Codex Einsidlensis 358
| Codex Einsidlensis 358 | |
|---|---|
| Repository | Einsiedeln Abbey Library |
| origin | Einsiedeln Monastery |
| material | parchment |
| Page number | 270 |
| format | 227 × 177 mm |
| Time of origin | Second half of the 10th century |
| language | Latin |
The Codex Einsidlensis 358 contains two texts that are important for the medieval educational path of the quadrivium , De arithmetica et geometria and De musica , both written by the philosopher and theologian Boethius . The Latin manuscript, on which various scribes worked, dates from the second half of the 10th century and was written in the Einsiedeln monastery , where it is still kept today. The numerous drawings are striking, including some historically particularly valuable depictions of musical instruments.
Description of the codex
The manuscript comprises 270 parchment pages in the format of 227 × 177 mm, which are arranged in 17 booklets, some of which are very irregular. It is noticeable that a total of 10 smaller parchment leaves with short explanatory texts or illustrations were inserted at various points in the manuscript. The normal pages consist of 35 lines each; the lines are clearly visible. The various authors used a brown ink and a Carolingian minuscule typical of the 10th century . There are numerous remarks on the text written between the lines that are more recent. These include notes by Heinrich von Ligerz , a librarian from Einsiedeln in the 14th century. The binding, which consists of wooden covers covered with white leather, also dates from the same period. The spine was reinforced in the form of strips of parchment; a leather and metal clasp is still present.
Book decorations
It is a rather sparsely decorated work; the headings and initial letters are only emphasized by means of rubrications . Central, however, are the numerous drawings that explain the text in the form of geometric figures or sketches. In some cases these drawings are bound on small sheets of paper between the pages. The most striking part of the manuscript can be found on page 144 with the representation of several musical instruments, which allow a special insight into the history of music.
content
Various works are included in the manuscript. At the beginning there are some geometrical considerations, which probably represent a translation made by Boethius of excerpts from the work of Euclid . Geometric questions are discussed further in Boethius' subsequent paper De institutione arithmeticae . This is followed by a letter from St. Jerome on chants and the section on musical instruments from the Origines of Isidore of Seville , before another text by Boethius follows with De musica . There are also a few short sections in Greek. An important concern of Boethius in this work is the mathematical fixation of the relationships between the tones and the demonstration of the harmony in the music as a result of Pythagorean number theory .
History of the Codex
In the second half of the 10th century, the origin of this manuscript falls into the early days of the Einsiedeln scriptorium . The Codex seems to have stayed in the same place for over a thousand years, as evidenced by the notes and remarks from later times. Monasteries were a central institution for the storage and transmission of knowledge; the manuscript, which deals with important components of the quadrivium with music, arithmetic and geometry, was probably produced for the training of the monks and for use in the monastery itself.
gallery
Geometric Figures, p. 8
Representation of the tone relationships, p. 21
Drawing on music theory, p. 205
Drawing on music theory, p. 214
literature
- M. Folkerts: "Boethius" Geometry II. Wiesbaden 1970. (Brief information on the Codex)
Web links
- http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/list/one/sbe/0358 (link to the online version of the manuscript, accessed on December 1, 2013)
- http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/description/sbe/0358 (link to the manuscript description and a more detailed list of literature, accessed on December 1, 2013)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/description/sbe/0358 (December 1, 2013)
- ↑ The authorship of Boethius for these Euclid translations is disputed in the research community. See M. Folkerts: “Boethius” Geometrie II. Wiesbaden 1970, 69–82.
- ↑ http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/description/sbe/0358 (December 1, 2013)
- ^ W. Bernard: On the foundation of the mathematical sciences in Boethius. In: Antike und Abendland 43, 1997, 63–89.
- ↑ http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/description/sbe/0358 (December 1, 2013)