Beinecke MS 206                                                    France, s. XIII^^ex
Bible

          ff. 1r-450v    Bible, in the following order (numbers in
     parentheses refer to Stegmueller, v. 1): General prologue (284);
     Pentateuch (285), Genesis, Exodus (leaf missing between ff. 21-22),
     Leviticus, Numbers (leaf missing between ff. 46-47), Deuteronomy (leaf
     missing between ff. 60-61); Joshua (311, leaf missing between ff. 73-
     74); Judges (leaf missing between ff. 82-83); Ruth; 1 Kings (323; leaf
     missing between ff. 93-94), 2 Kings (leaf missing between ff. 105-106),
     3 Kings (leaf missing between ff. 115-116), 4 Kings; 1 Chronicles (leaf
     missing between ff. 139-140), 2 Chronicles (327) + Prayer of Manasses;
     1 Ezra (330); Nehemiah; 2 Ezra (= 3 Ezra, Stegmueller no. 94, 1; leaf
     missing between ff. 174-175); Tobit (332); Judith (leaf missing between
     ff. 184-185); Esther (341 + 343); Job (leaf missing between ff. 194-
     195); Psalms (leaf missing between ff. 204-205); Proverbs (2 leaves
     missing between ff. 224-225); [folios 231-253 have been misbound:]
     Ecclesiastes (ff. 236-237; beginning missing); Song of Songs (f. 238;
     beginning missing); Wisdom (ff. 239-243; beginning missing);
     Ecclesiasticus (ff. 244-253, 231-235; beginning missing) Isaiah (leaf
     missing between ff. 253-254); Jeremiah (leaf missing between ff. 271-
     272); Lamentations (leaf missing between ff. 293-294); Baruch (491);
     Ezekiel (492); Daniel (494); Minor Prophets (500): Hosea (507), Joel
     (511, 510), Amos (515, 512, 513), Obadiah and end of Jonah missing
     (leaf lost between ff. 334-335), Micah (526), Nahum and beginning of
     Habakkuk missing (leaf lost between ff. 336-337), Zephaniah (534),
     Haggai (538), Zechariah (539), Malachi (543); 1 Maccabees (547, 553,
     551), 2 Maccabees; Matthew (590, 589), Mark (607), Luke (620, followed
     by Luke 1.1-4 treated as a prologue), John (624); Romans (677), 1
     Corinthians (leaf missing between ff. 414-415), 2 Corinthians (699),
     Galatians and beginning of Ephesians missing (several [?] leaves
     missing between ff. 421-422), Philippians (728), all of Colossians and
     beginning of 1 Thessalonians missing (several [?] leaves missing
     between ff. 423-424), 2 Thessalonians (752), 1 Timothy (765), beginning
     of 2 Timothy and all of Titus missing (several leaves [?] missing
     between ff. 425-426), Philemon (783), Hebrews (793); Acts (leaf missing
     between ff. 429-430); Catholic Epistles (809; leaves missing between
     ff. 413-414, 444-445); Apocalypse (beginning missing between ff. 444-
     445).

