F-vpe8: Pseudo-Haymo, Liverani homiliary, homilies on Luke 7:11-16 and Luke 14:1-11 (Barré nos. 68-69, Liverani nos. LIV-LV)
The leaf is identified with high confidence as part of a homiliary, not of a biblical commentary: it carries the end of the homily on the widow of Nain and, under a red rubric for the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the start of the homily on the dinner in the Pharisee's house, both from an anonymous Carolingian homiliary that circulated as homilies of "Haymo", a reworking of the homiliary of Haymo of Auxerre known as the Liverani homiliary. The Nain homily runs closely with the witnesses compared; the second homily begins without the introduction they have.
The Fragmentarium record describes a parchment leaf, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, NAL 2317, f. 7, 295 x 240 mm, dated 976-1000, catalogued as an unidentified biblical commentary. The catalogue transcribes the rubric "Dominica XVIII post Pentecosten" and names no author or work. The text is a pair of Sunday homilies, which expound the Gospel reading phrase by phrase and so resemble a commentary.
- Identification: identified, high. Two consecutive homilies agree in sequence and in distinctive wording with nos. 68 and 69 of Barré's inventory of the Liverani homiliary (Liverani no. LIV, pp. 468-472, and no. LV, pp. 473-475): the mother as the Church who "cotidie spiritales deo filios gignere non cessat", the bearers of the bier as flatterers ("baiuli funeris adolatores sunt"), and the simile of the "peritissimus piscator" and the "auceps uel uenator". Haymo of Auxerre's own homily for the Sunday (Patrologia Latina 118, printed as Haymo of Halberstadt) has the same exegesis in different words and is the source of the reworking, not the text on the leaf. Heiric of Auxerre's homilies (Corpus Christianorum, Continuatio Mediaevalis 116B), searched by phrase, have none of the wording tested. In Haymo's own homilies (PL 118, cols. 687-689) the mother is the Synagogue, the bearers are unclean spirits, and the fisherman is "doctus piscator et peritus venator". Qualification on the recension (that is, the distinct version of the text): the homily on Luke 14 lacks the proem "Veniens Dei Filius in mundum" that both Liverani's print and Latin 3806 have and opens "Quociescumque legimus dominum ad nupcias", nearer to Haymo's "Quoties legimus"; in the Nain homily the leaf reads the mother only as the Church where both witnesses have "doctores in ecclesia". Which version of the collection it represents is not determined.
- Transcription: source-assisted selected reading of fol. 7r column a lines 9-21, fol. 7r column b lines 8-22, fol. 7v column b lines 1-13 and the rubric; the image-only first reading covers all four columns. A research reader reread those passages on enlarged crops; everything else rests on the first reading. The top and foot of fol. 7r column b and the foot of fol. 7v column a are rubbed, mouldy or torn and are not read. Accuracy has not been measured.
- Verification: a research reader compared three passages of the Nain homily (fol. 7r columns a and b, fol. 7v column a) with page images of Paris, BnF, Latin 3806, fols. 170r-171r, and with Liverani's printed text as returned by Google Books search-within snippets, and the opening of the Luke 14 homily (fol. 7v column b) with page images of Latin 3806, fols. 175r-175v, and the snippets. The coordinator read "Mater autem huius defuncti ecclesia est ... filios gignere non cessat" on the image of fol. 7r. Liverani's edition was not seen as page images. No human review.
Textual evidence
Manuscript: fol. 7r, column a, native-pixel box 462,1500,2661,3500, and column b, box 2189,1400,4389,3500; fol. 7v, column b, box 1999,351,4250,2200, and the rubric at the foot of column a, box 231,3900,2481,5092. Square brackets mark text lost or not read; abbreviations are resolved silently; the manuscript's spelling is kept.
