Title: Petri Lombardi Episcopi Parisiensis Sententiarum Lib. IIII, 1537
Author: Petrus Lombardus
Publisher: Excusu[m] fuit hoc op[us] Lugduni : sumptib[us] heredu[m] Simonis Uincentij apud Mathiam bonhome. Matthew Bonhomme for the Heirs of Simon Vincent
Condition: Very Good
An extremely scarce early 16th century edition of Lombardus’ Sentences, in four books. A systematic compilation of theology, this work deals with theological questions posed by Lombardus, which he divided into four books. The first book discusses God and the workings of the Holy Trinity, the second regarding the Creation, the third on Christ and Christianity, and this fourth part comprising of various questions on religion and moral duties. Sometime during the 13th century, Alexander of Hales took the chapters of these four books and grouped them into a smaller number of “distinctions”. With this new form, the Sentences become widely adopted as the standard textbook of theology throughout most of the high and late Middle Ages. For every Master of Theology, a commentary on the Sentences was required. Almost every great theological thinker, whether Aquinas, Bonaventure, or Scotus, wrote their own commentaries on the Sentences, but as the Sentences were more so a compilation of sources from Lombardus, these commentaries allowed scholars to come to their own conclusions and answers on this monumental work. An Italian theologian of the 12th century, Petrus was made Bishop of Paris in 1159.
This work derives its name from the “sententiae”, or authoritative statements on biblical passages that it gathered.
Worldcat records 2 existing copies of this edition.
The title has been printed in red and black, with an intricate woodcut border. There are numerous woodcut initials throughout, of various foliage and figures. The printer’s woodcut device is present to the verso of the final leaf.
This volume has been bound into a vellum manuscript fragment, with faint ink writings all over, and yapp edges.
One manuscript bound volume in octavo, 288 leaves
On note of condition, this volume is in very good shape, with light rubbing and wear to the binding, along with minor staining. There is minor foxing throughout, and some general toning, as well as some worming to the gutters, and well as several small wormhole at the top of the volume that bores throughout, though rarely obscuring any of the title headers.