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Burney MS 4

Record Id:

040-002236309

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002236305

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001311.0x00003b

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Burney MS 4

Title:

Bible; the Interpretations of Hebrew names, synoptic table of biblical parallels

Scope & Content:

This manuscript consists of two parts: the original part contains the Old and New Testament of the Latin Vulgate (ff. 1-249, 273-656). The younger part (ff. 250-277*, ff. 657-667) seems to have been added in the second half of the 14th century to replace lost or damaged parts of the Old Testament (2 Esdras and two prologues to Minor Prophets) as well as adding the complementary text on the interpretations of Hebrew names and a synoptic table, that is a diagram of biblical parallels, with notes.

Based on the format, layout and amount of marginal annotations it was a scholastic bible intended mainly for the study of Scripture. It has highly abbreviated annotations in the margins throughout, sometimes written in lead point. The chapter divisions of the biblical books are consistently marked.

ff. 1r-4r: St Jerome, Epistula 53 ad Paulinum (Letter 53: To Paulinus).

f. 4r: St Jerome, Preface to the Pentateuch.

ff. 5r-29v: Genesis.

ff. 29v-49v: Exodus.

ff. 50r-63v: Leviticus.

ff. 64r-83v: Numbers.

ff. 83v-101r: Deuteronomy.

ff. 101r-113v: Joshua, with prologue.

ff. 114r-128r: Judges.

ff. 128r-130v: Ruth.

ff. 130v-149r: 1 Kings.

ff. 149r-163v: 2 Kings.

ff. 163v-180r: 3 Kings.

ff. 180r-195v: 4 Kings.

ff. 195v-209v: 1 Chronicles, with prologue.

ff. 209v-226r: 2 Chronicles.

ff. 226r-231v: 1 Esdras, with prologue.

ff. 231v-238r: Nehemiah.

ff. 238v-243r: Tobit, with prologue.

ff. 243r-249v: Judith, with prologue.

ff. 250r-269r: 2 Esdras.

ff. 271r-272r: Prologue to Amos.

f. 272v: Prologue to Haggai.

ff. 272r-v: Another prologue to Chronicles (?).

ff. 273r-279r: Esther, with prologue.

ff. 279r-293r: Job, with prologue.

ff. 294r-322v: Psalms (with Arabic numerals numbering added, most likely in the 14th century).

ff. 323r-332v: Proverbs, with rubric: 'Incipit liber Salomonis vel Parabole'.

ff. 332v-336r: Ecclesiastes, with prologue.

ff. 336r-338r: Song of Songs.

ff. 338r-345v: Wisdom, with prologue.

ff. 345v-365v: Ecclesiasticus.

ff. 366r-389v: Isaiah, with prologue.

ff. 389v-420v: Jeremiah, with prologue.

ff. 420v-423r: Baruch.

ff. 423r-424r: Epistle of Jeremiah.

ff. 424r-451v: Ezekiel, with prologue.

ff. 451v-463r: Daniel.

ff. 463r-466v: Hosea.

ff. 466v-469r: Joel.

ff. 469r-471v: Amos.

ff. 471v-472v: Obadiah.

ff. 472v-474r: Jonah.

ff. 474r-476r: Micah.

ff. 476r-477r: Nahum.

ff. 477r-478r: Habakkuk.

ff. 478r-479r: Zephaniah.

ff. 480v-481v: Haggai.

ff. 481v-486r: Zechariah.

ff. 486r-488r: Malachi.

ff. 488r-506r: 1 Maccabees, with prologue.

ff. 506r-518v: 2 Maccabees.

ff. 518v- 519v: St Jerome, Prologue to the Four Gospels, beginning: ‘Plures fuisse’.

ff. 520r-538r: Gospel of St Matthew.

ff. 538r-v: Prologue to St Mark.

ff. 538v-550r: Gospel of St Mark.

ff. 550r-v: Prologue to St Luke.

