Austria, Salzburg, Abbey of St. Peter, A VII 39.

INTRODUCTION

This parchment manuscript contains only the Apologeticum. It was written in 1455 for Johannes Vitez, then bishop of Varada, by a scribe named Briccius of Polanka. After his fall, it then became the property of his successor as Archbishop of Esztergom, Johannes Beckensloer, who became Archbishop of Salzburg in 1482. Currently in the Benedictine abbey of St. Peter at Salzburg. In an old catalogue of the abbey, BL Addit. 16901 is also listed.

DETAILS

This image from Kl. Csapodi-Gardonyi, Die Bibliothek des Johannes Vitez, Budapest (1984), plate 78:

Parchment. Subscriptio gives date as 1455. There are variants in the margins from another MS. Agrees with codex W.

Petitmengin (p.74 and n.48) states that this was copied in 1455 for Johannes Vitez, bishop of Varada/Oradea (Grosswardein) in Transylvania, and relates to the 12th century Admont Ms.

A similar statement is found in Berkovits (1964):

There was working at the court of Vitéz in Várad as early as 1455 a copyist named Briccius de Polanka who copied for him the book of Tertullian entitled Apologeticus. This manuscript is preserved in the library of the Benedictine monastery in Salzburg. Designated: A. VII. 39.--- Fraknói, Vilmos: "Váradon írt Vitéz codex" [A Vitéz Manuscript Written at Várad], in Magyar Könyvszemle, 1880, pp. 244-246.

A number of interesting statements from Kl. Csapodi-Gardonyi, Die Bibliothek des Johannes Vitez, Budapest (1984):

As evidence that Vitez knew some Greek, Fraknói remarked that the Tertullian Apologeticum codex now in Salzburg had the title, translated into Greek, written in Vitez' hand. (p.42)
The name "Zrednai", which means John of Zredna (=Vitez) appears in two codices. One is our Ms., the other is the Franciscus Maironis (p.43). There are emendations in our Ms. in Vitez' hand, with a date, 1468. (p.43 n.164)
Vitez lent the manuscript to Aeneas Sylvius, who returned it by means of Johannes Nihil, the Bohemian astronomer, with these words: ... is afferet Tertullianum raptim et minus terse rescriptum vestreque dignationi restituet. (Letter is in the Wiener Neustadt, dated 22/1/1454, and published by Rudolf WOLKAN, Der Briefwechsel des Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, "Fontes Rerum Austriacarum" II, vol. 68, p.427-428). (p.45)
Vitez revised the manuscript in Neutra in 1468, according to a note in it. (p.55)
"Jo. E. W." must mean "Johannes, Episcopus Waradensis", which at that time must mean Vitez. This signature is present in some of Vitez mss -- Csapodi-Gardonyi was vague as to whether the Tertullian was one of them. (p.56)
An otherwise unknown scribe, "Briccius de Polanka", copied the Tertullian for Vitez at Großwardein in 1455. (p.68) But two other codices may be written by the same scribe -- the Leo I, Sermons and the Almagest (p.113, 130).
This manuscript was bound in blind-stamped leather, very similar to contempoary Italian bindings. (p.70).
The Napoleonic wars scattered mss. from the Archiepiscopal library in Salzburg. The French captured the previously independent city in 1800, and 78 mss. are still in Paris. After this Austrian rule arrived until 1805, so mss. also went to Vienna. Between 1805 - 1816 it was in Bavarian hands, which led further manuscripts to end up in Munich. (p.77)
Vitez died 9th August 1472, in Gran. Beckensloer arrived in Salzburg in 1476 (p.76)

Here are some details from Hill Monastic Manuscript Library site search engine. Contains only the Apologeticum. They have a microfilm of it, I believe (sadly the abbey refused me permission to photograph the Ms. on the grounds that HMML had made a microfilm of it, which of course no normal person can see. Let's hope they change their minds as digital photography becomes commonplace).

