1550: Gelenius

(Adams T410)

-----------------------------

1550 : GELENIUS : 5th Edition : Basle: Froben.  Edited by the Czech philologist Sigismund Gelenius (Ghelen), who had been Rhenanus' assistant at Froben and was credited as such in the 1539 edition. He used the ancient Codex Masburensis from Malmesbury in Wiltshire, which John Leland had sent to Beatus Rhenanus, and had then passed to Gelenius.  Gelenius however exaggerated its contents.

The following details are taken from the copy held at St. Johns College Cambridge, to whom many thanks.  The 1562 reprint however is also detailed online.

Copies:

Details:

These are from the copy at St. Johns College, Cambridge.  This had a leather binding, of which the spine had been replaced, with 5 sewing points, shelfmark 25.A/G.4 in white bits of paper on the spine.  Inside on the board was a slip of printed paper, reading "Testamento legavit | THOMAS GISBORNE, M.D. R. & A.S.S. | Regis, Regiæque Familiae Medicus; | Collegii Regis Medicorum apud Londinium | olim Præses; | et hujus Collegii per quinquaginta et | quinque annos Socius."  Between the board and the first guard-leaf, a fragment of parchment protrudes, beginning "This indenture...".  On the recto of the first guard leaf is an old shelfmark, Rr.3.23, but with a line through it. On the first leaf is a price: 3s. 6d.  Followed by a handwritten note, "This edit. wants ad nationes &.c. first published by Jacobus Gothofredus, in 4° Genova 1625. There are two guardleaves, the second of which has illegible scrawlings on it. 

The pages have been trimmed, as may be seen from some truncated marginal notes (none interesting).  Current size of the title page is 31cm x 21cm.  Printed area (p19) is 25.5cm x 15cm.

Gatherings and pagination:

Pages: [12], 909, [3], [60].  The last 60 are the indices, the 3 are blanks, the first 12 pages are of course the first gathering.  Unnumbered pages are in [].

Gatherings: +6,a6,b6,c6,d6,e6,f6,g6,h6,i6,k6,l6,m6,n6,o6,p6,q6,r6,s6,t6,u6,x6,y6,z6, A6,B6,C6,D6,E6,F6,G6,H6,I6,K6,L6,M6,N6,O6,P6,Q6,R6,S6,T6,V6,X6,Y6,Z6, Aa6,Bb6,Cc6,Dd6,Ee6,Ff6,Gg6,Hh6,Ii6,Kk6,Ll6,Mm6,Nn6,Oo6,Pp6,Qq6,Rr6,Ss6,Tt6,Vv6,Xx6,Yy6,Zz6, AA6,BB6,CC6,DD6,EE6,FF6,GG6,HH6,II6,KK6,MM6.

The first gathering uses a cross-symbol, not a letter.  The first recto of the first gathering is the title page.

The final leaf of MM, 6verso, has the Froben symbol on it.  Two guardleaves follow.  The last but one verso of MM6 has a 'Series Chartarum' in which it lists these letters, and then adds, "Omnes sunt terniones".  Under this is the text, "BASILIAE APVD HIER FROBEN ET NIC. | EPISCOPIVM ANNO M.D.L. | Mense Martio."

Contents:

Location 
(Page)
Contents
NB: Titles given are the modern ones -- sadly I did not note those by Gelenius.  Also, not every work starts a new page -- most do not.  Each work starts with a decorated initial.
[1] Title page
[2] Table of contents, and the only notes Gelenius offers on his activity
[3-8] Reprint of Rhenanus' letter of dedication to Stanislaus.
[9-11] Reprinted Proverbial sayings quoted by Tertullian
[12] Reprinted Vita of Tertullian, by Beatus Rhenanus.
1 De Patientia: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
7 De Patientia
17 De Carne Christi: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
21 De Carne Christi
39 De Resurrectione Carnis: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
45 De Resurrectione Carnis
90 De Praescriptione Haereticorum: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
95 De Praescriptione Haereticorum, with Adversus Omnes Haereses at the end.  A mark appears in the text, with this marginal note, "Hæc appendix male, revulsa fuerat à reliquo corpore."
118 Adversus Iudaeos: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
119 Adversus Iudaeos.  Note that some tituli appear in the middle of the text body as divisions in this work.
142 Adversus Marcionem I: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
146 Adversus Marcionem I
167 Adversus Marcionem II: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
170 Adversus Marcionem II.  Note that page 170 is misprinted as '270'.
191 Adversus Marcionem III: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
194 Adversus Marcionem III
215 Adversus Marcionem IV: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
222 Adversus Marcionem IV
289 Adversus Marcionem V: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
294 Adversus Marcionem V
330 Adversus Hermogenem: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
335 Adversus Hermogenem
356 Adversus Valentinianos: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
386 Diagram of Aeons, etc
387 Adversus Valentinianos
401 Adversus Praxean: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
404 Adversus Praxean
431 De Corona: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
447 De Corona
457 Ad Martyras: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
465 Ad Martyras
468 De Poenitentia: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus).  On p.472 is an opinion by Erasmus that this work is spurious, "propter phrasim diversam."  Rhenanus disagrees.
477 De Poenitentia
486 De Virginibus Velandis: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
490 De Virginibus Velandis
501 De Habitu Mulieri: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
505 De Habitu Mulieri
508 De Cultu Feminarum: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
512 De Cultu Feminarum
519 Ad Uxorem I: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
522 Ad Uxorem I
526 Ad Uxorem II: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
530 Ad Uxorem II
534 De Fuga in Persecutione: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
538 De Fuga in Persecutione
549 Ad Scapulam: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
552 Ad Scapulam
555 De Exhortatione Castitatis: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
558 De Exhortatione Castitatis
566 De Monogamia: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
570 De Monogamia
584 De Pallio: Argumentum et annotationes (by Rhenanus)
588-595 De Pallio
596 De Trinitate (no work from here on has the Argumentum or annotationes).  This is of course the work of Novatian.
635 De Testimonio Animae
639 De Anima.  Note that the table of chapters at the start in the 1545 is not reprinted here.  Some chapter tituli in the body of the text as divisions.
689 De Spectaculis
712 Scorpiace
728 De Idololatria
742 De Pudicitia
770 De Ieiunio
782 De Cibis Iudaicis (Novatian)
788 De Oratione
794 Epistola nuncupatoria  by Francesco Zephyrinus (reprinted)
798 Apologeticum: Argumentum (by Zephyrinus)
799 Apologeticum.  The text is broken up into chunks, interspersed with comments in a small type.
899-909 Admonitio (by Rhenanus) on doctrine.
[3] Blank pages.
  Index of words
  Index script. (MMv-MM4v)
  Index of similitudes (MM5)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

