Klosterneuburg, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 685

Bede works on nature

Aratea text: De signis caelis (redaction)

Parchment — I (modern) + I (medieval) + 88 fols. + I (medieval) + I (modern) — 310 × 210 mm — Klosterneuburg (?) — s. XII^4/4s. XIII^1/4

Support: 8.IV⁶⁴ + V⁷⁴ + IV⁸² + III⁸⁸ (source: manuscripta.at). Mediaeval foliation 1-90 jumping from 54 to 56 and from 87 to 89, corrected after fol. 55 by a modern hand in pen 55-88; mediaeval flyleaves foliated in pencil (I and I*).

Layout: One column in 35 long lines. Pricking visible on the outer edges of each folio. Blind ruling for the vertical ruling and the top and bottom horizontal lines. Horizontal ruling for the text lines made in plummet - gry colour. Cue initials and Pendrawings in red and violet ink with green and yellow. On f. 70v three rota-diagrams on of the terrestria zones, one stating the circumference of earth, and another combining zodiacal signs, months, elements and their qualities, and the path of the sun. (image) Illustrations of the constellations on ff. 71r-83v; portraits of the planets on f. 84r; Zodiacal circle with full figures of Sol and Luna in the middle on f. 86r; medalion of Sol in quadriga on f. 86v and medalion of Luna in biga on f. 88r.

Binding: 15th. c. leather binding with stamps. Title on the front cover: "Libri Bede presbiteri de naturis rerum, de temporibus horis momentis et finaliter de temporibus. Ibidem Higimus de signis celestibus".

Fragments: as former flyleaves (today fols. I and I*) were used two signle leaves from a 14th. c. lectionary for the mass.

History: The manuscript is not found in any of the monastery's catalogues from the 12-14th c. A. Haidinger, however, found palaeographical similarities between this manuscript and others written in Klosterneuburg, as for example MS 20 (see Sehnsucht nach der Antike, ed. Huber Wolfgang, pp. 66-67). — Note on 1r: "Liber sancte Marie in Newnburga claustrali" and f. 88r: "Iste liber est sancte marie de Neuburga."

Selected literature: Hermann Pfeiffer und Berthold Černík, Catalogus codicum manu scriptorum, qui in bibliotheca Canonicorum Regularium s. Augustini Claustroneoburgi asservantur. Bd. 4, pp. 892-894. — Huber, Wolfgang, ed. Sehnsucht nach der Antike: Handbuch und Katalog. Klosterneuburg: Mayer, 1992. — Winkler, Erich. Die Buchmalerei in Niederösterreich von 1150 - 1250. Wien: Krystall-Verl., 1923. Pp. 11f. — Christine Glaßner–Alois Haidinger, Die Anfänge der Melker Bibliothek. Neue Erkenntnisse zu Handschriften und Fragmenten aus der Zeit vor 1200. Präsentiert im Rahmen der Sonderausstellung aus Anlaß '1000 Jahre Ostarrichi'. Melk 1996, 74-78. — Ernst Zinner, Verzeichnis der astronomischen Handschriften des deutschen Kulturgebietes. München 1925, Nr.01046, Nr.01067, Nr.01102, Nr.10272. — Haidinger, Alois. Verborgene Schönheit: Die Buchkunst im Stift Klosterneuburg; Katalog zur Sonderausstellung 1998 des Stiftsmuseums Klosterneuburg. Klosterneuburg/Wien: Mayer, 1998. Pp. 18-19.

1v-8v Bede: De natura rerum ›Incipit expositio de natura rerum. I.‹ Operatio diuina que secula creauit et gubernat

8v-13r Bede: De temporibus

14r Ps-Bede: Opusculum Itaque stella veneris et mercurii Itaque stella ueneris et mercurii hoc a superioribus tribus planetarum stellis differunt … — … idcirco longiores ethereas metas peragit.

14r Ps-Bede: De absidibus planetarum ›De zodiaco circulo‹ Circulus zodiacus qui XII signis constat omni ex parte equae uicinus est terrae … — … quod subiecta melius pictura declarabitur. Thorndike-Kibre 224.14.

14v-64v Bede: De temporum ratione

(14v-15r) Prefatio.

(15r-v) Capitula.

(15v) ›Incipit liber de temporibus. De computo uel loquela digitorum.‹ De temporum ratione domino adiuuante dicturi necessarium

64v-65r [De duodecim signis] On the simultaneously rising and setting of the zodiacal signs. Ariete oriente duabus horis occidit libra … — … sagittarius inferioris (?) optinet gemini.

65r [De ortu duodecim signis] Ortus signorum XII qualibet diei uel noctis hora quisque liquido deprehensurus est … — … Si XXIII aut XXIIII virgo.

65r On solar and lunar eclypses Deliquium solis contigisse fertur anno ab incarnatione domini 808 … — … quod quotiens contigerit tociens eclypsim non defecturam.

65r-v IQSVM In quo signo uersetur mars annis ab inicio mundi per senarium divisis … — … memoratum semper inueniri planetam uirgo.

65v ›De incremento saltus lunae‹ Primus sciendum est quod in toto decennouenali circulo unus dies de saltu lunae accrescat … — … et sextans, id est sexta pars momenti.

65v-66r ›De concordia solis et lunae‹ Novem horis in luna pro V diebus in sole computatis … — … possunt VIIII horae lunares cum V diebus solaribus concordare. Thorndike-Kibre 955.6.

66r-v ›De quibus embolismi menses et bissextiles dies adimplentur‹ Luna igitur cottidie et cetera transit XIII partes et horas VIII … — … et ad quam cernendam mentis acies purganda.

66v-69v Anonymous commentary on Bede's DTR ›De natura rerum et temporum ratione‹ Non est praetermittendum cum dixit de natura rerum, cur non etiam de natura temporum vel de ratione rerum et ratione temporum dixit … — … id est CCma XXXVma pars XL VII semis momentorum.

69v On the epacts and regulars ›Quid sit epacta et regulares solis‹ Dum audis epactas solis lunae, etates lunae per singulos annos intellige … — … uel quot dies usque ad Kalendas futuri mensis supersunt.

70r Verse on the course of the planets around the zodiac Walther, Carmina I/1, 2200. Bissex signifere numerantur sydera sperae … — … Proxima telluri dum curris candida phebae.

70v Three circular diagrams: 1) terrestrial sphere with the five zones; 2) zodiacal, months; 3) small circle representing Earth with text about its size.

71r-88r [De signis coelis (redaction incl AL)] Quodam tamen multa dicunt et alii alter narasse … — … currens multis aduenientibus nubibus.

88v blank.

Abreviated Literature:

Thorndike-Kibre	Lynn Thorndike–Pearl Kibre. A Catalogue of Incipits of Mediaeval Scientific Writings in Latin. Revised and Augmented Edition. Cambridge Mass., 1963.
Walther, Carmina I/1	Carmina medii aevi posterioris latina I/1: Initia carminum ac versuum medii aevi posterioris latinorum. Alphabetisches Verzeichnis der Versanfänge mittellateinischer Dichtungen. Ed. by Hans Walther and Alfons Hilka. Göttingen, 1969.

Catalogued by: Ivana Dobcheva

(draft version: 2021-06-28)

How to quote: Ivana Dobcheva, 'Klosterneuburg, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 685 - Aratea Digital' (https://github.com/ivanadob/aratea-data/blob/master/data/descriptions/desc__klosterneuburg_sb_685.xml last update: 2021-06-28).