View source for Theological miscellany (British Library, Add MS 43460)

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'''British Library, Add MS 43460''' is a [[theology|theological]] [[miscellany]] and was produced in [[Italy]] in the late 8th century.  It contains works by [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Augustine]], [[Jerome|St. Jerome]], and [[Commodianus]]. Its title in the [[British Library]] catalogue is: ''Theological Works of St Augustine and St Jerome, with Commodianus, 'Carmen Apologeticum', in Latin''.

== Contents ==

The works by Augustine included in this manuscript are ''De vera religione'' (folios 1r - 63r), ''De utilitate credendi'' (folios 63v - 95r), ''Soliloquia'' (folios 96r - 135v),  ''De divinatione demonum'' (folios 135v - 147v) and ''Epistle ad Alypium episcopum Tagastensium'' (folios 175v -182r).  The first three of these have sections of Augustine's ''Retractationes'' as prologues.  Also included in the manuscript are three letters addressed to [[Pope Boniface I|St Boniface]] and attributed to Augustine; ''Domino sublimi semperque magnifico'' (folio 95r), ''Domino merito honorabili'' (folio 95v) and ''Ego quos diligo'' (folio 95v). [[Migne]] labeled these letters spurious in the [[Patrologia Latina]]. The works by Jerome included in this [[manuscript]] are a portion of ''Liber contra Joannem Hierosolymitanum'' (folios 147v - 170r) and ''Epistle ad Evangelum Presbyterum de [[Melchisedech]]'' (folios 170v - 175v).  The manuscript also includes the ''Carmen Apologeticum'' of Commodianus (182r- 197r).  This is the only surviving manuscript to contain this work.

== Codicology ==

The manuscript has 202 [[vellum]] [[Bookbinding|folio]]s (numbered I-V and 1-197) that measure 275 mm. by 180 mm.  The folios generally are in gatherings of 8 leaves each. The binding is a modern binding of white pigskin. The script is a pre-[[Carolingian minuscule]] from Northern [[Italy]].  There are a few decorated [[Initial (manuscript)|initials]].  Titles were added in the 9th century in a hand from the Abbey of St Silvester at [[Nonantola]]. Folios I-III are [[palimpsests]] and originally contained the [[Latin language|Latin]] translation made by [[Mutianus Scholasticus]] of [[John Chrysostom|John Chrysostom's]] [[homily|homilies]] on the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] written in a late 7th century [[uncial]] script.

== Provenance ==

By the 9th century, this manuscript was at Nonantola. It is also possible that it was produced there.  It was included in inventories of the manuscripts at Nonantola made in 1331, 1464 and 1490.  It was taken from Nonantola, along with 53 other manuscripts, to the Church of [[Santa Croce in Gerusalemme]] in Rome by Abbot [[Hilarion Rancati]].  Sometime between 1798 and 1818 it, along with 34 other manuscripts, disappeared from Santa Croce.  It was bought by [[Sir Thomas Phillipps]] in 1848 from a London bookseller.  It was bought from the Phillipps library by [[Alfred Chester Beatty]] in 1924.  It was sold to Wilfred Merton in 1933, from whom it was acquired by the [[British Library]].

==References==

*[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/manuscripts/HITS0001.ASP?VPath=c!/inetpub/wwwroot/mss/data/msscat/html/30940.htm&Search=43460&Highlight=F British Library catalogue entry]

[[Category:8th-century manuscripts]]
[[Category:Christian manuscripts]]
[[Category:Miscellanies]]

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