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The Scholar’s Suitcase: Books and the Transfer of Knowledge in Twelfth-Century Europe1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Christoph Egger
Christoph Egger*
Affiliation:
University of Vienna
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Extract

One day early in the thirteenth century a wandering scholar broke his journey at the Benedictine monastery of Prüfening near Regensburg in Bavaria. Of the books this scholar was carrying, one Liebhard, a monk of the monastery, was especially fascinated by a copy of Peter the Chanter’s Distinctiones Abel, a dictionary of the Bible for the preacher’s use and a prominent example of the recently developed literary genre of biblical distinctiones. Unfortunately, soon afterwards the scholar resumed his interrupted journey, and was not willing to leave the book behind at Prüfening, so Liebhard was unable to copy the full text but could only take down excerpts, which he later completed with texts from other sources. The result, which he called Horreum formicae (the ant’s harvest), still extant in at least two manuscripts, combines the approach of the masters of the Parisian schools with that of monastic theology. It is, therefore, an excellent example of a process ongoing throughout the whole twelfth century: the transfer of knowledge from the centres of learning in the north of France (Laon, Chartres, Paris) and of Italy (Bologna) towards the periphery of medieval Europe, resulting in the reception and critical discussion of new concepts and ideas, a process most readily visible in the distribution of books. This paper offers a preliminary sketch of this process with special emphasis on medieval Bavaria and Austria.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Church History , Volume 38: The Church and the Book , 2004 , pp. 87 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 2004

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Footnotes

1

Research for this paper was funded by a grant from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, APART (Austrian programme for advanced research and technology). I am grateful to Brenda Bolton and Julia Wanncnmacher, who read earlier versions.

References

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3 The title is an allusion to Prov. 6.6-8.

4 Munich, Baycrische Staatsbibliothck, Clm 13107 (probably the author’s own manu script); Salzburg, Erzabtci St Peter, MS a.VII.21. For the Horreum see Martin Grabmann, Die Geschichte der scholastischen Methode, 2 vols (Freiburg im Brcisgau, 1909–11), 2:485-7; Ludwig Hödl, ‘Liebhard von Prüfening’, Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters: Verfasserlexikon, 2nd edn, 5 (Berlin and New York, 1985), cols 808–11.

5 Heinrich Weisweiler, Dos Schrifttum der Schule Anselms von Laon und Wilhelms von Champeaux in deutschen Bibliotheken, Beitrage zur Geschichte der Philosophic und Theologie des Mittelalters, 33/i-ii (Münster, 1936); Heinrich Fichtenau, ‘Ein französischcr Fruhscholastiker in Wien’, Jahrbuch für Landeskunde von Niederösterreich und Wien, NF 29 (1944-8), 118–30; idem, ‘Magister Petrus von Wien’, in idem, Beiträge zur Mediävistik, 1 (Stuttgart, 1975), 218–38 (first in Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, 63 [1955], 238–97); Peter Classen, ‘Zur Geschichte der Frühscholastik in Österreich und Bayern’, in idem, Ausgewählte Aufsätze, ed. Josef Fleckenstein, Vorträge und Forschungen, 28 (Sigmaringen, 1983), 279–306 (first in Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, 67 [1959], 249–77); idem, Gerhoch von Reichersberg. Eine Biographic. Mit einem Anhang über die Quellen, ihre handschriftliche Überlieferung und ihre Chronologie (Wiesbaden, 1960); Nikolaus M. Häring, Die Zwettler Summe. Einleitung und Text, Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophic und Theologic des Mittelalters, NF 15 (Münster, 1977); Stelzer, Winfried, Gelehrtes Recht in Österreich. Von den Anfängen bis zum frühen 14. Jahrhundert, Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Ergänzungsband, 26 (Vienna, Cologne, and Graz, 1982 Google Scholar).