          Parchment, ff. 450, 224 x 157 (162 x 111) mm. Written in 2 columns
     of 51 lines; single vertical bounding lines full across, double
     horizontal rulings in upper margin for running titles. Ruled in lead;
     prickings in lower margins.
          A precise collation is impossible due to extensive repair of the
     binding; the contents given above indicate where leaves appear to be
     wanting. Remains of signatures along center of lower edge, on verso, do
     not reflect current construction of codex.
          Written by a single scribe in small, neat, gothic bookhand; note
     in his hand on f. 209r, too trimmed to be legible.
          Approximately half the historiated initials have been excised. The
     initials, 51- to 9-line, painted gold, red and blue with white
     highlights and punctuated with gold dots, terminate in spiralling
     floral serifs, often with biting animal heads, with long projecting
     stems against cusped grounds. The figures are red, blue, orange and
     grey, against red or blue grounds, some of them diapered and decorated
     with groups of three white dots and gold dots. The subjects of those
     surviving are as follow: f. 1r (Prologue) Three scribes; f. 4r
     (Genesis) Creation, with only six days; f. 37r (Leviticus) Jews before
     an altar; f. 92r (Ruth) Elimelech, Naomi and two children; f. 128r (4
     Kings) Ahaziah on deathbed; f. 151r (2 Chronicles) Solomon praying; f.
     166v (1 Ezra) Cyrus building tower; f. 180v (Tobias) Tobit and swallow;
     f. 190r (Esther) Esther, Ahasuerus and Haman; f. 207r (Psalm 26)
     Annointing of Samuel; f. 209v (Psalm 38) The Devil tempting the
     psalmist (an unusual iconography, for which compare a Psalter, Paris,
     B. N. nouv. acq. lat. 3104, Northern France, ca. 1270, f. 84v,
     reproduced in Manuscrits a peintures offerts a la Bibliotheque
     Nationale par le comte Guy du Boisrouvray [Paris, 1961] no. 7, pp. 39-
     40 and pl. 18); f. 212r (Psalm 68) David in the deep waters, God the
     Father above; f. 214v (Psalm 80) David at carillon; f. 217r (Psalm 96)
     Cantors; f. 219v (Psalm 109) Christ in Majesty; f. 295r (Baruch) Baruch
     as scribe; f. 298r (Ezekiel) The Vision of the Tetramorph; f. 318v
     (Daniel) Daniel in the lions' den; f. 328v (Hosea) Hosea and Gomer on
     throne; f. 331v (Joel) Joel with two Jews; f. 333r (Amos) Amos as
     Shepherd; f. 335v (Micah) Micah before city; f. 338r (Zephaniah)
     Zephaniah seated; f. 339r (Haggai) Haggai standing with king; f. 340r
     (Zachariah) Annunciation to Zachariah; f. 344r (Malachi) Malachi with
     two Jews; f. 345v (1 Maccabees) Execution of the idolatrous Jew, who
     holds a pig's head; f. 359r (2 Maccabees) Delivery of letter; f. 368r
     (Matthew) Tree of Jesse; f. 381r (Mark) Mark with lion; f. 389r (Luke)
     Luke censing altar, angel; f. 402r (John) John with eagle; f. 419r (2
     Corinthians) Angel with scroll, man in bed; f. 423r (Philippians) An
     execution; f. 424v (2 Thessalonians) Paul with sword and standing man;
     f. 425r (Timotheus) King with two soldiers; f. 426r (Philemon) Paul in
     tower and standing man; f. 426r (Hebrews) Paul with two Jews; f. 443r
     (James) Standing man.
          Illuminated initials, 51- to 5-line, occasionally for books (f.
     74v [Joshua] and f. 175r [Nehemiah]), for the most part for the
     prologues, similar to the historiated initials, except infilled with
     interwining and angular vines with biting head terminals, red and/or
     blue against red or blue grounds with gold dots and set in frames of
     painted gold. 2-line calligraphic initials for chapters, red or blue
     with blue or red penwork, each attached to a column of superimposed
     I's, red and blue, running the full length of the text column, with
     penwork flourishes, especially at the terminals. Capitals for verses
     stroked in red. Running headings and chapter numbers in alternating red
     and blue letters or numbers.
          Binding: Date? Resewn on four single, round, vegetable fiber cords
     which are frayed out and adhered inside the oak boards. There are no
     endbands, but traces of alum tawed endband cores and sewing supports
     remain in the holes in the boards. The spine is square. Some lettering
     in ink on the fore-edge. Covered in red-brown calf, with an
     exceptionally large stamp of the Virgin and child in an aureole within
     concentric frames, one with an inscription, on the upper board and
     diamonds filled with crosses, roses and IHS in circles on the lower.
     The latter ornaments are also stamped on the turn-ins underneath the
     pastedowns. Rebacked and edges repaired. Upper board detached. Not the
     original and possibly not an early binding. Rebacked in the Yale
     Conservation Studio in 1982. The upper and lower covers are lined with
     single leaves, pasted down, of a missale plenum (s. XI?). Portions of
     Dominica VI post Pentecosten, Feria IV of that week (upper cover), an
     unidentified mass of the Sanctorale, Dominica III post Pentecosten
     (lower cover). Where they occur, the texts of the proper chants are
     notated in German neumes in campo aperto. Some of the chants are cited
     by incipit; these are usually not noted. The Alleluia for DMC III is
     Domine in virtute; that for DMC VI is Eripe me. (We thank K. D.
     Hartzell for his assistance with these fragments.)

          Written probably in Northern France toward 1300; note of a
     corrector along lower edge of f. 21v (partially trimmed) suggests that
     the manuscript travelled to Avignon: "feci auinion. Non. Septembro anno
     domini .M. CCC. xxii in ecclesia [?] fratrum augustinorum." Notes by at
     least 2 hands of the 15th century. Unidentified booklabel, gold on pale
     blue, inside front cover; unidentified paper label with "393" inside
     back cover. Gift of Mrs. Bernard F. Gimbel in 1955.

     secundo folio: [perscrip]ta sunt breuiter

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 40, no. 206.
          T. E. Marston, "The Gimbel Manuscripts," Gazette 30 (1956) p. 152.

     Barbara A. Shailor