| NAL 2317, f. 7 | Source |
|---|---|
| fol. 7r col. a: "Mater autem huius defuncti sancta ecclesia est que cotidie spiritales deo filios gingere non cessat quos credentes ex aqua spiritu sancto regenerat. Unde per prophetam dicitur. Letare sterelis que non pares erumpe et clama que non parturris. Quoscumque enim post baptismi gratiam a peccatis relabi uidet hos quasi unicos filios deflet ac gemit sicut faciebat paulus apostolus qui more paterno filios suos plangebat dicens. filioli mei quos iterum parturio donec christus formetur in uobis" | Liverani pp. 470-471: "gignere non cessat. Quos credentes ex aqua et Spiritu sancto regenerat. De qua per prophetam dicitur: laetare sterilis, quae non paris; erumpe et clama quae non parturis. Quoscumque enim post baptismi gratiam in peccatis relabi videt, hos quasi unicos filios deflet ac gemit. Sicut faciebat Paulus apostolus [...] more paterno filios suos plangebat, dicens: filioli mei, quos iterum parturio donec Christus formetur in vobis". Latin 3806, fol. 170r: "Et matrem autem huius defuncti doctores in ecclesia figurantur [...] Quoscumque igitur doctores post baptismi gratiam ad peccatum relabi uident eos quasi unicos filios deflent ac gemunt. Sic faciebat paulus apostolus qui more paterno filios plangebat dicens. Filioli mei quos iterum parturio donec christus formetur in uobis" |
| fol. 7r col. a (first reading, lines 22-28): "Solet enim contingere ut hi meritis intra sanctam ecclesiam saluari non merentur aliorum intercesionibus saluentur atque peccatis liberentur. Unde et subditur. Quam cum uidisset dominus [...] Cotidie enim sancta ecclesia pro suorum morte natorum lacrimabiliter deo preces fundere non cessat" | Latin 3806, fol. 170r: "Solet enim contingere ut qui suis meritis in sancta ecclesia saluari non merentur aliorum intercessionibus supplicet ut a peccatis liberari possit [...] Cotidie enim sancta ecclesia pro suorum morte natorum lacrimabiliter deo preces fundere non cessat" |
| fol. 7r col. b: "[c]onuertitur. uicia preceden[tia in] uirtutibus comutantur. scilicet superbia in humilitatem auaricia in largitatem ebrietas in sobrietatem. luxuria in castitatem. Aliter baiuli funeris adolatores sunt. qui dum male uiuentes inanis laudibus extollunt. quasi terram congerunt super mortuum [...] ne is qui ceciderat resurgere possit. Sed domino loculo tangente baiuli funeris stant quia peccatore conu[erso] adolacio cessat. quia ille qui per penitenciam se humiliat non solum laudem non requir[it] uerum etiam conte[mptui ...]. Tunc enim mortuus resurgit quando peccator per penitenciam reuiu[iscit]" | Latin 3806, fols. 170v-171r: "quia dum peccator ad penitentiam conuertitur uicia precedentia in uirtutibus comutantur. Scilicet pro superbia humilitas pro auaricia largitas pro luxuria castitas pro ebrietate sobrietas. Aliter. Funeris baiuli adulatores sunt. Qui dum male uiuentes inanis laudibus extollunt quasi terre congeriem super mortuum iaciunt ne his qui ceciderat resurgere possit. Domino namque tangente loculum funeris baiuli stant quia peccatore conuerso statim adulatio cessat. Dum enim quis propter dominum se humiliat non solum laudem requirit uerum etiam contemptui se uult habere. Mortuus nempe tunc surgit quando peccator per penitentiam reuiuescit" |
| fol. 7v col. a (first reading, lines 3-10): "ut possit dicere cum propheta. Dominus dedit mihi linguam eru[ditam]. Dedit illum matri sue. quando peccator per penitenciam ad ecclesiam redit a qua peccando antea recessit. Solet enim contingere ut quo grauior fuerit [...] subditur. Accepit autem omnes timor et magnificabant deum" | Latin 3806, fol. 171r: "ut possit dicere cum propheta. Dominus dedit mihi linguam eruditam. Et dedit illum matri sue. Reddit illum matri sue quando per penitentiam in ecclesiam redit ad quam peccando antea recesserat. Solet enim contingere ut quo grauior fuerat in crimine eo excellentior fiat in conuersione. Nam subditur. Accepit autem omnes timor et magnificabant deum" |