6 Haskins, Charles Homer, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, 5th edn (Cambridge, MA, 1971 Google Scholar); Southern, Richard W., ‘The place of England in the Twelfth-Century Renaissance’, History, 45 (1960), 201–16 Google Scholar, at 201, revised in idem, Medieval Humanism and Other Studies (Oxford, 1970), 158–80; Peter Classen, ‘Die geistesgeschichtlichc Lage im 12. Jahrhundert. Anstöße und Möglichkciten’, in idem, Ausgewählte Aufsätze, 327–46; Bernhard Schimmelpfennig, ‘Renaissance/Proto-Renaissance, Renovatio/Renewal, Rezeption. Bericht über cine Begriffsdiskussion’, Kontinuität und Transformation der Antike im Mittelalter, ed. Willi Erzgräbcr (Sigmaringen, 1989), 383–90; Swanson, Robert N., The Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Manchester and New York, 1999), csp. 1–11 Google Scholar.

7 Leclercq, Jean, L’Amour des lettres et le désir de Dieu. Initiation aux auteurs monastiques du moyen age, 3rd edn (Paris, 1990 Google Scholar); idem, ‘Naming the theologies of the early twelfth century’, Mediaeval Studies, 53 (1991), 327–36; Feruccio Gastaldelli, Teologia monastica, teologia scolastica e lectio divina’, La dottrina della vita spirituale nelle opere di san Bernardo di Clairvaux. Atti del convegno internazionale, Roma, 11–15 settembre 1990, Analecta Cisterciensia, 46 (1990), 25–63; Thomas Head, ‘“Monastic” and “scholastic” theology: a change of paradigm?’, in Nancy van Drusen and Ford, Alvin E., eds, Paradigms in Medieval Thought: Applications in Medieval Disciplines. A Symposium, Mediaeval Studies, 3 (Lewiston, NY, 1990), 127–41 Google Scholar.

8 Mittelalterliche Bibliothekskataloge Österreichs [hereafter MBKÖ]. Five volumes have so far been published: 1: Niederösterreich, ed. Theodor Gottlieb (Vienna, 1915, repr. Vienna, 1974); 2: index for vol. I, ed. Artur Goldinann (Vienna, 1929); 3: Steiermark, ed. Gerlinde Möser-Mersky (Graz, Cologne, and Vienna, 1961), 4: Salzburg, ed. Gerlinde Möser-Mersky and Melanic Mihaliuk (Graz, Cologne, and Vienna, 1966); 5: Oberösterreich, ed. Herbert Paulhart (Vienna, Cologne and Graz, 1971). Additions to vol. 1 : Niederösterreich. Bücherverzeichnisse in Korneuburger, Tullner und Wiener Neustädter Testamenten, ed. Paul Uiblein (Vienna, Cologne, and Graz, 1969).

9 Milttelalterliche Bibliothekskataloge Deutschlands und der Schweiz. For the Bavarian dioceses 6 vols have been published so far, covering the dioceses of Augsburg (vol. 3/i, ed. Paul Ruf, Munich, 1932), Eichstätt (vol. 3/ii, ed. Paul Ruf, Munich, 1933), Bamberg (vol. 3/iii, ed. Paul Ruf, Munich, 1939), Passau and Regensburg (vol. 4/i, ed. Christine Elisabeth Incichen-Eder, Munich, 1977), and Freising und Würzburg (vol. 4/ii, ed. Günter Glauche and Hermann Knaus, Munich, 1979).

10 For example the list from the Benedictine monastery of Göttweig (MBKÖ, 1:11-12) is not a catalogue of the library, but a list of books given to the monastery by a certain brother Henry, whose identity is unknown. The relationship of the books mentioned in this list to the library of the monastery is a difficult problem.

11 MBKÖ, 4:71 1.17: Apokalipsis Johannis glosatus(!). The catalogue can be roughly dated to the last quarter of the twelfth century; some of the entries might have been added slightly later.

12 Ibid., 71 1.1.

13 For the transmission of Abelardian texts see Julia Barrow, Charles Burnett, and David Luscombe, ‘A Checklist of the manuscripts containing the writings of Peter Abelard and Heloïse and other works closely associated with Abelard and his school’, Revue d’histoire des textes, 14–15 (1984-5), 183–302: for Salzburg see 221, 238–9; for Munich, where some manuscripts from St Peter are kept, 205–6; for the Sententiae Petri Abaelardi cf. 260–1. According to Constant Mews, J., ‘The Sententie of Peter Abelard’, Recherches de théologie ancienne et médiévale, 53 (1986), 137 Google Scholar, the St Peter manuscript contained a copy of the socalled Sententie Hermanni.

