Month: November 2018

The ‘genuine’ Ephraim Latinus : a survey

Posted on by Roger Pearse

There are a number of texts in the medieval Latin manuscripts which the copyist attributes to “Effrem” etc.  The Clavis Patrum Latinorum divides these into two groups; “Ephraem Latinus” and “Pseudo-Ephraem Latinus”.

Neither has any connection with Ephraem the Syrian, of course.  The “genuine” Ephraim Latinus consists of texts which are translations into Latin of texts in the “Ephraim Graecus” collection. The pseudo-Ephraim Latinus texts are Latin original compositions, although they may also draw on the Greek materials.

Here I want to talk about Ephraim Latinus. This also falls into two groups; a collection of 7 sermons, and a couple of other texts.

*   *   *   *

In the medieval Latin manuscripts, we find a small collection of sermons (“Paruum corpus sermonum”) attributed to “Ephraem Diaconus Edesseni”, i.e. Ephraim the deacon, of Edessa. This is identified in the Clavis Patrum Latinorum as CPL 1143.

The sermons are all translations from Greek. (Note that in Assemani’s mess of a Greek edition, there are doublets – texts that appear more than once, in a longer and shorter form.)

The Monastic Manuscript Project has a page for each work, with massive lists of manuscripts (some online) and bibliography, which it would be silly for me to attempt to duplicate.  So I provide links:

  • i. De die iudicii et de resurrectione. (Cf. CPG 4080)  MMP page.
  • ii. De beatitudine animae. (cf. CPG 3935, 2a)  MMP page.
  • iii. De patientia, sometimes De paenitentia (cf. CPG 3915) MMP page.
  • iv. In luctaminibus. (CPG 3920; 3935, 2b ; 4002; 4081)  MMP page
  • v. De die iudicii. (CPG 3940, 4089)  MMP page.
  • vi. De compunctione cordis. (CPG 3909, 3968).  This is in fact two texts rolled up under the title of the second.  The first is actually “Institutio data ad monachos”.  MMP page.

Manuscripts

See: A. Siegmund, Die Uberlieferung der griechischen christlichen Literatur in der lateinischen Kirche bis zum zwolften Jahrhundert, Munich, 1949. P.67-71. (Not available to me)

In Hemmerginer-Iliadou col. 816, we get this list of manuscripts of the collection.

  • Ms. Vatican lat. 671.  Online here.
  • Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 355 (once 307) 9th c.
  • Laon (Laudunensis), Ms. 121. 9th c.
  • St Omer (Audomarensis) 33bis 8th c.  Online here.
  • Paris Lat. 12634. 7-8th c. De compunctione is split into two, the first called Institutio data ad monachos.
  • The most ancient witness to this book 1 seems to be a dismembered ms of the second half of the 7th c., forming guard-leaves for Paris lat. 10399 and Ambianensis 12.

Here are a few manuscripts, found online, more or less at random.

  • BSB Clm 14364 (9th c.) ff.7r-87r contains the full set; De iudicio domini et resurrectione, de regno caelorum et munditia animae; De Beatitudine animae; De paenitentia; De luctaminibus; De die iudicii; De compunctione cordis.
  • Ms. Bodleian 63 (link only to catalogue) contains them.
  • BSB Clm 3516 (9th c.) contains the Sermo in Joseph (see below).
  • BSB Clm 18583 (11th c.). Microfilm. “Liber de conflictu vitiorum et virtutum ,Apostolica vox clamat'”
  • Assemani used Ms. Vatican 5051, fol. 90 f. and a “Cod. Casanatensis”, i.e. from the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome.