ff. 550v-569v: Gospel of St Luke.

ff. 569v-570r: Prologue to St John.

ff. 570r-584r: Gospel of St John.

ff. 584r-612r: Pauline Epistles.

ff. 612r-615r: First and Second Epistle to St Timothy.

ff. 615r-616r: Epistle to Titus.

ff. 616r-v: Epistle to Philemon.

ff. 616v-621v: Epistle to the Hebrews.

ff. 621v-639r: Acts of the Apostles.

ff. 639r-641r: Epistle of St James.

ff. 641r-644r: First Epistle of St Peter.

ff. 644r-649r: Second Epistle of St Peter.

ff. 649r- 656r: Revelation.

ff. 657r-666v: Interpretations of Hebrew names, beginning: ‘Aaron mons fortis’.

ff. 667v: Synoptic diagrams and notes, visualising parallels between various books of the Bible.

[f. 272* r-v, f. 293v, f. 656v, f. f. 666* r-v, and f. 667r are blank].

Decoration:

Large puzzle initials in blue and red, with blue and red foliate infill and flourishing (ff. 1r, 5r, 128r).

Medium (5-6 lines) puzzle initials in blue and red, with red and blue infill and flourishing marking the start of texts.

One-line initials in blue with red flourishing marking chapter divisions. Running headers in red and blue (except ff. 250r-272*v, 657r-667v), and rubrics in red.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Burney Manuscripts

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002236305
040-002236309

Is part of:

Burney MS : Burney Manuscripts

Burney MS 4 : Bible; the Interpretations of Hebrew names, synoptic table of biblical parallels

Hierarchy:

032-002236305[0004]/040-002236309

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Burney MS

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

A parchment codex

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1225

End Date:

1399

Date Range:

2nd quarter of the 13th century-2nd half of the 14th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment.

Dimensions: 265 x 175 mm (written area 175 x 105 mm, in two columns).

Foliation: ff. iii + 669 + ff. 272*, 666* ( + ff. i-iii and 668-669 are modern paper flyleaves).

Script: Gothic, written below top line.

Binding: Post-1600. British Museum in-house binding in red and brown leather, the spine inscribed in gold at the British Museum: ‘BIBLIA SACRA. BRIT. MUS. BURNEY 4.’

Custodial History:

Origin: England or France; England

Provenance:

Unidentified owner, mid-16th century: inscribed the letters H and A on originally empty page, potentially joined by a love-knot (f. 656v). This possibly refers to the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn or Anne of Cleves, which would suggest that the manuscript was in England at this point.

Unidentified owner, 17th century: ownership inscription ‘Henricus Aldeus’, f. 1r.

Unidentified owner, 17th century: ownership inscription ‘Guil. de Mems[shnas?]’, f. 1r.

Owned by Charles Burney (b. 1757, d. 1817), D. D., classical scholar.

Acquired by the British Museum as part of Burney’s library from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818.

Information About Copies:

Select digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.

Publications:

Catalogue of Manuscripts in The British Museum, New Series, 1 vol. in 2 parts (London: British Museum, 1834-1840), I, part II: The Burney Manuscripts (1840), p. 1.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Burney, Charles, classical scholar, 1757-1817

Subjects:

Bible

Places:

England

Related Material:

Catalogue of Manuscripts in The British Museum, New Series, 1 vol. in 2 parts (London: British Museum, 1834-1840), I, part II: The Burney Manuscripts (1840), p. 1:‘Codex membranaceus, in folio minori, pp. 1333, sec. XIV ineuntis; quondam Henrici Aldei.

Biblia Sacra, versionis Vulgatae, cum S. Hieronymi prologist et interpretatione nominum Hebraicorum, quae ultima a manu aliquanto recentiori subjecta fuit. Subjungitur quoque tabula synoptica de libris S. Scripturae in classes divisis et de expositoribus uniuscujusque praecipuis.’