Beschreibung:

St Cyprian of Carthage (d.258): Epistolae , in Latin, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Emilia Romagna, c.1460] 350 x 210mm. 96 leaves: 1-9 1 0, 10 6, COMPLETE, 38 lines written in brown ink in a humanistic bookhand between two pairs of verticals and 40 horizontals, text justification: 205 x 125mm, rubrics in red, LARGE HISTORIATED INITIAL WITH TEXT-HIGH FOLIATE BORDER, flourished initials alternately of red and blue with pink penwork for the chapter lists and contents, SIXTEEN LARGE ILLUMINATED INITIALS, SIX WITH MONOCHROME BUSTS ON BLUE GROUNDS (oxidisation to face, robe and mitre of Cyprian in opening initial, slight marginal staining to first leaf, pale stains on final two leaves, outer margin trimmed from f.58, a few wormholes). 19th-century roan spine with morocco title-piece gilt and velvet covered boards (extremities rubbed, lower hinge cracked, upper hinge repaired). PROVENANCE: 1. Convent of S. Cecilia: at the end of the text, on f.96, Raphael de Bambace recorded his sale of the manuscript in April 1466 for five ducats, or the equivalent coinage, received from Frate Petro de Regio, 'guardiano' of S. Cecilia, and Aldrovandino de Falopiis, for five ducats or the equivalent coinage, from the alms given to S. Cecilia by Illarius de Ma(?)ngolis. 2. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania: armorial bookplate inside upper cover, and their shelf-mark AM 8884 at foot of spine. Acquired by exchange 30 December 1881. CONTENT: Ad donatum ff.1-4v (Simonetti, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.1-16); De disciplina et de habitu virginum ff.4v-9v (Hartel, CSEL , III pp.187-205); De lapsis ff.9v-16v (Bénevot, CCSL , III, pars 1, pp.221-242); De ecclesiae catholicae unitate ff.16v-22v (Bénevot, CCSL , III, pars 1, pp.249-268); De dominica oratione ff.22v-29v (Moreschini, CCSL , III , pars 2, pp.90-113); De mortalitate ff.29v-34 (Simonetti, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.17-32); De opera et elimosinis ff.34-40 (Simonetti, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.52-72); Ad Demetrianum ff.40-45 ( PL , IV, 544B-564B; Simonetti, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.33-51); De bono patientiae ff.45-50 (Moreschini, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.118-133); De zelo et livore ff.50-53v (Simonetti, CCSL , III, pars 2, pp.75-86); Ad Fortunatum ff.53v-60 (Weber, CCSL , III, pars 1, pp.183-206); Letter 10 ff.61-62 (Diercks, CCSL , III, pars 3, 1 pp.46-55); Letter 6 ff.62-63 (Diercks, CCSL , III, pars 3, 1); Letter 76 ff.63-64v (Diercks, CCSL , III, pars 3, 2); Letter 58 ff.64v-67 (Diercks, CCSL , III, pars 3, 2, pp.605-17); De idolarum vanitate ff.67-69 ( PL , IV, 563-582A); Testimonio ad Quirinum , Books I-III each preceded by chapter list ff.69-96 (Weber, CCSL , III, pars 1, pp.3-179). Sancti Cypriani episcopi Opera , Corpus Christianorum Series Latina , III, Turnhout, 1972-1999; G.S. Hartel, S. Thasci Caecili Cypriani Opera Omnia , Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum , III, Vienna 1871 Thasius Caecilianus Cyprianus, a pagan Rhetorician, converted to Christianity around 246. Within two years he was elected Bishop of Carthage but was forced to flee the city at the outbreak of the Decian persecution. However, he continued to rule his church by letter and returned to his see in 251. He clashed with Stephen, Bishop of Rome over the rebaptism controversy - their correspondence acquired significance in later discussions over Papal claims - but did not live to see the issue resolved. He was martyred in Carthage in 258 during the Valerian persecutions. Cyprian's first Christian writing is Ad Donatum , a monologue which depicts the decay of Roman society and the only refuge from this, which is Christian life. Testimonia ad Quirinum was also written in the early years after his conversion and is of particular value for the history of the old Latin version of the bible consisting as it does of passages of scripture illustrating the passing of the old law and its fulfillment in Christ. Among Cyprian's other writings, De Catholicae Ecclesiae Unitate , on the nature of true unity in the Church, is hel