Zwettl, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 296

Computistical-astronomical collection

Aratea text: De signis caeli (redaction)

Parchment — I + 216 fols. + I (Fol. I and I* former pastedowns) — 265 × 185 mm — Zwettl — s. XII²

Support: I² (ff.1-2), II-X⁸ (ff.3-74), XI¹⁰ (ff.75-84), XII-XIII⁸ (ff.85-99),XIV^4-1 (ff.100-102, f.100 singleton).Foliated in pencil in the lower margin. Fol. 96 counted twice (f. 96, f. 96a)

Layout: Written in 29-31 long lines.

Binding: Barock binding from Zwettl, with blindtool dating on the upper board: 1783.

History: The manuscript was written in s. XII²; s. XII^ex in the Cistercian monastery Zwettl (Ziegler; Blume). On the basis of palaeographical study of the scribal hands, Haidinger suggests the manuscript was written in the mid or third quarter of the twelfth century. Glassner and Haidinger (pp. 74-5) argued on the basis of content and iconography that there is no doubt the Vatican MS Vat. lat. 643 served as a model for the Zwettl MS, which in turn was the model for the Klosterneuburg MS 685. The newest art historical study by Blume et al. (Sternbilder des Mittelalters) demonstrated, however, that Klosterneuburg MS 685 could not have been copied from Zwettl MS 296, but both were copied from one and the same model. The scribe of MS Klosterneuburg 685 made fewer mistakes than his colleague. The model was not Vat. lat. 643, but a MS which was a model for the MS Vat. lat. 643. The two Austrian MSS have also iconographical differences compared to the Vat. lat. 643; they are nearer to the iconography of Paris, BnF, lat. 5543; the model was possibly coming from Fleury (Blume, p. 564). — . Zeigler noted that both codicological units are mentioned as one codex in the thirteenth-century catalogue of the Zwettl Abbey (Zwettl, SB, Cod. 24, f. 309v) as "Beda de temporibus. Augustinus in librum retractacionum. De opere monachorum. Augustinus super Genesim ad litteram", and in the catalogue from ca. 1620/1640 (now in Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. 9520, f. 7v).

Codicological unit 1

Ir-v blank.

1r blank.

1v Not on the contents by Nicolaus von Dibersberg: "Item Beda presbyter super natura rerum bestiarum alia in fine"

2r Medical recipies (6 lines, 12th early 13th c. hand). Rest of the page left blank.

2v Rota divided by the twelve zodiacal signs and segments for the sun, moon and the five planets with information how long its path around the zodiac lasts. Around the rota, commentary (upper part partly cut off by trimming). In the lower half of the page another diagram: circle with the sun, the moon and the five planets.

3r-12v Bede: De natura rerum ›Incipiunt uersus Bede presbyteri […] Incipit liber Nedae presbyteri de natura rerum. Incipiunt capitula‹ … — … ›Explicit de natura rerum.‹

12v-19v Bede: De temporibus ›Incipit liber secundus. iIncipiunt capitula‹ Reliquum sexte etatis deo soli patet. ›Finit.‹

19v-20r Opusculum Itaque stella veneris et mercurii ›De stella ueneris et mercurii, saturni, iouis et martis‹ Itaque stella ueneris et mercurii hoc a superioribus tribus planetarum stellis differunt

20r-20v De absidibus planetarum ›De zodiaco circulo‹ Circulus zodiacus qui XII signis constat omni ex parte eque uicinus est terre … — … quam uelocitatis cum aut pisces aut uirginem transit. Quod subiecta melius pictura declarabitur.

20v-78r Bede: De temporum ratione ›Incipit praefacio libri bedae presbyteri de temporibus‹ Interlinear and marginal glosses from a contemporary hand. mereamur accipere palmam. Amen.

78r-78v On the simultaneous rising and settings of the zodiacal constellations Ariete oriente duabus horis occidit libra et centrum superioris zodiaci tunc capra inferioris optinet cancer … — … pisces […]inferioris obtinet gemini.

78v Computistical method for determining the rising of the zodiacal signs Ortum signorum XII qualibet diei uel noctis hora quasque liquido deprehensurus est … — … Leo si XXIII aut XXIIII uirgo.

