Codex Palatinus germanicus 13

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Cod. Pal. germ. 13, sheet 1r: Albumasar , De significationibus planetarum , German (first page of text)

The Codex Palatinus germanicus 13 is a late medieval manuscript from the former Bibliotheca Palatina in Heidelberg . The Codex belongs to the Codices Palatini germanici , the German-language manuscripts of the Palatina, which have been kept in the Heidelberg University Library since 1816 ; The signature of the Heidelberg University Library and the common scientific name is Cod. Pal. germ. 13 (short form: Cpg 13 ).

The codex contains a writing by the Persian mathematician and astrologer Albumasar , De significationibus planetarum , in German. The manuscript originated in Bavaria in the middle of the 15th century.

description

Cod. Pal. germ. 13, sheet 1v: Albumasar , De significationibus planetarum , German
Cod. Pal. germ. 13, sheet 2r: Albumasar , De significationibus planetarum , German
Cod. Pal. germ. 13, Ottheinrich binding , front cover

The Codex is a paper manuscript with 297 leaves. The 17th century foliation counts the leaves with text (1–295), the empty leaves in front (leaf 1 * r) and back (leaf 296 * r) are provided with modern numbers.

The sheet size of the codex is 19 × 14.7 cm, with a writing space of 13 × 9–9.5 cm described with 10 to 16 lines per page. Written form is a bastarda from one source. There is room for initials on pages 1r and 4v , but these were not executed. There are few, sparingly executed capital letters and initial majuscules . At the edge there are sometimes symbols for planets and signs of the zodiac .

Before the restoration of the manuscript in 1962 by Hans Heiland's Stuttgart workshop, all the sheets, especially in the second half of the manuscript, suffered from severe ink damage . The restoration report of the restorer (1962), glued on sheet 297 * r, provides information about the restoration processes: According to this, all sheets were treated in wet cleaning and rinsing baths and embedded in Japanese paper , some on both sides. The layers were stitched, a new leather back was added to the cover and a clasp was added. Ultimately, the ink consumption resulted in only a small amount of text being lost.

cover

The binding is a typical Ottheinrich binding in brown leather with blind-printed roller stamps , brass fittings and strap clasps , probably made by Jörg Bernhardt.

On the front cover there is a gold-plated plate with the portrait of Ottheinrich in a cartridge , in which the abbreviation OH (Ottheinrich) is noted above and the abbreviation PC (Pfalzgraf, Churfürst) below . Above the cartouche is a gold-stamped angel's head, below the also gold-plated year of manufacture of the binding: 1558 . The coat of arms of the Palatinate is placed in a cartouche on the similarly gilded plate on the back cover.

origin

The manuscript belonged to the holdings of the older castle library and was recorded when it was cataloged in 1556/59. In connection with the cataloging, the library title Albumasar was entered on the first page of the text (sheet 1r) above the writing space .

The writing language is South Bavarian.

Like the other manuscripts of the Electoral Palatinate Libraries, the Codex came into the possession of the Vatican Library in Rome after the conquest of the Electoral Palatinate in the Thirty Years War in 1622 and was only brought to Heidelberg in 1816 with the other German-language holdings of the Palatina as part of the regulations during the Congress of Vienna returned.

Content

The manuscript contains a work by the Persian astrologer and mathematician Albumasar (Abū-Maʿšar Ǧaʿfar Ibn-Muḥammad, 787-886) in German: De significationibus planetarum . Due to the extensive reception of his works in Latin-speaking countries, Albumasar is one of the most important astrologers of the European Middle Ages; he was the "main author on whom the West studied astrology".

The text in Cod. Pal. germ. 13 is a translation of a Latin original, which was itself a translation from Arabic. These are astrological explanations of the meaning of each planet in each sign of the zodiac ( zodiac ).

The work can also be found in the astrological-medical composite manuscript BSB Cgm 597 (No. 5, sheets 41r – 75v) of the Bavarian State Library in Munich , created in Bavaria around 1485 .

See also

literature

  • Karin Zimmermann : Cod. Pal. germ. 13. Albumasar: De significationibus planetarum, German. In: Karin Zimmermann (arrangement), with the participation of Sonja Glauch, Matthias Miller, Armin Schlechter: The Codices Palatini germanici in the Heidelberg University Library (Cod. Pal. Germ. 1–181). Catalogs of the Heidelberg University Library, Volume 6. Reichert Verlag , Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 978-3-89500-152-9 , pp. 36–37 ( digitized version ).

Older catalog:

  • Karl Bartsch : Pal. germ. 13. Albumasar's astrology. In: Karl Bartsch: The old German manuscripts of the university library in Heidelberg. Catalog of the manuscripts of the University Library in Heidelberg, Volume 1. Verlag von Gustav Koester, Heidelberg 1887, No. 7, pp. 6-7 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Cod. Pal. germ. 13  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the information in this section follows the description by Karin Zimmermann: Cod. Pal. germ. 13 . In: The Codices Palatini germanici in the Heidelberg University Library (Cod. Pal. Germ. 1–181) . Wiesbaden 2003, p. 36 ( digitized version ; accessed March 22, 2020).
  2. ↑ Hans Heiliger: Repair report , Zuffenhausen, March 1962. Heidelberg University Library, Cod. Pal. germ. 13, digitized sheet 297 * r; accessed March 22, 2020. Also available as Commons file Cpg13 sheet 297 * r .
  3. ↑ Example for ink damage : Sheet 246v , digitized version of the Heidelberg University Library; accessed March 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the information in this section follows the description by Karin Zimmermann: Cod. Pal. germ. 13 . In: The Codices Palatini germanici in the Heidelberg University Library (Cod. Pal. Germ. 1–181) . Wiesbaden 2003, p. 36 ( digitized version ; accessed March 22, 2020).
  5. ^ UB Heidelberg : The Bibliotheca Palatina - Fates of a world-famous library ; accessed March 21, 2020.
  6. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the information in this section follows the description by Karin Zimmermann: Cod. Pal. germ. 13 . In: The Codices Palatini germanici in the Heidelberg University Library (Cod. Pal. Germ. 1–181) . Wiesbaden 2003, p. 37 ( digitized version ; accessed March 21, 2020).
  7. ^ Paul Kunitzsch : Abū-Maʿšar . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 1, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1980, ISBN 3-7608-8901-8 , column 69.
  8. ↑ For the Latin tradition of this text see Francis James Carmody : Abû Ma'shar [Albumasar] . In: Francis James Carmody: Arabic astronomical and astrological sciences in Latin translation . A critical bibliography. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles 1956, pp. 95–96 ( full text online , digitized version of the HathiTrust ; accessed March 22, 2020).
  9. ^ Digitized version of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek: BSB Cgm 597, sheet 41r . See the catalog entry in: Karin Schneider , Erich Petzet: The German Manuscripts of the Bavarian State Library in Munich . Volume 4, Cgm 501-690, newly described by Karin Schneider, Wiesbaden 1978, p. 217 ( digitized version ); Web links accessed March 22, 2020.