YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS
Beinecke MS 433 Paris, s. XIII^^med
Vanderbilt Bible
1. ff. 1r-408v A Bible in the usual order (see Ker, MMBL, v. 1, pp. 96-97)
with some later additions; numbers in parentheses refer to prologues which
precede the text, as listed in Stegmueller: General prologue (284); Prologue
to Pentateuch (285); Genesis (preceded by list of capitula), Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy; Joshua (311); Judges; Ruth; Kings (323); 1 Chronicles
(328); 2 Chronicles (327) + Prayer of Manasses; 1 Ezra (330); Nehemiah; 2 Ezra
(= 3 Ezra; Stegmueller, no. 94, 1); Tobias (332); Judith (335); Esther (341 +
343); Job (344, 357); Psalms (f. 185r-v, written in a later Italian hand, s. xv,
contains five prologues to the Psalms: 398, 414, 430, 456, 455); f. 208v
blank; (ff. 209r-211v contain Canons of the four Gospels written in a different
hand); Proverbs (457); Ecclesiastes (462); Song of Songs; Wisdom (468);
Ecclesiasticus (with Multorum nobis et magnorum... treated as a prologue); Isaiah
(482); Jeremiah (487); Lamentations (Recordare treated separately; incipit:
Recordare domine quid...); Baruch (491); Ezekiel (492); Daniel (494); Prologue for
Minor Prophets (500); Hosea (507); Joel (511, 510); Amos (515, 512, 513); Obadiah
(519 + 517); Jonah (524, 521); Micah (526); Nahum (528); Habakkuk (531);
Zephaniah (534); Haggai (538); Zechariah (539); Malachi (543); 1 Maccabees
(ff. 313-17 misbound; should be 313, 315, 314, 317, 316; prologues: 547, 553,
551); 2 Maccabees; Matthew (590, 589); Mark (607); Luke (Quoniam quidem...
treated as a prologue; 620); John (624); Romans (677); 1 Corinthians (685);
2 Corinthians (699); Galatians (707); Ephesians (715); Philippians (728);
Colossians (736); 1 Thessalonians (747); 2 Thessalonians (752); 1 Timothy
(765); 2 Timothy (772); Titus (780); Philemon (783); Hebrews (793); Acts (640);
Catholic Epistles (809); Apocalypse (839).
2. ff. 409r-422r Aaz apprehendens...iste magister confusiones. Expliciunt
interpretationes nominum hebreorum.
Index of Hebrew names generally attributed to Stephen Langton; Stegmueller,
v. 5, no. 7709. According to L. Light this version has significant differences
in the text from the one listed in Stegmueller, and is shorter
3. ff. 422v-423v List of readings for year, beginning with the first Sunday
in Advent through Monday after Easter.
4. ff. 424r-427v (Correcting here the misbinding of one bifolium) Another
list of readings from the first Sunday in Advent (f. 427r) through the 25th
Sunday after Trinity, for the dedication of a church, for the sanctorale from
Andrew through Cecilia, for the common of saints and for Trinity, Holy Spirit,
Holy Cross, Virgin Mary, and the dead, written in the same hand as the later
inscription on f. 422r (see Provenance).
Parchment, ff. iv (paper) + 428 (foliated 1-427, skipping folio between 87
and 88) + iv (paper); 185 x 123 (132 x 85) mm., trimmed. Written in two columns
of 51 lines, ruled in lead. Single vertical bounding lines, full length; double
horizontal rulings in upper margin (for running title) and lower margin; single
vertical lines in outer margin. On ff. 408-422 (art. 2) the above pattern plus
double horizontal rulings full across at top, center and bottom of written
space, and prickings at outer edge.
I-III^^24, IV^^22, V-VI^^24, VII-VIII^^20, IX^^4, X^^18, XI^^8, XII^^20,
XIII-XVII^^24, XVIII-XIX^^28, XX^^18 (-17 and 18 after f. 424), XXI^^4.
Written in small gothic textura; a few corrections added in a tiny neat
cursive hand. Marginal notes in several cursive hands of s. xiv-xv.
The manuscript is assigned by R. Branner, "The 'Soissons Bible' Paintshop in
Thirteenth-Century Paris," Speculum 44 (1969) pp. 34-35, to the Soissons
atelier, active in Paris in the second quarter of the thirteenth century (See
also R. Branner, Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis
[Berkeley, 1977] pp. 77-78, 216, and Appendix V H; of these, 17 are Bibles).
The majority of the initials are by the "Chief Painter"; one, on f. 72v, bears
the signature of "Master 1111" whose mark appears in other manuscripts in the
group (See Branner, Painting in Paris, Appendix IV A G). The historiated
initials, 11- to 6-line (not including ascenders or descenders), are pink and
blue, with dragons, against pink and blue grounds with gold dots and triplets
of white dots.