City: Salzburg
Library: Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Peter
Manuscript Folio: 53 f.
Physical Issues: Quarto
Date: Saec. 15
Part Folio: 53 f.
ShelfMark: Codex S. Petri Salisburgensis a.VII.39

Manuscript Text :
Text Folio: 53 f.
Author: Tertullianus
Supplied Title: Apologeticus.
Language(s): Latin.

St. Peter's Abbey has a website. This includes a list of Mss, but no titles!

CATALOGUE ENTRIES

1. From Kl. CSAPODI-GÁRDONYI, Die bibliothek des Johannes Vitez, Budapest (1984) p. 140:

Abb. 78 108. Apologeticus.
Authentischer Vitez-Kodex.
Salzburg, Benediktinerkloster benannt von Sankt Peter, A. VII. 39.
Pergament, 53 Fol., 167x255 mm.
Schrift: Gothico-Antiqua aus Ungarn.
Schreiber: Briccius de Polanka. Auf Fol. 53 steht die folgende Bemerkung: "Ex Waradino per Briccium pr[esbyter]um de Polanka Anno D[omini] 1455 D[omi]no Johan[n]i de Zredna Ep[iscop]o S[anctae] D[ioecesis] W[aradiensis]."
Emendiert von Vitez mit roter und schwarzer Tinte.
Buchschmuck: ----
Wappen: ----
Einband: zeitgenössischer Ledereinband, Ungarn (Wardein).
Besitzer: Nach Fraknói wurde auch diese Handschrift von Beckensloer nach Salzburg gebracht, ist dort aber abhanden gekommen. Die jetzige Institution ihrer Aufbewahrung kaufte sie erst 1846 von einem Antiquar in Salzburg.
Lit.: Fraknói IV., Hoffmann I., (Nr. 24), S. 60, Csapodi I. 629.

Das Werk ist apologetischen Inhalts, behandelt aber das Thema nicht aus theologischer, sondern eher aus juristischer Sicht. Zuerst ist Csontosi auf die Spur des im Salzburger Benediktinerkloster aufbewahrten, eigentlich für Vitez abgeschriebenen Kodex gekommen; die Beschreibung der Handschrift hat er aber Fraknói überlassen. Der Kodex enthält 121 Bemerkungen und Nota-Zeichen von Vitez, die sich auf den Inhalt beziehen. Vitez hat den Text noch im Jahr der Abschrift (1455) emendiert. Ortschaften mit der Namensbezeichnung Polanka sind in verschiedenen Komitaten Ungarns zu finden; darum ist nicht leicht festzustellen, woher unser Schreiber stammt. Bunyitay führt im Register der Wardeiner Domherren einen "Custos Briccius", der höchstwahrscheinlich mit dem Schreiber identisch ist. Fraknóis Ansicht nach wurde der Kodex, der die Reden Papst Leos enthält (Nr. 56) ebenfalls von Briccius de Polanka abgeschrieben. Aufgrund eines Photos (das Original ist verschollen) können wir diese Ansicht nicht teilen. Unserer Meinung nach befindet sich kein anderer unter den bekannten Kodexen von Vitez, der von der Hand Briccius de Polanka stammen könnte.

The references are explained:

Csapodi I = Cs. CSAPODI, The Corvinian Library. History and Stock. Budapest (1973)
Fraknoi IX = FRAKNÓI, Vilmos: Vitéz János könyvtára (Die Bibliothek von Johannes Vitéz). In: Magyar Könyvszemle (Ungarische Bücherschau) 1878, S. 1-21, 79-91 u. 190-201.
Hoffmann I = Hoffmann, Edith: Régi magyar bibliofilek [Old Hungarian Bibliophiles]. Budapest, 1929. -- Johannes Vitez, pp.57-69.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kl. Csapodi-Gardonyi, Die Bibliothek des Johannes Vitez, Budapest (1984), p.140 and pl.78 Checked.

Pierre PETITMENGIN, Tertullien entre la fin du XIIe et le début du XVIe siècle, in M. CORTESI (ed), Padri Greci e Latini a confronto: Atti del Convegno di studi della Società Internazionale per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino. Firenze: SISMEL (2004). pp. 63-88. Checked.

This page has been online since 7^th May 2005.

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