Beinecke MS 644
Northern Italy or Austria, s. XVex
Ps.-Clemens I, Recognitiones, Latin translation by Rufinus of Aquileia

1. ff. 1r-164r	[prologue by Rufinus:] [T]ibi quidem, papa Gaudenti, nostrorum decus insigne 
doctorum tantus ingenii vigor, immo tanta Spiritus gratia, ut, si quid a te etiam cottidiani eloquii 
more dicitur, si quid in ecclesia declamatur, id in libris haberi et ad instructionem tradi posteris 
debeat ... et Clemens tamen post obitum Petri docendi susceperit sedem, sed videamus scribens 
Iacobo fratri Domini operis sui Clemens ipse, quod summat narrationis initium. [f. 2r, text :] 
[E]go Clemens, in urbe Roma natus, ex prima etate pudicitie [corrected from pueritie] studium 
gessi, dum me animi intentio velut vinculis quibusdam solicitudinis et meroris [addition in the 
margin : a puero] innexum teneret ... baptizavit eum atque in medio populi ex conversione eius 
materiam summus omnes casus eius exposuit, ita ut omnis civitas quasi angelum eum aspicientem  
[variant reading above the line : aspiceret ac] non minorem ei gratiam quam apostolo exhiberet.

Ps.-Clemens I papa, Recognitiones, Latin translation by Rufinus of Aquileia (Rufinus 
Aquileiensis, c. 345-411), CPL 198n, ed. PG 1.1205-1454.

2. ff. 164r-170v	[C]lemens Iacobo domino episcopo episcoporum, regenti Hebreorum 
sanctam ecclesiam Ierosolimis, sed et omnibus ecclesiis ... id est claritas itineris [variant reading 
above the line : Clementis itinerarium] in predicatione [changed in predicationes] Petri sed et 
nunc [exponere deleted] iam que precepit exponere [this word above the line] incipiam.

Ps.- Clemens I papa, Epistola I ad Iacobum apostolum fratrem Domini, Latin translation, 
occurring as preface in Ps.-Isidorus, Decretales, P. Hinschius, ed. (Leipzig, 1863), pp. 30-46.
 
Artt. 1-2 belong to the Pseudoclementine Literature, ascribed to Clement bishop of Rome (c. 96). 
Their text is marked by countless corrections, additions and variant readings added by 
contemporary hands.


Paper, ff. III + 170 + II, 305 x 220 mm. Watermark resembles Piccard, v. 2, IV.36??

I-XX 8 (ff. 1-160), XXI 10 (ff. 161-170). Signatures of the type "a1"- "a4", often cut off at the 
trimming of the codex, from "a" to "x". Idiosyncratic system of catchwords, appearing in 
principle on ff. 1v, 2v, 3v and 8v of all quaternios; they are also sometimes seen on f. 4v, but in 
that case they are more than once added by a corrector. In quire I they are on ff. 1v, 2v, 3v, 5v 
and 8v. All catchwords are horizontal, written at right, except the last one in quire XIX (f. 152v) 
and all those in quires XX-XXI, which are vertical (but the catchword on f. 156v, written by a 
corrector, is horizontal). The catchwords on the first leaf of quire VII (f. 49v) and on the last leaf 
of quire X (f. 80v) originally matched the text at the beginning of the subsequent page, but after 
they were corrected they do not match any longer.

Board ruling for one column of 26 lines above top line, ruling type 31, 203 x 135 mm.

Copied by one hand in light red-brown ink in Humanistica Cursiva Libraria. The corrections are 
in the same type of script.

Ample space was provided for headings and initials at the beginning of the Prologue and the ten 
Books of art. 1 and at the beginning of art. 2, but these were never executed.

Binding s. XVII?: deerskin (formerly red) over pasteboard. Spine with three raised bands and 
worn handwritten title " ******* Epistola. M.S."; at the bottom of the spine handwritten worn 
pressmark. Remnants of four leather ties, including one in the middle of the upper and one in the 
middle of the lower edge of the covers. On the lower edge of the book the handwritten title in 
ink (s. XVII): "Epist. D. Clementis".

On f. IIIr the s. XVI-XVII ownership inscription of the College of St. Michael in Vienna: "Ad 
collegium S. Michaelis Vienae". On the verso and on f. 1r the title of the manuscript has been 
added by two German hands of the same period. On the front pastedown the number "D.9" in 
red crayon. Purchased from Laurence Witten  in 1983 with Beinecke and Divinity School Funds.

Albert Derolez

R 04.06.08