Continental and Illuminations
Two bifolia from a manuscript of Canon Law, which discuss the Decretum of Gratian. Germany, c. (1300.)
1 four-line and 3 two-line painted initials, paragraph marks in red.Size of bifolia: 140 x 202mm. 35 lines in a small gothic hand, double columns.
Like the beginning of the Decretum of Gratian, our text treats the different kinds of law. Thus our text discusses natural law, divine law, human law and comments on such terms as canon and dogma. The text lists the basic works of civil law (i.e. the Corpus of Justinian) and notices the bases for canon law: church councils, words of the holy fathers like Augustine, etc. And then the bifolia discuss the contents of the individual parts of the Decretum of Gratian. Our text includes the remark that neophytes should not be ordained as bishops - Ambrose was the last of such cases - in order that the neophytes should not become arrogant.The final page of the fragment mentions directly "Gracianus de iure canonico" (Gratian on canon law), while another page presents the verse "Cespite specialiter optime florum". For this verse about the Decretum see Hans Walther, Initia carminum ac versuum medii aevi posterioris Latinorum, Goettingen, 1959, p. 116, no. 2312. Walther lists three manuscripts for the verse, two of them in Germany and one in Austria.In this fragment of two bifolia, the first four and last four pages are continuous, but there is text missing between the fourth and fifth pages.Some stains and rust marks, and a few holes resulting in loss. In small black folder.
Stock Code: CO16533