14 Even a scholar as experienced as Peter Classen sometimes missed this distinction: in his article ‘Zur Geschichte der Frühscholastik’, 286–7, he mentioned Carpentras, Bibliothèque Inguimbettine, MS 110, as of French origin. In fact the manuscript, which contains the so-called Sententiae Herimanni of the school of Peter Abelard and theological Quaestiones, was probably written in Austria or Bavaria. See John R. Williams, ‘The twelfth century theological “Questiones” of Carpentras Ms. 110’, Mediaeval Studies, 28 (1966), 300-27. However, the manuscript requires a more thorough study.

15 Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Lyell 49. The manuscript, which was sold in 1936, was formerly no. 382 in the library of Admont. See la Marc, Albinia de, Catalogue of the Collection of Medieval Manuscripts Bequeathed to the Bodleian Library Oxford by James P. R. Lyell (Oxford, 1971), 131–3 Google Scholar.

16 Häring, Nikolaus M., Commentaries on Boethius by Thierry of Chartres and His School, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies: Studies and Texts, 20 (Toronto, 1971), 25–7 Google Scholar.

17 Häring, Nikolaus M., ‘A third manuscript of Peter Abelard’s Theologia summi boni (MS Oxford, Bodl. Lycll 49)’, Mediaeval Studies, 18 (1956), 215–24 Google Scholar; Abaclardus, Petrus, Theologia Summi Boni, ed. Eligius Buytaert and Constant Mews, CChr.CM, 13 (Turnhout, 1987), 60–3 Google Scholar.

18 Erlangen, Universitätsbibliothek, Cod. 182. Häring, ‘Third manuscript’, 216; Buytacrt and Mews, Theologia Summi Boni, 57–60.

19 Ibid., 62–3; Honcmann, Volker, ‘Irimbert von Admont’, Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters: Verfasserlexikon, 2nd edn, 4 (Berlin and New York, 1983), cols 417–19 Google Scholar.

20 Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 1562. The manuscript was already in the library in 1576. Classen, Gerhoch, 435–8, prints some of the glosses.

21 Plante, Julian G., ‘The Library of Stift Reichersberg’ (Fordham University, Ph.D. thesis, New York, 1972 Google Scholar); idem, Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Stift Reichersberg (Paris, 1973); idem, The medieval library of the Augustinerchorhcrrenstift Reichersberg, Austria: towards its reconstruction from two surviving catalogues (Munich, Staatsbibliothek Cod. Bav. 2)’, in Kurt Treu, Jörg Dommner, Johannes Irmscher, and Franz Paschke, eds, Studia Codicologica, Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichcn Literatur, 124 (Berlin, 1977), 363–73.

22 BAV, Cod. Vat. lat. 254. The upper part of fol. 40, which perhaps bore an ownership mark, is cut off. Cf. Marcus Vatasso and Pius Franchi de’ Cavalieri, Codices Vaticani latini, I : Codices 1–678 (Rome, 1902), 185.

23 Fol. 15r, right margin. The glossed text is Hilarius of Poitiers, Liber de synodis, c.68, ad v. error hic tercius (PL 10, col. 525).

24 Klosterneuburg, Stiftsbibliothck, MSS 206, 777; Zwettl, Stiftsbibliothck, MSS 33, 261. Classen, ‘Zur Geschichte der Frühscholastik’, 297–8.

25 St Florian, Stiftsbibliothck, Cod. XI, 264. Fols 1, 119–163, twelfth century; fols 2–118, thirteenth century, fols 164–213, fourteenth century.

26 Fols 147r-163v; the text is incomplete towards the end.

27 Luscombe, David, The School of Peter Abelard. The Influence of Abelard’s Thought in the Early Scholastic Period, Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, ns 14 (Cambridge, 1969), 153–8 CrossRefGoogle Scholar, at 154; Sententiae Florianenses, ed. Heinrich Ostlender, Florilegium Patristicum, 19 (Bonn, 1929); Landgraf, Artur M., Introduction à l’histoire de la littérature théologique de la scolastique naissante, Université de Montréal: Publications de l’Institut d’études médiévales, 22 (Montréal and Paris 1973), 85 Google Scholar.

