Title: Two Leaves from Peter Lombard’s Sentences, or Sententia, 1250. France. Latin Manuscript on Parchment. 40 Lines of Gothic Script. Book III, Distinctio XIX and XXVII
Author: Peter Lombard
Condition: Good
A mid 13th century pair of leaves from the Sentences of Peter Lombard, containing parts from Book III, being Distinctio XIX and XXVII.
A systematic compilation of theology, this work deals with theological questions posed by Lombard, 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 Lombard, these commentaries allowed scholars to come to their own conclusions and answers on this monumental work. An Italian theologian of the 12th century, Peter was made Bishop of Paris in 1159.
These leaves are written in Latin, using a gothic textualis miniscule script. There are Lombard style rubricated spring plant initials in red and blue, with extensively decorated vines and spring work, both also in red and blue.
These leaves are written in a 40-line, two column format.
These leaves bear provenance of the Colker Collection, which were previously acquired from Maggs Brothers in 1963.
Two leaves on parchment, 26.9 x 18 cm
These leaves are in good shape, with browning and staining to the leaves, and some glue shadows to the inner margins. One leaf has been trimmed into the writing space, with some text loss to the edge.