On this page, you can learn more about the various medieval manuscripts in St John’s College Library that contain sermons and homilies. The authors include Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Gregory the Great. You may also be interested in the Sermons section of our western post-1500 manuscripts collection.
MS 1
MS 1 principally contains a copy of Augustine’s Homilies on John. This manuscript was produced in England at the turn of the fourteenth century. Specifically, it was written and then kept at Reading abbey.
MS 11
MS 11 is a sequence of homilies from patristic sources, including Bede, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Haymo of Halberstadt, Gregory the Great, and Origen. This manuscript was produced in Reading, England in the second quarter of the twelfth century.
MS 19
MS 19 contains Augustine’s Sermons on Psalms 80–118. Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, was a bishop, theologian, and philosopher (d.430). This manuscript was produced in England at the turn of the fourteenth century.
MS 54
MS 54 comprises three originally separate manuscripts, all produced in England in the fifteenth century. Included here are homilies by Radulphus Ardens (a notable preacher, fl. 1190s), and an anonymous text on four types of fear.
MS 62
MS 62 was produced in England at the turn of the thirteenth century and it contains a copy of Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermons on the Song of Songs. The key themes of the Old Testament Song of Songs include love and longing. In his sermons, Bernard of Clairvaux (d.1153) interprets the Song of Songs allegorically.
MS 65
MS 65 contains a copy of the ‘sermon-diary’ of Richard Fitzralph, Archbishop of Armagh (d.1360). This manuscript was produced in England at the end of the fourteenth century. It was likely once owned by Henry Savile of Bank (d.1617), a prolific collector of medieval manuscripts.
MS 93
MS 93 comprises two originally separate manuscripts dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, both produced in England. The longer of the two is a copy of Gesta Romanorum, a popular collection of tales apparently intended as a resource for preachers. This text is notable for inspiring Chaucer and others.
MS 112
MS 112 comprises two originally separate manuscripts. The first is a copy of Alphabetum narrationum, a preaching compendium. The second manuscript contains multiple works attributed here to Pope Clement I. Both manuscripts were produced in England, the former in the fourteenth century, the latter in the thirteenth.
MS 118
MS 118 contains sermons on the Psalms by Philip the Chancellor (d. 1236). This manuscript was produced in England in the middle of the thirteenth century.
MS 121
MS 121, which was produced in England at the beginning of the fifteenth century, contains a copy of Gregory the Great’s Homilies on the Gospels. Pope Gregory I (d. 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, is most famous for instigating the Gregorian Mission to convert England to Christianity.
MS 134
MS 134 contains a collection of sermons, mainly by Geoffrey of St Thierry. This manuscript was produced in England in the thirteenth century. A large hole at the start of the book (shown here) offers a glimpse through to the next page.
MS 136
MS 136 comprises four originally separate manuscripts, variously produced in England in the thirteenth century. It includes homilies prepared for parochial use, presumably by Philip, vicar of Wycombe.
MS 139
MS 139 comprises two originally separate manuscripts. The first manuscript is a copy of Johannes Consobrinus’ De usura, and it was produced in Italy in the late fourteenth century. The second manuscript is a copy of John Felton’s sermons, and it was produced in England in the middle of the fifteenth century.
MS 141
MS 141 principally contains a copy of Gregory the Great’s Homelia in evangelia. Pope Gregory I (d. 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, is most famous for instigating the Gregorian Mission to convert England to Christianity. MS 141 was produced in England in the fifteenth century.
MS 158
MS 158 comprises two (or perhaps more) originally separate manuscripts produced in England in the twelfth century. It includes sermons by Ivo of Chartres (d. 1115).
MS 190
MS 190 comprises five originally separate manuscripts, variously produced in England in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The contents include preaching materials, including a sermon on the Assumption of the Virgin (item 12).
MS 203
MS 203 comprises four originally separate manuscripts dating from thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, all of which were produced in England. MS 203 includes sermons, sermon notes, and sermon outlines.