Beinecke MS 554
Italy, s. XII 1/4
Ambrosiaster and Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentaries on the Pauline Epistles

1. ff. 1r-46r	Incipit prologus. Ut rerum notitia habeatur plenior, principia rerum requirenda sunt 
prius ... Igitur ut in Christo sine lege spem vite salutisque ponendam tradat et dominum ipsum 
omnium doceat, sic incipit. Explicit prologus. [f. 2r:] Incipit textus. Paulus servus Ihesu Christi. 
Apud veteres nostros ratione nomina componebantur, ut Ysaac propter risum ... Ecce, inquit, ego 
vobiscum sum omnibus diebus usque ad consumationem seculi. 	f. 46v blank

Ambrosiaster, Commentarius in Epistolam S. Pauli ad Romanos, recensio ; CPL
184, Stegmueller 
1262?? ; H.I. Vogels, ed., CSEL 81, 1 (1966), pp. 4-496.

2. ff. 47r-106v		Incipit tractatus sancti Remigii supra epistolam ad Romanos. A Chorintho 
civitate, metropoli Achaie regionis Grecorum, scripsit ... et gentiles sub peccato tenebantur. 
Explicit prologus. Incipit anotatio epistole. Epistola Greco vocabulo Latine dicitur supermissa ... 
fama in omnium hominum resonabat ore. Explicit anotatio. Incipit textus. Edicio Remigii in 
epistola ad Romanos. [f. 48r:] Paulus servus Ihesu Christi. De nomine apostoli iam superius 
dictum est ... que per totum textum huius epistole ab eo scripta sunt. Explicit ad Romanos beati 
Pauli apostoli epistola.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt (here attributed to his pupil Remigius of Auxerre), Commentary on 
Romans, Stegmueller 3101, PL 117.361-508.

3. ff. 106v-147r	Incipit eiusdem ad Corrinthyos. Incipit prologus. Precepto Domini 
Salvatoris ammonitus apostolus Paulus ... et reliquos confirmare. Explicit prologus. Incipit textus. 
Paulus vocatus apostolus Ihesu Christi per voluntatem Dei (subauditur Patris). De nomine Pauli ... 
ea caritate qua Deum diligo diligatis eum. Amen. Explicit epistola ad Corinthios I.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 1 Corinthians, Stegmueller 3102, PL 117.507-606.

4. ff. 147r-169v	Incipit argumentum II. Apostolo redeunte a Corinthiis cum audisset eos 
seductos esse ... hortaturque illos ad meliora. I. capitulum. Paulus apostolus Ihesu Christi ex hoc 
iam satis in superioribus dictum est ... et coniunctio Sancti Spiritus cum omnibus vobis,  subaudis: 
sit. Amen. Fiat ut dicimus. Explicit epistola ad Corinthios II.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 2 Corinthians, Stegmueller 3103, PL 117.605-668.

5. ff. 169v-174r	Incipit argumentum in epistola ad Tesalonicenses. Macedonia provintia est 
Grecorum, in qua est civitas ... Hos conlaudat apostolus scribens eis ab Athenis per Timotheum. 
Explicit. Incipit epistola. Paulus et Silvanus et Timotheus ecclesie Thessalonicensium. Nomen 
suum sotiorumque suorum ponit in exordio ... ut securi de premio recte conversentur. Explicit 
epistola ad Tesalonicenses I.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 1 Thessalonians, Stegmueller 3107, PL 117.765-778.

6. ff. 174r-176r	Incipit argumentum II. Thesalonicenses accipientes priorem epistolam  ... 
Denuntiat etiam de adventu Antichristi et interfectione eius. Explicit. [f. 174v:] Incipit epistola II. 
Paulus et Silvanus. Idem est initium idemque sensus ... potuisset corrumpi ita scribo. Quomodo? 
Gratia Domini Ihesu Christi cum omnibus vobis. Explicit epistola ad Tesalonicenses II.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Stegmueller 3108, PL 117.777-784.

7. ff. 176r-181v	Incipit prologus in epistola ad Timotheum I. Timotheus filius fuit mulieris 
Iudee patre gentili Greco procreatus ... et quomodo deberet docere populum. Explicit. Incipit 
epistola. Paulus apostolus Christi Ihesu secundum imperium Dei, hoc est secundum iussionem  
[this incipit almost entirely on erasure] ... id est a veritate fidei alieni perierunt. Gratia Dei tecum, 
subaudis: sit. Amen, id est, fiat quod oro vel verum est quod actenus dixi. Explicit epistola ad 
Timotheum I.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 1 Timothy, Stegmueller 3110, PL 117.783-798.

8. ff. 181v-186r	Incipit argumentum II. Secundam epistolam Timotheo scribit ab urbe de 
carcere ... in offitio recte predicationis et sancta operatione. Incipit epistola II. Paulus apostolus. 
Cuius apostolus? Christi Ihesu per voluntatem Dei Patris ... Amen, id est, fiat vel vera sint que 
actenus scripsi. Explicit epistola ad Timotheum II.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on 2 Timothy, Stegmueller 3111, PL 117.797-810.