M. WELTI, Gelen, Sigmund, Philologe, Neue Deutsche Biographie, Vol. 6 (1964), p.173.  Checked:

Gelen, Sigmund, Philologe, * um 1498 Prag, + 1554 Basel.

V Gregory Hruby, im Hofdienst in P., übersetzte Werke v. Petrarca, Cicero u. Erasmus ins Tschechische;  N. N.: 3 S.

Mit 7 Jahren kam G. unter die Obhut des Prager Domherrn Wenzel v. Pisek, der mit seinem Schüler nach Italien zog. G. studierte in Bologna und lernte während eines längeren Aufenthalts in Venedig Griechisch bei M. Musurus. Er bereiste Korsika, Sardinien, Sizilien, erhielt Einblick in die aufgewühlte Welt der ital. Kleinstaaten und kehrte über Frankreich find Deutschland in seine Heimat zurück. Da sein Vermögen inzwischen zusammengeschmolzen war, hielt er nach dem Tode seines Vaters in Prag eine Zeitlang Privatvorlesungen über griech. Literatur, begab sich dann aber nach Basel (ca. 1524), wo er die restlichen Jahrzehnte seines Lebens im Dienste der Frobeniana als unauffälliger Korrektor, Herausgeber und Übersetzer verbringen sollte. Durch seinen kritischen Scharfsinn gewann er sich die Zuneigung des Erasmus, der ihn vorübergehend sogar in seinen Haushalt aufnahm. Der Universität blieb er trotz seiner Immatrikulation fern, und auch eine Einladung Melanchthons, in Nürnberg Griechisch zu lehren, fand bei ihm kein Gehör. -- G. gehörte zum Kreis jener stillen, hochgebildeten Gelehrten, die mit ihrem Bienenfleiß die basler. Buchproduktion des 16. Jh. in ihrer Vielfalt und Fülle erst möglich machten, deren tieferes Wesen aber hinter dem entsagungsvollen Werk für uns leider noch weitgehend verborgen bleibt. G. hat bloß ein originales Werk hinterlassen, das Lexicum symphonum (Basel 1537, erweitert 1544], in dem er sich um den Nachweis von Affinitäten zwischen dem Griechischen, Lateinischen, Germanischen und den slaw. Idiomen bemüht. Die Zahl der von ihm edierten, zum Teil ins Lateinische übertragenen, zum Teil kommentierten, christlichen und paganen Texte antiker Autoren ist dagegen Legion (s. H. M. Allen, Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami VI, Oxford 1926, S. 330, Anm. 8, L, dazu Verz. in: Brit. Mus. Gen. Cat. of Printed Books 83, London 1961, S. 390-93).

[[At the age of 7 G. came under the supervision of the Prague cathedral master Wenzel v. Pisek, who went with his pupil to Italy. G. studied Greek in Bologna and studied with M. Musurus during a longer stay in Venice. He travelled through Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and received an overview of the Italian city-states, finding his way back to his homeland through France and Germany. Since his fortune was diminished in the meantime, after the death of his father for a while he held private lectures in Prague on Greek literature.  However he then went to Basel (approx. 1524), where he spent the remaining decades of his life in the service of the Froben press as an inconspicuous corrector, editor and translator. By his sharp critical sense he won the affection of Erasmus, who even accepted him temporarily in his household. He stayed away from the university despite having made his inscription, and also turned down an invitation from Melanchthon to teach Greek in Nuremberg. -- G. belonged to the circle of those quiet, highly educated scholars, whose diligence alone made possible the extent and variety of book production in Basle in the 16th century, the  deeper nature of which remains unfortunately still to a large extent hidden to us in anonymity. G. left only one original work, the Lexicum symphonum (Basel 1537, reprinted 1544 ], in which he endeavoured to prove the affinities between Greek, Latin, Germanic and Slavic languages. The number of texts of ancient Christian and pagan authors which he edited, partially translated into Latin, or partially commentated,  is legion (see H. M. Allen, Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami VI, Oxford 1926, p. 330, note 8, L, in addition see: Brit. Mus. Gen. Cat. of printed Books 83, London 1961, p. 390-93).]]

L. ADB VIII; R. Wackernagel, Gesch. d. Stadt Basel III, 1924, S. 448 f.; Basler Zs. f. Gesch. u. Altertumskde. 43, 1944, S. 17 ff.; E. Bonjour, Die Univ. Basel v. d. Anfängen b. z. Gegenwart, 1960, S.230.

Manfred E. WELTI

Pierre PETITMENGIN, Chronica Tertullianea et Cyprianea 2003, p. 421 (reviewing entry 66), tells us that Gelenius was a strong protestant, but that his edition was acceptable to all.

-----------------------------

This page has been online since 29th July 2002.


Return to the Tertullian Project / About these pages