Here is the opening folio of BSB Clm 14364:

Editions and Translations

  • Kilian Fischer (= Piscator), Libri sancti Effrem de compunctatione cordis, Iudicio dei, Beatitudine anime, Penitentia, Luctamine spiritali, Die iudicii, Fribourg-en-Brisgau before 1493. The
  • These correspond to sermons 5, 6, 1-2, 4, 3 and 7 above.
  • English translation of De paenitentia by T.S.Pattie, “Ephraem the Syrian and the Latin manuscripts of De Paenitentia”, in: British Library Journal 13 (1987), p.1-24.  Online here.
  • French translation: Le Livre de la compunction du cueur, entre les aultres devot et proffitable, Paris : Michel le Noir, 1501. [ Biblio here]
  • S. Assemani vol. 3, 553-560 and 579-581 (PDF p.629-636; 654-657 ) Note that the incipit of the last work is different, owing to lacunae in the manuscripts that he used.

Studies.

  1. Hemmerdinger-Iliadou, DSp. IV, col. 815 f.

    *    *    *    *

A further two sermons also seem ‘genuine’ – i.e. translated from Greek – but were assigned no numbers by the CPL:

  • Sermo in pulcherimum Ioseph. Incipit: “Deus Abraham, Deus Isaac, Deus Iacob, benedicte Deus » (CPG 3938).  Published by Laurent Bailly, “ Une traduction latine d’un sermon d’Ephrem dans le Clm 3516”, in : Sacris Erudiri 21 (NOT 20 as per CPL) (1972-3) p.71-80. First page here. The sermon corresponds to Assemani vol. 2, p.21-29c. Clm = Codex latinus monacensis.  There is a translation of the Greek by Ephrem Lash.
  • De sermone adversus improbas mulieris de decollatione Sancti Ioannis Baptistae. Inc: “Heu me, quid agam? Unde sermonis exordium” ( = CPG 4001). Cf. CPL 931, 935. = CPL 931, ps.Chrysostom Sermo de decollatione Sancti Ioannis Baptistae. Printed in PL 95 : 1508-1514. CPL 935 is also referenced, for no obvious reason. Found in ms 238, fol. 1. according to the Eichstatt catalogue.

That’s what I have!  It would be good to transcribe the Latin texts, say from Assemani for most of them, and direct from manuscript for De compunctione.  Sadly I lack the time to do this at the moment.

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Ephraem Graecus: the Phrantzolas edition (part 3)

Posted on by Roger Pearse

Phrantzolas is mentioned in Part 1 and part 2)

A correspondent has discovered PDFs – or, rather, Djvu files – of a number of volumes of the Phrantzolas’ edition of Ephraem Graecus.[1]  Unfortunately volume 2 is corrupt and will not open – does anyone have a copy of this?

The edition prints a translation in modern Greek at the foot of each page, like this:

I’ve just installed a more modern WinDJView viewer, which seems to work well.  Using this, you can save a page out as png, and then import to Finereader 12, where the Modern Greek comes out as:

Μακαρίζω τήν υμών ζωήν, ώ φιλόχριστοι, δτι εύπαρρησίαστός έστι καί ταλανίζω τόν έμόν βίον, δτι άχρηστος υπάρχει. Μακαρίζω υμάς, ώ γνήσιοι, δτι όρθή πολιτεία φίλους έαυτούς έποιήσατε τώ Θεω [καί τοίς άγγελοις]. Τίς δέ περί έμου πενθήσει, δτι παρώξυνα Αυτόν διά των έργων μου των μάταιων;

Μακάριοί έστε υμείς, οί κληρονομοΰντες τόν παράδεισον διά της αγνής υμών άναστροφής καί τής αγάπης υμών τής άμέτρου. Θαυμάζω γάρ υμάς, πώς ούκ ώκνήσατε τοσαύτης όδοΰ διανύσαι διάστημα διά λυσίτέλειαν ψυχής. Τό δέ θαυμαστότερον, δτι πρός ευτελή καί κατακεκριμένον ταίς άμαρτίαιζ ήλθετε, παρ’ αύτοΰ αίτοΰντες τόν τής ώφελείας λόγον. Θαΰμα άληθώς, πώς

Which Google translate renders as:

I blame your life, you gentlemen, that you are intimate, and that I am ostentatious of life, that it is useless. I blame you, genuine ones, that you have made good friends with your friends, God and the angels. Whom do you mourn about me, that I have paraphrased Him through my works of vain?