| fol. 7v col. a foot and col. b: rubric "Dominica xuiii post pentecosten secundum Lucam", then "in domum cuiusdam principis fariseorum etc. Quociescumque legimus dominum ad nupcias siue ad conuiuium inuitatum uenisse. non gule uilecebris et ob ingluuiem uentris [...] uenisse esse eum credere debemus sicut faciebant scribe et pharisei dicentes eum uini potato[rem] esse et amicum publicanorum. sed anaduertere debe[mus] idcirco ad nupcias uel ad conuiuium uenisse ut quoniam multi congregabantur mul[t]i suo exemplo uel doctrina erudirentur. Sicut enim peritissimus piscator ibi re[te ...] tendit ubi scit multitudinem piscium adu[nari]. Et sicut auceps uel uenator decipula sua" | Liverani p. 473: "LV Dominica decimaoctava post Pentecosten secundum Lucam [...] Veniens Dei Filius in mundum [...] Sed cum audis, mens humana, Dominum ad nuptias et ad convivium invitatum venisse, non gulae illecebris deputare debes, sicut faciebant scribae et pharisaei, dicentes, eum vini potatorem esse et amicum publicanorum; sed animadvertere, idcirco ad nuptias et ad convivium eum venisse, ut ubi multi congregabantur, plurimi suo exemplo vel doctrina erudirentur. Sicut enim peritissimus piscator, ibi retia sua tendit, ubi scit multitudinem piscium adunari: et sicut auceps vel venator ibi tendicula sua tendit". Latin 3806, fols. 175r-175v, has the same proem and "Sic enim peritissimus piscator ibi retia sua tendit ubi scit multitudinem piscium adunari et sic auceps uel uenator ibi tendicula sua tendit" |
Differences: in the Nain homily the leaf agrees with Liverani's "gignere non cessat ... regenerat" sentence, which stands later and in other words in Latin 3806 ("quos per aquam baptismatis et gratiam spiritus sancti regenerauit"), and it has the singular "uidet ... deflet ac gemit" of the Church where Latin 3806 has plurals for the teachers. It lists the four vices turned to virtues in a different order from Latin 3806 and has "terram congerunt" for "terre congeriem ... iaciunt". After "ut quo grauior fuerit" the leaf continues differently from both witnesses (the first reading has "eo grauius semet ipsum uindicet", uncertain). In the Luke 14 homily the leaf has no proem and a different first sentence, as stated above, and adds "et ob ingluuiem uentris"; from "sicut faciebant scribe et pharisei" it follows the witnesses, with "decipula" for "tendicula". The rubric number XVIII agrees with Liverani; Latin 3806 has "Dominica XVII".
The collection is the one H. Barré calls the Liverani homiliary (Les homéliaires carolingiens de l'école d'Auxerre, Studi e Testi 225, 1962, pp. 113-122, inventory pp. 195-208): an anonymous homiliary on the Gospels transmitted as Homelie domni Aimonis, which Barré judges a later reworking of the homiliary of Haymo of Auxerre. It was printed by F. Liverani, Spicilegium Liberianum (Florence, 1863), from a manuscript of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome, under the name of Haymo of Halberstadt, an attribution no longer accepted. Barré distinguishes an Italian recension (Liverani's manuscript and others) from a French one, to which he assigns Paris, BnF, Latin 3806, a homiliary from Vilabertran in Catalonia of the 11th or 12th century according to the BnF notice. No page scan of Liverani was found; his text and Barré's inventory were read through Google Books search-within snippets, which give the printed wording and page but can drop or garble words. Latin 3806 was read from the digitised microfilm on Gallica. The pages of Latin 3806 used here are fols. 169v-170r, fols. 170v-171r, fols. 174v-175r and fols. 175v-176r.
The manuscript, and what is not claimed
Three Fragmentarium records for NAL 2317 are leaves of one manuscript: this one, ff. 4-5 (F-kr2n) and f. 6 (F-1szi). The catalogue describes them separately, with three different dates, and does not connect them. The grounds for joining them are the same small rounded Carolingian minuscule and spelling habits on all four leaves (abebat, ominum, scripturra, ut for uel, "&" inside words, ".;" at sentence ends), the same two-column layout of 31 to 33 lines with a written area that the catalogue itself measures as 236 x 184, 238 x 185 and 235 x 184 mm, and the content: homilies of one collection in its liturgical order, Barré nos. 55 to 57 on ff. 4-5 and nos. 67, 68 and 69 across ff. 6 and 7. The leaves are not consecutive. This is a reader's comparison of images, not a codicological examination.
The Nain homily runs from the recto to the verso, which confirms the order of the faces. The prayer on fol. 7r column a, "Obsecro domine ihesu cunctas mee ciuitatis portas iusticie facias ...", belongs to the homily; its ultimate source was not traced. No claim is made about the date or place of origin; the catalogue dates were not reassessed, and the spelling and the agreement with a Catalan witness only suggest, without showing, a southern origin. The recension is not determined: a full collation with Latin 3806, with Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, theol. lat. fol. 595, and with a page copy of Liverani would be needed, and the Catalan homiliary of Luculentius, another reworking of Haymo, was not tested because no searchable text was found. Whether these leaves are already known to students of the collection was not checked.