28 Sententiae divinitatis, ed. Bernhard Geyer, Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie und Theologic des Mittelalters, 7/ii-iii, 2nd edn (Münster, 1967), 52 1.4-97 1.27; Bernhard Geyer, ‘Neues und Altes zu den Sententiae divinitatis’, in Mélanges Joseph de Ghellinch S.J., 2 vols, Museum Lessianum, Section historique, 13–14 (Gembloux, 1951), 2:617-30; Landgraf, Introduction, 112–13.

29 Munich, Baycrische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 18918, 16063, both twelfth century.

30 For the Sententie Florianenses this was first suggested by Mews, ‘The Sententie’, 156–74.

31 The manuscript is especially well known among historians of logic: Martin Grabmann, ‘Ein Tractatus de Univcrsalibus und andere logische Inedita aus dem 12. Jahrhundert im Cod. lat. 2486 der Nationalbibliothek in Wien’, Mediaeval Studies, 9 (1947), 56–70; Lambert M. de Rijk, Logica Modenorum. A Contribution to the History of Early Terminist Logic, 2 vols in 3, Wijsgerige Teksten en Studies, 6, 16/i-ii (Assen, 1967), 2/1:89-91; idem, ‘Some new evidence on twelfth century logic: Alberic and the School of Mont Ste Geneviève (Montani)’, Vivarium, 4 (1966), 1–57.

32 Birger Munk Olsen, L’Étude des auteurs classiques latins aux XIe et XIIe siècles, 1: Catalogue des manuscrits classiques latins copiés du IXe aux XIIe siècle. Apicius-Juvenal (Paris, 1982), 314 no. C.570.

33 Fols 60vb, 76V.

34 Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 7809, fol. 61V: Probacio penne Gallus. Cf. Munk Olscn, L’Étude, 1:231, no. C.301.

35 Classen, Peter, ‘Die hohen Schulen und die Gesellschaft im 12. Jahrhundert’, in idem, Studium und Gesellschaft im Mittelalter, ed. Johannes Fried, MGH, Schriften, 29 (Stuttgart, 1983), 1–26 Google Scholar.

36 Otto of Freising, Gesta Friderici Imperatoris, I.48-61, ed. Waitz, G., 3rd edn, MGH, Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum, [46] (Hanover and Leipzig, 1912), 67–88 Google Scholar.

37 Zwettl, Stiftsbibliothek, MS 109; Admont, Stiftsbibliothek, MS 593. See Häring, Zwettler Summe, and the articles of Fichtenau and Classen cited above, nn.5 and 6, and Loris Sturlese, Die deutsche Philosophie im Mittelalter. Von Bonifatius bis zu Albert dem Groβen 748-1280 (Munich, 1993), 145–56.

38 Häring, Zwettler Summe, 8.

39 ‘Quia igitur chorum clericalem monastice tonsus non decuit, sumptibus datis in Franciam discendi causa cum magistro suo directus est. Ubi in tantum profecit, quod sibi seniores suos sensu crescente subegit’: Vita et miracula beati Eberhardi archiepiscopi, c.2, ed. Wilhelm Wattcnbach, MGH, Scriptores, 11 (Hanover, 1854), 98 II.15-17.

40 MBKÖ 4:71 II.7-8: De moralibus excerptus, liber beate memorie Eberhardi archiepiscopi. He also gave a four-volume edition of the Moralia and some writings of St Augustine and Rupert of Deutz to the Salzburg cathedral library. These manuscripts are now Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, MSS 673–6, 727, 1015; Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, MS 15812.

41 Vienna, Österrcichische Nationalbibliothek, MS 1041. The gift is recorded in a note on fol. IV: ‘Eberhardus archicpiscopus dedit hune librum ad ecclesiam sancti Ruodberti.’

42 Admont, Stiftsbibliothek, MSS 36, 52.