78v-79r Computistical method for forecasting solar and lunar eclipses Deliquium solis contigisse fertur anno ab incarnatione domini DCCCVIIIo … — … Quod quotiens contigerit tociens eclypsin non defecturam.

79r In quo signo versetur Mars In quo signo uersetur mars annis ab initio mundi … — … semper inueniri planetam uirgo.

79r-79v ›De incremento saltus lunae‹ Primo sciendum est quod in toto decennouenali circulo unu dies de saltu lunae accrescat … — … crescit saltus lune minutum et unciam unius memnti et athomum.

79v Lunam dodrantis semuncias lucere perhibent … — … id est sexta past momenti.

79v ›De concordia solis et lunae‹ Novem horis in luna pro V diebus in sole computatis … — … VIIII horae lunares cum quinque diebus solaris concordare.

79v-80r ›De quibus embolismi menses et bissextiles dies adimplentur‹ Luna ergo cottidie et caetera transit XIII partes et horas VIII et VIII senis momenta et athomum I tricesima pars trium momentorum … — … et ad quam cernendam mentis acies purganda.

80r-84r Anonymous commentary on Bede's DTR ›De natura rerum et temporum ratione‹ Non est praetermitendum cum dixit de natura rerum cur non etiam de natura temporum uel de ratione rerum et ratione temporum dixit … — … Igitur XXX tria semis momenta et athomum I CCma XXXV pars XLVII semis momentorum. On ff.83r-v on the names and mythical stories of the zodiacal signs.

84r ›Quid est epacta solis et regulares solis‹ Dum audis epactas lunae aetates lunae per singulos annos intellige … — … quot dies usque ad kalendas futuri mensis supersunt.

84v Short poem on the path of the planets around the zodiac Bissex signiferae numerantur sydera sperae … — … Proxima telluri dum curris candida phebae. ed. Walther, 2200, Schaller 1977, 1725; Baehrens, Poetae Latini minores, vol. 5, p. 350, lin. 15-351, lin 9).

85r Two diagrams of celestial and terrestrial circles.

85v-101v De signis coelis (redaction incl AL) Quodam tamen multa dicunt et alii aliter narrasse In contrast to the MS Vat. lat. 643 where on fol. 97r the scribe left blank space for the missing text from the AL, in the two Austrian MS there is no space left (Blume, p. 563).

102r Diagram of planetary absides not to be found in the sister MS Klosterneuburg or in the related Vat. lat. 643 (Blume, p. 563)

Codicological unit 2

103r-122v Augustine: De opere monachorum PL 40, 547-582. CSEL 41, 531-595. Clavis 305.

122v-136v Augustine: De bono coniugali Clavis 299.

136v-154r Augustine: De sancta virginitate Clavis 300.

Augustine: De bono viduitatis Clavis 301.

164v-172r Augustine: De orando Deo (= Epistola 130) Clavis 262.130

172v-182v Augustine: De agone christiano CSEL 41 [1900], 99-138. Clavis 296.

183r-v Augustine: De agone christiano Lib. I, cap. 1-2. Clavis 266.

184r-196v Augustine: Epistolae ad Romanos inchoata expositio CSEL 84 [1971] 143-181. Clavis 281.

197r Augustine: Epistola 37 Clavis 262.37.

197v-215v Augustine: De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum

Abreviated Literature:

Clavis	Dekkers, Eligius, and Emil Gaar. Clavis Patrum Latinorum. 3rd ed. CCSL. Turnhout: Brepols, 1995.
CSEL	Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum. Vienna, 1866-.
PL	Patrologia latina ed. J. P. Migne. - Paris 1844ff.
Sternbilder des Mittelalters	Blume, Dieter, Mechthild Haffner, and Wolfgang Metzger. Sternbilder des Mittelalters: der gemalte Himmel zwischen Wissenschaft und Phantasie. Vol. I, 1: Text und Katalog der Handschriften. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 2012.

Catalogued by: Ivana Dobcheva

(draft version: 2018-07-18)

How to quote: Ivana Dobcheva, 'Zwettl, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 296 - Aratea Digital ' (https://github.com/ivanadob/aratea-data/blob/master/data/descriptions/desc__zwettl_sb_296.xml last update: 2018-07-18).