GENNADIUS MASSILIENSIS. Gennadii Massiliensis Presbyteri Liber de Ecclesiasticis dogmatibus. Veteris cuiusdam theologi Homilia Sacra. Marcialis Episcopi Lemovicensis Epistolae. Geverhartus Elmenhorstius ex MS. provulgavit, & notas addidit. Hamburg (Hamburgi), anno Messiae Regis Aeterni 1614. (Colophon at p. 207: 'Explicitum XIV Kalend. Decembris anno Messiae Regis Aeterni 1613') 4to. (IV),250,(1 errata),(1 blank) p. Old contemporary boards. 19 cm (Ref: VD17 23:274421U; Bardenhewer , 'Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur', Freiburg i.Br., 1924, volume 4,595/597: 'Die wichtigste der älteren Ausgaben'; Graesse 3,49; Ebert 8313) (Details: Title in red & black. Some woodcut initials) (Condition: Cover very scuffed and worn, and chafed at the extremities. Pencil notes on the inside of the frontcover. Last 2 leaves waterstained. Upper margins of last but one leaf repaired. Paper browning. Occasional pencil stripes in the beginning. Old ownership inscription written on the title) (Note: The first half of this book contains a work of Gennadius Massiliensis, and the second half two letters of Marcialis (or Martialis) Lemovicensis. § Of the works of Gennadius of Marseille, who lived during the pontificate of Pope Gelasius, 492-496 A.D., only a few survive. From his best known work 'De viris illustribus', a collection of biographic sketches of 90 important 5th century Christians, we know that he knew Greek well, and that he translated Greek theological works into Latin. His principal aim in life seems to have been to fight and suppress heresies. 'Scripsi' he says somewhere, 'adversum omnes haereses libros octo, et adversum Nestorium libros quinque et adversus Eutychen libros decem et adversus Pelagium libros tres'. (Quoted after Bardenhewer IV,596). All these works are lost, except the end of the 'Adversum omnes haereses libri octo', which survived under the title: 'Liber de ecclesiasticis dogmatibus'. This work, which summarizes the catholic creed, went also under the name of Augustine and Isidor of Sevilla; Bardenhewer however follows the editor of this 1614 edition Elmenhorst in attributing it to Gennadius. This 1614 edition is still of importance. Bardenhewer calls it 'die wichtigste unter den älteren Ausgaben'. It was reprinted by Migne in PL 58, 979-1054. Elmenhorst proved that this treatise of Gennadius showed signs of interpolation and distortion. In the chapters 21 till 52 for instance, passages from a letter of Pope Caelestinus I, or the Acta of the Synode of 416 at Milevum, also Mileum, or even the Synode of 529 at Orange pop up. ('Quae sequuntur capita usque ad cap. LII in MS. non extant. Sunt autem desumpta ad verbum ex decretali epistola Coelestini PP (...) & ex Concil. Milevitano, Africano & Arausicaono II'. Gennadius 1614, p. 136) A comfort for all of us is that Gennadius says that even sinners can perform miraculous works (signa), prophetic signs (prodigia) and good deeds (sanitates) in the name of the Lord (chapter 34, p. 43). Nevertheless, this title of 1614 once figured on the catholic Index of forbidden books. § Marcialis, or Martialis Lemovicensis, known in France as Saint Martial, was the first bishop of Limoges in the 3rd century A.D. He was sent there by Pope Fabianus to preach the Gospel in the Limousin. His burial site later became the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Martial, which had a great library (second only to the library at Cluny) and scriptorium. This Abbey was one of the great pilgrimage sites of western Christianity during the Middle Ages. This part of the book contains 2 pastoral letter of Marcialis, the first to the citizens of Bordeaux ('ad Burdigalenses'), the second to the citizens of Toulouse ('ad Tolosanos'). § The anonymous 'Homilia Sacra', found in a manuscript of the end of the 9th century, concerns the preparation for death from baptism till death. The work's main source is Caesarius of Arles, 470-542 A.D, and the 'Scarapsus' of Pirmin, the first abbot of the convent of Reichenau, who died ca. 753. § The commentary part on Gennadius and the 'Homilia Sacra' is the most extensive (p. 97-189, & 189-201), on the letters of Marcialis the commentary is meagre, p. 201-189. Gennadius, the 'homilia sacra' and the letters of Marcialis of Limoges were edited and annotated by the German scholar Geverhart Elmenhorst, 1580-1621, of Hamburg. He studied in Leiden under the genius J.J. Scaliger, and published after his return to his native city works of some late Latin authors. His is known among classical scholars for his Apuleius edition of 1621. His best work is on late antique Christian writers, such as Arnobius (Hanau 1603), Minucius Felix (Hamburg 1612), Gennadius Massiliensis (Hamburg 1614) and Sidonius Apollinaris (Hanau 1617). (See on Elmenhorst ADB 6,59) The book seems to be rare, for in KVK we found only a few copies in European libraries) (Provenance: written on the title: 'Sum M. Heinr. Meyeri Lips., A. 1645, prid. Kl. April'. In the early summer of June 1669 the relatives, friends and colleagues of Heinrich Meyer received from the Rector of the University of Leipzig an invitation, dated the 4th of June, to attent the funeral service of 'Vir plurimum reverendus & clarissimus Dn. Heinricus Meyerus S.S. Theol. Baccalaureus dignitissimus & D. Nicolai h.l. Symmysta (fellow preacher) meritissimus'. Meyer was a pillar of the community and a real 'Architectus Spiritualis'. He was born, the rector writes, in Leipzig on the 5th of March 1619. His parents were there 'honoratissimi', citizens. Father Sebastianus Meyerus (Sebastian Meyer) was 'Senator Aedilis' of the city. The name of his mother was Sabina Rothaupt. The rector goes on to describe the educational career of Heinrich. He immatriculated in 1639 to study theology. But he was also interested in classical antiquity, especially numismatics. This interest (studio antiquitatis, praesertim in re nummeraria) incited him to build a coin collection of his own. In 1642 he published a Magister thesis 'de ritu coenandi veterum'. In 1647 he left for Strasbourg to gain more in-depth theological knowledge. After this he travelled through England, The Netherlands, and also visited places in Germany. During this trip in Holland he paid a call on Salmasius, Heinsius, Boxhornius and Gronovius, with whom he also corresponded. In 1657 he was called to the diaconate of the 'Nikolaikirche' (ad Diaconatum in aede S. Nicolai legitime vocatus). In this year this 'vir bonus et christianus' gains also the right to call himself 'Baccalaureatus in studio Theologico'. In November 1659 he married Elisabeth Heinz. They had 6 children, of whom 4 survived. Two years before he died Heinrich suffered a stroke during a sermon (?) (cum suo pro rostis sacris fungere officio). Two other strokes undermined his health even more. He died at the age of 50. (http://digital.slub-dresden.de/en/workview/dlf/73777/8/) On the internet we found in the library of Strasbourg 1 other book which was once the property of Meyer. There the provenance is 'Heinricus Meyer Dr. 1658' (http://ccfr.bnf.fr/portailccfr/jsp/ccfr/sitemap/bmr_sitemap_view.jsp?record=bmr%3AUNIMARC%3A1033918) (Collation: pi2, A-H4, 2I2 (leaf 2I2 verso blank)) (Photographs on request)
Book number: 130114 Euro 300.00

Keywords: (Oude Druk), (Rare Books), Binding, antike altertum antiquity, early christian literature, early christianity, frühchristliche Literatur, frühes Christentum