Subjects: f. 1r St. Ambrose at lectern (Prologue, Genesis); f. 4r Seven
days of creation (Genesis); f. 19r Two men (Exodus); f. 32v God and Moses
(Leviticus); f. 41r God and Moses (Numbers); f. 53v Moses [?] and two men
(Deuteronomy); f. 65r Head of God, Joshua, water (Joshua); f. 72v Death of
Joshua, crowned; Juda (Judges); f. 81r Elimelech, Naomi (Ruth); f. 82v Son of
Heli beheaded, theft of ark (1 Kings); f. 93r Beheading of the Amalekite
(2 Kings); f. 102r David in bed, attendant brings Abishag (3 Kings); f. 113v
Ahaziah falls from tower (4 Kings); f. 125r Pedigree register (1 Chronicles);
f. 135v Solomon with scepter (2 Chronicles); f. 149r Cyrus standing (1 Ezra);
f. 152v Nehemiah before Jerusalem (Nehemiah); f. 157v Josue asperging altar
(2 Ezra); f. 162v Tobit and swallow (Tobit), f. 166r Judith and Holofernes
(Judith); f. 171r Esther, Haman (Esther); f. 176r Job, wife (Job); f. 186r
David harping (Psalm 1); f. 189r Coronation and unction (Psalm 26); f. 191v
David points to eyes (Psalm 38); f. 193r Doeg (Psalm 51); f. 193v Fool (Psalm
52); f. 195v God, David in deep waters (Psalm 68); f. 198r David and bells
(Psalm 80); f. 200v Two singers (Psalm 97); f. 203r Trinity (Psalm 109);
f. 212r Solomon and Rehoboam (Proverbs); f. 218v Solomon, man, youth
(Ecclesiastes); f. 220v Ecclesia (Song of Songs); f. 222r Solomon, man
(Wisdom): f. 226v Prophet with staff (Ecclesiasticus); f. 239r Isaiah sawn
(Isaiah); f. 254r Jeremiah, God, boiling caldron (Jeremiah); f. 272r Jeremiah
laments Jerusalem (Lamentations); f. 273v Baruch as scribe (Baruch); f. 276r
vision of the 4 beasts; Ezekiel in bed (Ezekiel); f. 292v Daniel in lions'
den (Daniel); f. 299v Hosea; Gomer (Hosea), f. 302r Joel, two men (Joel); f.
303r Amos with sheep, head of God (Amos); f. 305r two men (Obadiah); f. 305v
God and sleeping Jonah; Jonah thrown from boat (Jonah); f. 306r Micah watches
city (Micah); f. 307v Nahum and Nineveh (Nahum); f. 308v Angel, Habbakuk
(Habbakuk); f. 309v God, prophet (Zephaniah); f. 310v Cyrus (Haggai); f. 311r
Head of God, Zechariah (Zechariah); f. 313v two men (Malachi); f. 314r
Beheading of idolatrous Jew (1 Maccabees); f. 325r Delivery of letter
(2 Maccabees); f. 332r Matthew as scribe (Matthew); f. 341v Mark with lion
(Mark); f. 348r Priest censes altar (Luke); f. 358v John standing with eagle
(John); f. 366r Paul with sword (Romans); f. 369v Paul (1 Corinthians); f. 373v
Paul with sword (2 Corinthians); f. 376r Paul with sword (Galatians); f. 377v
Paul with sword (Ephesians); f. 379r Paul with sword (Philippians); f. 380r Paul
with sword (Colossians); f. 381r Paul with sword (1 Thessalonians); f. 381v Paul
with book (2 Thessalonians); f. 382r Paul with sword (1 Timothy); f. 383r Paul
with sword (2 Timothy); f. 384r Paul with book (Titus); f. 384v Paul with sword
(Philemon); f. 384v Paul with two Jews (Hebrews); f. 388r Ascension (Acts);
f. 399r Apostle standing (James); f. 400r Peter with key (1 Peter); f. 401r
Peter as Pope (2 Peter); f. 401v Apostle as scribe (1 John); f. 403r
Apostle standing (2 John); f. 403r Apostle with book (3 John); f. 403r
Apostle standing (Jude); f. 404r John as scribe (Apocalypse).
Initials for prologues 6- to 4-line (without ascenders or descenders),
as above, filled with intertwining vines, blossoms, dragons, occasionally birds
or fish; 4- to 1-line initials, red or blue with blue and red penwork.
Headings, chapter numbers, red and blue alternating letters with blue and red
penwork. Capitals stroked in red. Some rubrics missing.
Rectangular pieces cut out of lower margin, ff. 266-69; no loss of text.
Binding: s. xix. Red, straight-grained goatskin, gold-tooled.
Written in Paris in the mid-13th century. Inscription of s. xv, on f. 422r,
states that the manuscript was given to the Dominican convent of St. Andrew in
Faenza by Fr. Vincent de Albicellis, who had bought it with money from his
parents, and who had permission from the general of the order, Leonardo de
Perusio, to have the use of it for himself ("Ego frater Vincentius de
albicellis de fauentia hanc bibliam emi ex pecunijs parentum meorum Que et per
R. M. leonardum de perusio nostri ordinis generalem concessa mihi fuit ad
libitum sed tamen pertinet ad conuentum S. Andree de fauentia ordinis
predicatorum."). Bookplate of the family of John Campbell (1635-1716), Earl of
Breadalbane, on f. ii recto. Leaf pasted in after f. i has transcription of
note on f. 422r, and statement, "This copy is of about 1370. Sold at Piatt's
July 1835." Collection of Cornelius Vanderbilt (MS 190); bequeathed to Yale in
his memory by his daughter Gladys Moore Vanderbilt, Countess Laszlo
Szechenyi, in 1966.
secundo folio: intelligunt
Barbara A. Shailor