Blessed are ye, the inheritors shall partake of it by your pure anger, and of your loving kindness. I admire you, how did you go along this path for a while? The most miraculous thing is that you have come to the lamentations and to the miserable sins, and they are asking for the word of opportunity. Marvel truly, how

This is gibberish, but as with all Google translations, not without uses.  If you interleave the Greek and English sentences, it acts as a useful vocabulary check.  But of course one must be wary.  Interesting how “blessed” is initially rendered as “blame”.

UPDATE: 2nd November 2018.  OK, well apparently the top is the modern Greek and the bottom is the ancient!  Thank you to the kind commenters who pointed this out.  Yes, I really cannot tell which is which on first glance – anybody got any tips on what to look out for?  Finereader for the top section gives me:

Λόγος γιά τις αρετές καί τις κακίες

Μακαρίζω τή ζωή σας, φιλόχριστοι, διότι είναι εύπαρρησίαστη1, καί ελεεινολογώ τόν δικό μου τρόπο ζωής, διότι είναι άνώφελος. Σας μακαρίζω, γνήσιοι άνθρωποι, διότι μέ τόν όρθό τρόπο ζωής κάνατε τους εαυτούς σας φίλους τού Θεού καί των Αγγέλων. Ποιός λοιπόν θά πενθήσει γιά μένα πού παρόργισα τόν Θεό μέ τά μάταια έργα μου;

Είστε μακάριοι εσείς, διότι μέ τήν αγνή διαγωγή σας καί τήν άμετρη άγάπη σας κληρονομείτε τόν παράδεισο. Σάς θαυμάζω δηλαδή πού δέ διστάσατε νά διανύσετε τόσο μακρύ δρόμο γιά τήν ώφέλεια τής ψυχής σας! Καί τό πιό αξιοθαύμαστο είναι, δτι ήρθατε σέ άνθρωπο τιποτένιο καί καταδικασμένο γιά τίς αμαρτίες του, ζητώντας απ’ αυτόν ώφέλιμο λόγο. Αληθινά, είναι νά άπο-

and Google translate for that gives me:

Reason for virtues and malice

I love your life, you are compassionate, because it is compassionate1, and I study my own way of life because it is beneficial. I blame you, genuine people, because in the right way of life you have made yourselves God and Angel’s friends. Who then will mourn for me that I have tempted God with my futile works?

You are blessed because, in your pure conduct and in your direct love, you inherit paradise. So I admire you where you did not want to go that long way for the benefit of your soul! And most admirable is that you have come to a humble and condemned man for his sins, asking for a beneficial reason. It is true,

Better, I think.

A kind correspondent tells me that the things to look for are:

  •  Dative drops off in later Greek
  • Nu disappears from the end of neuter nouns ~o
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  1. [1]Konstantinos G. Phrantzolas (or Phrantzoles  – although the copyright on vol. 1 gives Κων. Γ. Φραντζόλάς – both seem to be used), Ὁσιοῦ Ἐφραίμ τοῦ Σύρου  ἔργα, Thessaloniki: Το περιβόλι της Παναγίας / To Perivoli tis Panagias, 1988-98, 7 vols↩

From my diary

Posted on by Roger Pearse

A couple of busy days.  A look in the spam folder – Akismet is behaving erratically these days – revealed a week old but deeply interesting comment on the Printing banned by Islam? post from 2009.  I ended up adding a long extra section to the post, full of material about early Ottoman firmans – laws that lasted the life of a Sultan – concerned with printing.

[Update: I originally had material about the Phrantzolas edition here, but moved it to here, as it is really part of a series of posts].

I must go and find the web page that has all the files of the ancient Greek for Ephraem Graecus.  Always more to do!

I’ve also scanned the 1962 pamphlet, Mithras and his Temples on the Wall.  This has details of the Carrawburgh Mithraeum on Hadrian’s wall.  My scanner is still out, and another item may be for the same treatment in a moment.  Lots to do!

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