by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) MS 105 is an early modern translation of the Book of Psalms into the Persian language: Kitāb-I Zabūr [-I Dā’ūd] (The Book of the Psalms [of David]) completed on 8 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1071 [= 4 August 1661]. One of the earliest Persian translations of the Bible is the so-called PahlaviContinue reading “An unidentified (or presumed lost?) Persian translation of the Book of Psalms”
Tag Archives: Manuscripts
Unique Bible Commentaries by Wyclif
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) We are very excited that the unique texts of the renowned Oxford scholar John Wyclif (mid-1320s – 1384) in St John’s College’s early 15th-century MS 171 have been digitized as part of the Library’s digitization project. The freely available digitization will be a valuable source for Wyclif scholarship. Today, WyclifContinue reading “Unique Bible Commentaries by Wyclif”
Hobbes on the Civil War
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) St John’s College’s MS 13 is a fine copy Behemoth, or The Long Parliament, in which the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) discusses the English Civil War (1642-1651). Dividing the subject matter into four sections, called ‘dialogues’ in St John’s copy, Hobbes’s work covers the timespan from 1637 to 1660Continue reading “Hobbes on the Civil War”
A Student Notebook
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) MS 80 is a student notebook written over 500 years ago, probably at the Sorbonne in Paris. The Englishman Thomas Paynell, the writer of this notebook, is believed to have studied there around 1507. The notebook originally started with an elaborate capital with flowers, animals, and monsters. Other than thisContinue reading “A Student Notebook”
A Medieval Self-Portrait
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) Devotional books, Books of Hours in particular, were the “bestsellers” of the late Middle Ages. Indeed, “from the fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, more books of hours were made than any other type of book.” (Stein). Books of Hours contain prayers linked to the canonical hours (the hours at whichContinue reading “A Medieval Self-Portrait”
The York Bestiary
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) The so-called “York Bestiary” (MS 61, produced in early 13th-century York) is a firm favourite with library staff and visitors. Who can resist these charming, often funny and sometimes puzzling illustrations of animals together with a dazzling display of gold? Bestiaries are a combination of natural philosophy passed down theContinue reading “The York Bestiary”
Medieval Medicine
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) St John’s College has a significant collection of medical manuscripts and early printed books. Among the medieval medical manuscripts is this fascinating volume of John Arderne’s work (MS 86), full of marginal decorations and even one English case history among the otherwise Latin text. The manuscript dates from 14th/15th-century England.Continue reading “Medieval Medicine”
Archbishop William Laud’s Qur’ān
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) MS 107 is one of St John’s five Qur’ān manuscripts. MS 107 is of North African provenance, probably from Morocco, dating from the late 16th or early 17th century. This is based on the decorations which suggest a production during the Sa’did dynasty (1511-1659) in Morocco. Wikipedia describes the Sa’did familyContinue reading “Archbishop William Laud’s Qur’ān”
A gift to support William Laud’s bid for President?
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) This manuscript of Terence’s Comedies (MS 117), produced in France around 1475, is one of the few manuscripts not produced in England that we hold at St John’s College. It is one of two medieval Terence manuscripts in the Library and one of several with Classics texts. Its beautiful decorationsContinue reading “A gift to support William Laud’s bid for President?”
Ink and Illumination : Colour in Medieval Manuscripts and Beyond
Library Exhibition 20 January – 15 March 2025 Curated by Victoria Kinne (History of Art Undergraduate at St Catherine’s College, Oxford) Contents Part 1: The Effect of Colour Colour as Political Symbolism Colour as a Teaching Tool Colour as Character Colour in the Medieval Imagination The Effect of Colour Colour as Accident Colour as LuxuryContinue reading “Ink and Illumination : Colour in Medieval Manuscripts and Beyond”