Libellus de exordio

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The Libellus de exordio (full title: Libellus de exordio atque procursu istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis, ecclesie ; Eng .: writing on the origins and progress of this church, which is from Durham) is a historical work of noteworthy literary character that appeared in the early Drafted 12th century and traditionally attributed to Symeon of Durham . It tells the story of the Diocese and Church of Durham and its predecessors at Lindisfarne and Chester-le-Street ( Cunecacestre ) and is sometimes referred to as the Historia Dunelmensis ecclesiae (History of the Church of Durham).

Manuscripts

The following is a list of manuscripts that contain the text. Each manuscript has its own story and contains different interpolations and notes. The letters with which Rollason, his last editor, refer to the manuscript in short form are in brackets:

  • Durham, University Library, Cosin V.II.6 , ( C )
  • London, British Library, Cotton Faustina AV , ( F )
  • Cambridge University Library, Ff. i.27 , ( Ca )
  • Durham, Durham Cathedral Library, A.IV.36 , ( D )
  • Oxford, Bodleian Library, Holkham misc. 25 , ( H )
  • London, British Library, Cotton Titus A.II , ( T )
  • London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian A.VI , ( V )
  • York, Minster Library, XVI.I.12 , ( Y )
  • Oxford, Bodleian Library , Fairfax 6 , ( Fx )
  • Oxford, Bodleian Library, Laud misc. 700 , ( L )

Authorship and Dating

According to the preface of Libellus , the work was carried out by order of the monastic leadership of Durham Priory; it was probably Prior Turgot of Durham himself who commissioned it. The last datable contemporary event mentioned in the core of the text (albeit indirectly) is the opening of the tomb of St. Cuthbert for his move to the new Durham Cathedral on August 29, 1104. Manuscripts "C" and "F "are the earliest witnesses of the text, with" C "and" F "being written in the same scriptorium while Turgot was prior to Durham, a position Turgot gave up before 1115 at the latest, perhaps even before 1107. It can therefore be said that the text was completed sometime between 1104 and 1107/15.

The work is traditionally attributed to Symeon of Durham, the Precentor of Durham Cathedral. The evidence for this is rubrics in manuscript "Ca" and a rubrice in manuscript "H". These date from the late 12th century and around 1300, respectively. Although nothing like this occurs in either "C" or "F", modern science has largely confirmed the traditional authorship of the text. David Rollason, the text's youngest editor, sees Symeon's role as lead author and compiler rather than sole author.

Published versions

The text was published four times:

  • Roger Twysden (Ed.), Historiae Anglicanae Scriptores Decem , (London, 1652), Volume 1
  • Thomas Belford (ed.), Symeonis monachi Dunhelmensis, Libellus de exordio atque procursu Dunhelmensis ecclesie , (London, 1732)
  • Thomas Arnold (Ed.), Symeonis monachi Opera omnia , ( Rolls Series lxxv; 2 volumes, 1882–5), Volume 1
  • David Rollason (Ed.), Libellus de exordio atque procursu istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis, ecclesie = Tract on the origins and progress of this the Church of Durham , (Oxford, 2000)

Twysden's edition is based entirely on "Ca". Bedford mainly uses "C", drawing "F" and "Ca" for variants. Arnold's edition used all the manuscripts except "D", "H" and "V".

Coverage and sources

The coverage of the Libellus de exordio extends from the beginning of Christianity under the English of Northumbria and the establishment of a diocese in Lindisfarne to the death of Bishop William of St Calais in 1096. The Libellus demonstrates the continuity of Durham's history and in particular justifies the exclusion of William of St Calais of Durham's clergy in 1083 to replace him with a group of Benedictine monks from Wearmouth and Jarrow . The historical continuity of the Libellus results from the constant presence of the patron saint of the community, St. Cuthbert. The miracles that worked in Cuthbert's name in the late Anglo-Saxon period were particularly cross-ordinary, and the Libellus contains interesting accounts of some of these miracles, including the "miracle of the three waves" (when Cuthbert turned part of the Irish Sea to blood, um to discourage his followers from fetching his relics from England, see Libellus ii.11 ), the founding of Durham (when Cuthbert's corpse on a cart refused to be driven across England to express his desire to remain in Durham , see Libellus iii.1 ), and several picturesque deaths among the enemies of Cuthbert's followers.

The work consists of four books:

  • Book I, from Oswald (634–642) to Ceolwulf (729–737)
  • Book II, from Ceolwulf's death (737) to the episcopate of Aldhun (995)
  • Book III, from the episcopate of Aldhun (995) to the murder of Bishop William Walcher (1080)
  • Book IV, The Episcopate of William of St Calais and the Reorganization of the Priory (1081-1096)

Many older sources have been incorporated into the work, notably the works of Beda Venerabilis and some lost northern Umbrian sources, including a series of Northern Annals , a chronicle of Durham Monastery, and (what appears to have been passed down orally) memoirs of the clergy who lived during expelled during the reign of William of St Calais

Extensions

There are two texts that represent extensions of the Libellus de exordio . On the one hand, six manuscripts contain a "summary" text that ends around 1083 when the Benedictine priory was founded in Durham. It is unclear whether this was written before or after the Libellus de exordio .

The Libellus de exordio was added in eight manuscripts (all except "F" and "V") an extension, which cover the period from the episcopate of Ranulf Flambard (1099-1128) to the installation of William de Ste Barbe (1143-1152) . A variant of this in "Ca" ends with the episcopate of Hugh de Puiset (1153–1195).

literature

  • David Rollason (ed.): Libellus de exordio atque procursu istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis = ract on the origins and progress of this the Church of Durham / Symeon of Durham. Oxford Medieval Texts, Clarendon Press, Oxford 2000, ISBN 0-19-820207-5

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Libellus de Exordio , p. Xv.
  2. ^ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xvii – xxii.
  3. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxii – xxiii.
  4. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Xxiv – xxvii.
  5. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Xxviii – xxix.
  6. ↑ earlier: Holkham Hall 468 ; Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxix – xxxi.
  7. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxxi – xxxiii.
  8. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxxiii – xxxiv.
  9. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxxiv – xxxvii.
  10. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xxxvii – xxxix.
  11. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Xl – xlii.
  12. ↑ Rollason (ed.), P. Xliv.
  13. ↑ a b c Rollason (ed.), P. Xlii.
  14. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Xlii, lxi – lviii.
  15. ↑ a b Rollason (ed.), Pp. Xliii – xliv.
  16. ↑ Rollason (ed.), P. Xci.
  17. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Xci – xcii.
  18. ↑ Rollason (ed.), P. Xcii.
  19. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Lxviii – lxxvi
  20. ↑ Rollason (ed.), Pp. Lxvi – lxvii.
  21. ↑ Rollason (ed.), P. Lxvi
  22. ↑ Rollason (ed.), P. Lxvii.
  23. ↑ Rollason (Ed.), Pp. Lxvii, pp. 311-323.