9. ff. 186r-197v	Incipit argumentum ad Galathas. Primo querendum est in exordio huius 
epistole unde sint Galathe appellati ... scripsit eis ab Epheso hanc epistolam [f. 86v, text:] Paulus. 
Quia nomen suum in omnibus epistolis preponit in titulo ... quomodo fuerant [sic] catenis 
astrictus et per plateas tractus. Gratia Domini Nostri Ihesu Christi cum spiritu vestro, fratres. 
Amen. Explicit ad Galathas.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Galatians, Stegmueller 3104, PL 117.669-700.

10. ff. 197v-210v	Incipit ad Ephesios. [Argumentum:] [E]phesus est civitas Asie et Grecie, 
cuius habitatores ... ita ista in medio corpore epistolarum consistit.
Incipit textus. [P]a[u]lus. 
Multi querunt quare apostolus qui antea Saulus vocabatur ... in regno Patris cum quo felices in 
secula seculorum manebunt. Explicit ad Ephesios.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Ephesians, Stegmueller 3105, PL 117.699-734.

11. ff. 210v-218r	Incipit epistola ad Philipenses. [Argumentum:] Philipenses sunt 
Macedones, id est Greci ... nec receperunt falsos apostolos  sicut argumento ostenditur. [Text:] 
Paulus. Quare posuit nomen suum in primordio epistole? ... quia si manserit in mente manebit et 
in corpore. Amen. Explicit ad Philipenses.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Philippians, Stegmueller 3106, PL 117.733-754.

12. ff. 218r-222r	Incipit ad Colosenses. Colosenses et hii sicut Laudicenses sunt Asiani ... 
Ergo apostolus iam ligatus scripsit eis ab Epheso civitate (?). Explicit prologus. Incipit textus. 
Paulus apostolus servus Christi Ihesu ... Misterium quod absconditum fuit a seculis ... quia 
accepimus remissionem peccatorum in baptismate. Et est sensus. Gratia Filii Dei et salus ac 
remissio peccatorum maneat semper vobiscum. Explicit epistola ad Colosenses.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Colossians, Stegmueller 3109, PL 117.753-766. The 
Prologue, Stegmueller 736, is not in PL.

13. ff. 222r-271r	Incipit prefatio ad Hebreos. In primordiis huius epistole dicendum est que 
causa extiterit ... et quo postmodum translata est in Latinam linguam sic et relique. Explicit 
prefatio. [f. 222v:] Incipit textus. Multipharie multisque modis olim Deus ... Omnis intentio beati 
apostoli in hac epistola est, ut Iudeos cognatos suos ... ad contemplationem superne visionis 
Christo duce pertingere mereamur. Amen. Explicit ad Ebreos.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Hebrews, Stegmueller 3114, PL 117.821-938.

14. ff. 271v-274v	Incipit ad Philemonem [heading on f. 271r]. Beato apostolo predicatione 
evangelica intonante in Asia ... et impleatur illud quod scriptum est: Qui adheret Domino unus 
spiritus est. Explicit epistola ad Philemonem.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Philemon, Stegmueller 3113, PL 117.813-820.

15. ff. 274v-275v	Incipit ad Titum. [Prologue:] Transiens apostolus a Creta insula ad alias 
nationes ... qui Iudaicis fabulis credunt scribens ei a Neapoli civitate.  [Text:] Paulus servus Dei. 
Cum Dominus hac [sic] redemptor noster apostolis dixerit ... quorum fides perfecta erat. Gratia 
et pax a Deo patre nostro et Christo Ihesu salvatore nostro.

Ps.-Haimo of Halberstadt, Commentary on Titus, Stegmueller 3112, PL 117.809-814.

16.  rear pastedown 	 In hoc libro talis ordo ponitur. Primo ad Romanos duplex exposicio. Item 
due epistole ad Chorinthios. Item due epistole ad Thessalonicenses. Item due epistole ad 
Timotheum. Item ad Galathas. Item ad Ephesios. Item ad Philipenses. Item ad Colocenses. Item 
ad Hebreos. Item ad Philemonem. Item ad Titum [crossed out]. Item ad Hebreos [crossed out]. 
Item ad Tytum.

14/15th-century table of contents.


Parchment, ff. I (parchment) +275, 385 x 260 mm. Outer side of the quires is hair side. Some 
irregular lower and outer edges.

I-V 8 (ff. 1-40), VI 6 (ff. 41-46), VII-VIII 8 (ff. 47-62), IX 8 (+ 1 f. = f. 71, ff. 63-71), X-XII 8 
(ff. 72-95), XIII 4 (ff. 96-99), XIV-XVIII 8 (ff. 100-139), XIX 6 (-5, ff. 140-144), XX-XXIV 8 
(ff. 145-184), XXV 4 (-3, ff. 185-187), XXVI-XXVIII 8 (ff. 188-211), XXIX 4 (ff. 212-215), 
XXX 8 (ff. 216-223), XXXI 4 (ff. 224-227), XXXII 8 (ff. 228-235), XXXIII 8 (-1, ff. 236-242), 
XXXIV 8 (ff. 243-250), XXXV 6 (ff. 251-256), XXXVI-XXXVII 8 (ff. 257-272), XXXVIII 4 
(ff. 273-275 + pastedown). There are no losses of text. Quire signatures "I"-"XXXVII" in red 
ink in the middle of the lower margin of the last page of the quires. Horizontal catchwords in the 
lower margin, normally below the right-hand column; they are sometimes missing, perhaps due to 
trimming. Running titles.

