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TEXT FROM BOOK I, HOMILIA II.
(Italy: mid-12th century). 402 x 452 mm. (15 3/4 x 17 3/4"). Double column, 29 lines, in a proto-gothic hand.
Chapter number in red, one initial struck in red. Condition consistent with being recovered from a binding, with one column almost entirely trimmed away, several large holes touching text, vellum a bit roughened, one side of bifolium almost entirely illegible, but the other still very clear, with just some light browning and staining.
From a substantial manuscript containing Gregory I's "Homilies on the Gospels," this early fragment features a large, pleasing hand, with clear letter forms and some lovely stylistic qualities. Of particular interest are the elongated and curled tongues on the letters "e" and "r" when they appear at the end of words, and the "m" and "n" letter forms are quite distinct, with their shoulders being slightly angular. Certain nascent gothic elements appear in this script, including the fusion of the double "pp," a round "s" at the ends of words, and letters with an overall more elongated appearance. The legible page of text on this bifolium comes from Gregory's homily on Luke 18:31-44, discussing Christ's miraculous healing of a blind man in Jericho. Elected pope in 590, Gregory I (ca. 540-604), also known as Gregory the Great, was one of the most influential pontiffs in the history of the Church. In addition to revising liturgical worship, he wrote extensively on theology, offering homespun wisdom rather than esoteric debates. His Homilies were intended to be preached to common people (rather than to a monastic audience), and as a consequence were greatly admired for their straightforward language and pastoral relevance. Judging from its current dimensions, the original manuscript must have been quite grand, its size undoubtedly being one of the reasons it was targeted for dismemberment. Despite some obvious damage in the leaf's reuse, one side has remained largely accessible, and it still gives us a very good idea of the manuscript’s original grandeur. (ST20980)
Price: $2,900.00