius homelia 35
euangeliorum. Temporalis vita eterne...et ideo verisimile est quod
sperabat resurgere cum christo resurgente. Cui est honor et gloria in secula
seculorum. Amen. Explicit apostilla super genesym. f. 45r-v blank
Postilla on Genesis; Stegmueller 5829. Bifolium ff. 43-44 misbound;
sequence of text should be read ff. 38, 43, 39-42, 44.
2. ff. 46r-78r Secundum quod dicit ysidorus primo libro ethimorum
[sic].
lex est nullo priuato commodo [?] verum pro comuni utilitate...in
memoria illa que de istis superius sunt expressa.
Postilla on Exodus; Stegmueller 5830.
3. ff. 78v-94r Uocauit autem moysem et cetera. Sicud dictum fuit in
principio exodi. Lex diuina que danda est populo aduuato sub cultu...in
littera ultimo recapitulat dicens hec sunt mandata et cetera patent.
Postilla on Leviticus; Stegmueller 5831.
4. ff. 94r-114v Locutusque est dominus. Ex predictis in precedentibus
libris patet quod sicud [sic] in libro genesis. agitur de fidelis populi
eleccione cui lex erat danda...iudicia. quantum ad iudicialia.
Postilla on Numbers; Stegmueller 5832.
5. ff. 114v-134v Declaracio sermonum tuorum illuminat et intellectum dat
paruulis [Ps. 118.130]. Sicud [sic]dictum fuit in principio exodi. lex non
datur proprie vni persone singulari. sed comunitati...non sunt facta per alium
prophetam in. ueteri lege. Explicit Postilla super deuteronomium. Edita
a ffratre N. de Lyra de ordine ffratrum minorum sacre theologie doctore.
Deo gracias. Amen.
Postilla in Deuteronomy; Stegmueller 5833.
6. ff. 135r-147r Introduces eos et plantabis eos in monte hereditatis tue.
exo. xv. secundum hebreos a libro josue incipiunt libri prophetales ut
patet per Ieronimum in prologo...non est in hebreo nec in biblijs
correctis. Explicit Postilla Super Librum Iosue Edita A ffratre Nicholao
de lyra De ordine ffratrum Minorum.
Postilla on Joshua, Stegmueller 5834.
7. ff. 147r-161r Suscitauit dominus iudices...[Jud. 3.2]. Sicut in libro
Iosue a quo incipiunt libri hystoriales agitur de terre promissionis
ingressu...quia non ceperunt eas de uoluntate uestra.
Postilla on Judges; Stegmueller 5835.
8. ff. 161r-163v Incipit hystoria Ruth. primum capitulum. In diebus
unius iudicis. hic consequenter ponitur tercius casus. scilicet ipsius
Ruth. et diuiditur in quatuor partes...sicut dictum est supra secundo
capitulo. Explici [sic] hystoria Ruth deo gracias. as
[sic].
Postilla in Ruth; Stegmueller 5836.
9. ff. 163v-235r Incipit primus liber Regum Regiminum [?]. Per me reges
regnant. proverb. octauo. Sicut dictum fuit in principio libri Iudicum
populus israel post ingressum...et disponens omnia suauiter. Cui est
honor et gloria in secula seculorum. Amen. Explicit postilla super
libros Regum. Edita A ffratre Nicholao de lyra. de ordine fratrum
Minorum. Sacre Theologie Doctore. deo gracias. Explicit iste liber
scriptor sit crimine liber. et cetera. f. 235v blank
Postilla on I-IV Kings; Stegmueller 5837-40.
Parchment, ff. i (paper) + 235, 330 x 240 (258 x 176) mm. 2 columns, 60
lines. Single vertical and double upper horizontal bounding lines.
Additional pairs of rulings, only present occasionally, in upper,
lower, outer and inner margins. Ruled in lead. Remains
of prickings in upper, lower and outer margins; some prickings for text
rulings between columns.
I-III 12, IV 10 (misbound, see text above; -9, a blank), V-XI 12, XII
6, XIII-XVI 12, XVII 10, XVIII-XX 12, XXI 6. Catchwords, many decorated
in a penwork frame, placed between lower horizontal rulings to right of
center, verso. Remains of leaf signatures, red or blue, in lower right
corner, recto.
Written by several scribes in gothic bookhand.
19 pen-and-ink drawings with washes in red, green, blue and pale
yellow, some inserted into the text column, others up to half-page size
dealing with the Tabernacle in the Desert and the Temple of Solomon: the
drawings serve to clarify the written text by depicting differences in
interpretations between Jewish and Catholic exegesis; contrasting drawings
are usually juxtaposed and labelled with the respective source for each.
The subjects, as discussed by B. Kaczynski, "Illustrations of the
Tabernacle and Temple Implements in the Postilla in Testamentum
Vetus of
Nicolaus de Lyra," Gazette 48 (1973) pp. 1-11, are as follow: f. 13r:
Noah's Ark (2 versions); f. 67r: Ark of the Covenant (2 versions); f.
67v: Table of the Showbreads (2 versions); f. 68r: Candelabrum (2
versions); f. 68v: Two Curtains of the Tabernacle; f. 69r: Framework of
the Tabernacle; f. 70r: Altar of Holocaust (2 versions); f. 71r: High
Priest in his Vestments; f. 74v: Tablets of the Law (2 versions); f.
78r: Floorplan of the Sanctuary; f. 95v: Arrangement of the Levite Camps;
f. 206v: Floorplan of Solomon's Temple; f. 208r: Cross section of the
Hall of the Forest of Lebanon; f. 208v: Floorplan of the Hall of the
Forest of Lebanon; f. 209r: Capital Surmounting the Bronze
Pillar; f. 209v: other version of Capital; f. 210r: Brazen "Sea" (3
versions); f. 211v: Wheeled Stands and Bronze Basins (2 versions).
Many fine flourished initials, red and blue divided, 9- to 3-line, with
penwork designs in red, blue and/or purple; somewhat smaller less
ambitious initials alternate red and blue with designs in the opposite
color. The minor decoration appears inconsistently, with running
headlines, rubrics, paragraph marks and underlining of Biblical texts, in
various colors or totally absent.
Binding: Place and date uncertain [a modern restoration?]. Limp
vellum case with earlier title (mostly illegible) running lengthwise on
spine and later title added at top of spine: "Fr. Nicolai de Lyra ord.
min. Commentaria in Libro historico Sacrae Scripturae."
Written in Northern France in the second quarter of the 14th century to
judge from the script and the decorative initials. Inscription on f. 1r
(partially erased: "Iste liber Ecclesie Ravenatis") indicates that it was
in Ravenna by the 15th century where presumably it remained at least until
the 17th century when a note was added on f. 71r concerning a member of
the Guiccioli family ("Actum Die Quarta mensis junij Mill.#o sexcent. 3.
presente DNO Greg. Guicciolo Domino/ Io. Fran. Christ. Iud."). Belonged
to comte Chandon de Briailles (bookplate with "MSS.5" written in ink
on front flyleaf) and to Charles Lormier (his sale in 1904, cat. IV, no. 2509).
Purchased in 1958 from Emile Rossignol, Paris, by L. C. Witten (inv. no. 2064),
who sold it the same year to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).
secundo folio: et minus [corrected from minis?]
Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 89, no. 215.
Exhibition Catalogue, pp. 205-06, no. 32.
Barbara A. Shailor