Pricking in the upper, outer and lower margins for two columns of normally 42 lines above top 
line. Hard-point ruling applied on the hair sides of the parchment?? , type  53. The dimensions of 
the ruling may vary from quire to quire.

Copied by a group of scribes, all writing a more or less careful Italian Late Carolingian script. The 
changes of hands occur generally in the transition from one quire to another (see below). There 
are numerous and extensive alterations and corrections on erasure. Headings in a mixture of 
Capitals and Uncials.

Headings in red. Initials of various styles: (1) plain Romanesque initials, sometimes with 
developed decoration, in red; (2) more or less large painted initials in various bright colours on 
coloured background and filled with white vinestem; the body of the letter often filled with 
various interlace and frets; the vinestem may be issuing from an animal's mouth; they occur on ff. 
1r, 1v, 47r (two), 48r, 72v, 75r, 94v, 95r, 103r, 104r, 106v (two), 107r, 114v, 122v, 147r, 174v, 
176r, 181v, 192r, 210v (two), 218r (two), 222r, 243v, 247v, 252v, 259v, 271v. Special forms of 
these painted initials: ff. 88v (wheel-shape), 90r (a snake winding round the shafts of the letter), 
126r (outline drawing of vinestem initial), 136v (zoomorphic: bird-shape), 186v (inhabited by 
two birds), 204v (zoomorphic: dragon-shape), 209r (idem, with head at both ends), 215v 
(zoomorphic: fish), 216r (zoomorphic: dragon with head at both ends), 222v (inhabited by two 
birds), 268v (partly zoomorphic: bird), 274v (historiated: head of St. Paul). Initials are lacking f. 
197v, 201v.

Original binding in doeskin over heavy unbevelled wooden boards. On each cover traces of five 
circular bosses; traces of two straps fixed to the rear cover and clutching over pins in the front 
cover. On the front cover an inscription largely worn off: "Remigius super epistolas sancti Pauli" 
(s.XIII?).

The Ambrosiaster text was copied by a single hand on quires I-VI. The same layout was adopted 
for all the subsequent quires, of which the first was originally numbered "I" (f. 54v) before being 
renumbered "VII". The simultaneous copying of the text by several scribes, each one copying one 
or more quires, seems to have been the cause of numerous breaks and irregularities, aiming at 
connecting portions of text that had already been written. Thus in the irregular quire IX the scribe 
of the additional leaf 71 had to widen his handwriting at the bottom of the verso in order to 
make a connection with the text on the next quire written by another scribe. The irregular shape 
of quires XIX and XXV must no doubt be explained by a similar reason, the next quire 
beginning by a new hand. The connection of quire XXVI with quire XXVII required the 
compression of the handwriting at its end (f. 195v). By contrast, the last page of quire XXVII (f. 
203v) is blank for its greater part, the text continuing in quire XXVIII by another hand. Similarly 
inept connections accompanying changes of hands are observed between quires XXIX (a binio!) 
and XXX (f. 215v), XXXI and XXXII (f. 227v), XXXII and the irregular quire XXXIII (ff. 
235-236), XXXIII and XXXIV (f. 242v), XXXV and XXXVI (f. 256, where three columns are 
blank, and half of the leaf was afterwards cut away). Together with the numerous corrections 
these anomalies point to a laborious making of the manuscript. Produced in Italy in the early 
twelfth century, it came to Bohemia in the later Middle Ages. On the front flyleaf r, in Gothica 
Cursiva of the late 14th century: "Iste liber est monasterii sancte Marie canonicorum regularium in 
Rokiczano, donatus per dominum Pizibisslaum, archidiaconum Horssoviensem et canonicum 
Pragensem, ad honorem Dei et sancte Marie"; this donation happened between 1377 and 1380, 
when Pizibisslaus had these titles: see Libri erectionum archidioecesis Pragensis saeculo XIV et 
XV, C. Borovy, ed. (Prague, 1878). On the verso, in a mixture of Gothica Textualis and Cursiva 
s. XIV/XV: "Remigius super epistolas Pauli apostoli monasterii Rokyczansis canonicorum 
regularium" (monastery of Rokycany near Pilsen (Plzen, Czechia). Chapter numbering and notes 
on the text were added at that time. Library of Alexander Fuerst Dietrichstein, Schloss Nikolsburg 
(Moravia). Sold 21-22 Nov. 1933 in Lucerne at Gilhofer & Ranschburg auction to Krulis 
Randa?? (Versteigerungs-Katalog 11). Purchased from Laurence Witten on 6 Febr. 1975 on the 
Edwin J. Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

Updated 29.11.2007