Beinecke MS 305               Italy, s. XV^^med
Joachim of Fiore, Expositio super Apocalypsim, etc.

1. ff. 1r-286r //marie vero non multa sed unum est necessarium.
Inde est quod in serie libri sex quidem partes...nota erit omnibus sicut
et illorum fuit. Amen. Explicit laus deo. Explicit expositio luculentissimj
abbatis joachin super librum apocalipsis beati johannis apostoli ad laudem
domini nostri ihesu christi qui utriusque magister extitit. Finis adest operis.
mercedem summe la// [the end of the line is missing] Deo gratias.

     Joachim of Fiore, Expositio super Apocalypsim pars I-VI, incomplete
at beginning and defective throughout; several folios misplaced. For the text
see the edition of 1527 (Venice:  Franciscus Bindonus and Mapheus Pasinus);
Stegmueller, v. 3, no. 4016.

2. ff. 286v-287v Universis christi fidelibus ad quos littere iste
peruenerint frater joachin dictus abbas. Vigilate et orate ut non intretis
in temptationem loquens dominus ezechieli prophete...donec videant deum deorum
in syon uenientem in gloria patris sui. Amen. Explicit.

     Joachim of Fiore, Epistola prophetica;  Stegmueller, v. 9, no. 4029, 1.
A shorter version of this text was published by J. B. Odier, "Notes sur deux
manuscrits de la bibliotheque du Vatican contenant des traites inedits de
Joachim de Flore," Melanges d'archeologie et d'histoire 54 (1937)
pp. 220-23.

     Paper (watermarks:  similar to Briquet Fruit 7426; unidentified anvil and
balance) with parchment leaves interspersed for outer and inner bifolios,
ff. 289 (1-287; unnumbered folio
between 13-14 and 129-130) + ii ( early parchment), 213 x 145 (125 x 109) mm. 2
columns of 33-35 lines. Folios 1-130 have single vertical (and sometimes
horizontal) bounding lines full length; ruled in pen. Folios 131-287
frame-ruled in lead. Prickings in lower margin.
     I^^5 [structure uncertain], II-XIV^^10 (-7, 8, 9), XV^^10, XVI^^12,
XVII^^12, (-1 through 4), XVIII^^12 (-1 through 7), XIX-XXV^^12,
XXVI-XXVIII^^10, XXIX^^8. Catchwords in middle of lower margin, some accompanied
by flourishes, verso.
     Written by multiple scribes in various styles of gothic, ranging from
well-formed round gothic bookhand to very abbreviated running hands.
     Simple decorative initials and rubrics, in red, throughout.
     Many leaves at end of volume water-damaged, with loss of text.
     Binding: s. xv.  Original, wound sewing on four tawed, slit straps
laced through tunnels in the edge of beech boards, wedged and nailed.
Plain, wound endbands are sewn on tawed skin cores laced into the
boards and nailed.  They are tied down through pieces of blind-tooled
spine lining.  The spine is square and lined with calf or sheep.
Covered in brown sheepskin with corner tongues and two strap-and-pin
fastenings, the pins on the lower board.  A circular design is superimposed
on original tooling of rope work in concentric frames.
Final parchment flyleaf and pastedown (Italy, s. xiv^^1) are a bifolium
containing unidentified sermons [?] on Proverbs 11.22 and Psalm 75.2-3.
Written space 180 x 120 mm., with 4 mm. between rulings.
Offset impressions inside front cover indicate that similar flyleaf and
pastedown were also bound in here.

Written in Italy toward the middle of the 15th century; early provenance
unknown. Acquired from S. Harrison Thomson in 1969 with the Edwin J. and
Frederick W. Beinecke Endowment Fund.

Barbara A. Shailor