Durham Cathedral Library Incunable 21b The fourth but only surviving volume of this 1481 edition of John Duns Scotus’ Quaestiones in quattuor libros Sententiarum was printed in Venice. This is a heavily-used copy, with evidence of having been closely studied by several monks of Durham Priory, then passing out of the library into the collection Read More …
Month: August 2016
Commentary on the OT books of prophets by St Jerome
Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.9 A post-Conquest manuscript, written in Normandy and amongst those presented to Durham Priory by William of St Calais. This work contains the commentary on the minor prophetic books of the Old Testament, written by St Jerome at the end of the 4th century. As usual the most useful provenance information Read More …
Works by St Ambrose
Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.6 A manuscript from the foundation gift of Bishop William of St Calais to his new priory at Durham, containing a group of works by St Ambrose and two by St Augustine. Like so many of these post-Conquest manuscripts, it seems to have been written in Normandy but also shows signs Read More …
Homilies of Paul the Deacon
Durham Cathedral Library MS A.III.29 An English manuscript produced just after the Norman Conquest (probably at Winchester), containing part of an annual cycle of sermons to be preached on the feast days of the church. The first homily would have marked the feast of St Praxedis (21 July), although here it is no more than Read More …
St Augustine on St John’s Gospel
Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.16 A copy of one of the major theologians of the Middle Ages writing on the most esoteric of the Gospels. Written in St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury at the end of the 11th century this is very similar to the books given to Durham by Bishop William of St Calais and Read More …
Bible of William of St Calais
Durham Cathedral Library MS A.II.4 William of St Calais became bishop of Durham in 1080, replacing his murdered predecessor Walcher in an area that was politically unstable due to the fluid Anglo-Scottish border and the shifting allegiances of the Norman elite. At Durham Cathedral he decided to appeal to a historic vision of monastic Anglo-Saxon Read More …