St Ambrose, De Mysteriis ; St Ambrose, De Sacramentis ; St Ivo of Chartres, De ecclesiasticis sacramentis ; St Bruno of Segni, De sacramentis ecclesiae; St Ivo of Chartres, Epistulae
Agent
Preferred form
Ambroise (saint, 0340?-0397)
Original form
Ambrose of Milan, c 339-397, Saint, Archbishop of Milan
This manuscript was written by two scribes (ff. 1-22 and ff.
23-126), according to Waller, 'The Library, Scriptorium and
Community' (1980), p. 314. The second hand (Rochester scribe 4)
also wrote Royal MS 5 B IV and Royal MS 15 A XXII, according to
Waller. This manuscript consists of two texts of St Ambrose, a
Father of the Church, the De Mysteriis, a dogmatic work on baptism,
confirmation and Eucharist intended for catechumen, and the De
Sacramentis ,which consists of six sermons whose content is similar
to the De Mysteriis, including instructions for prayers, and the
Canon of the Mass. It includes other works related to sacraments
written by St Ivo of Chartres (b. c. 1040, d. c. 1116), bishop of
Chartres and defender of the Gregorian reform, and by St Bruno of
Segni (d. 1123), abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Monte-Cassino
and bishop of Segni. Contents: ff. 2r-8v: St Ambrose, De Mysteriis
(About Mysteries) , beginning: 'Incipit liber beati Ambrosii
Mediolanensis archiepiscopi de Misteriis sive Initiandis. De
moralibus cotidianum sermonem'. ff. 8v-22v: St Ambrose, De
Sacramentis (About Sacraments), consists of six sermons, beginning:
'Incipit sermo Primus de sacramentis. De sacramentis que
accepistis'. ff. 23r-58r: St Ivo of Chartres, De ecclesiasticis
sacramentis (About the ecclesiastical sacraments), beginning:
'Sermo de sacramentis neophitorum habitus in synodo. Quoniam
populus ad fidem vocatus'; imperfect at the end, ending with sermon
8 ( De Nativitate Christi ): 'Audiamus Paulum amicum sponsi casto
amore zelantem non sibi sed sponso'. Sermons 9-25 are lacking. ff.
58r-66r: St Bruno of Segni, De sacramentis ecclesiae (About the
sacraments of the Church), beginning: 'Dilectissimo frati (sic)
Gaio (sic) Magalonensi episcopo Braviro (sic) Signiensis episcopus
salutem'. ff. 66v-126r: Ivo of Chartres, Epistulae (Epistles), 92
letters, beginning: 'Ivo dei gratia humilis Carnotensium episcopus
dilectissimo abbati maioris monasterii B[ernardo] et qui tecum sunt
fratribus in domino salute. Quoniam summus pastor pastoris nomen
habere nos voluit'. It includes extracts from Ivo of Chartes's
Panormia (ff. 91r-97v). Decoration:This manuscript was illuminated
by an artist working in both Rochester and Canterbury c. 1120,
according to Heslop, 'Dunstanus Archiepiscopus' (1984). Other
manuscripts illuminated by him are: Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS
Bodley 271, Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.I.4, and probably
Royal MS 5 C I and Royal MS 5 D III (see Waller, 'The Library,
Scriptorium and Community' (1980), p. 314). One historiated initial
of Ambrose and one containing griffins, in colours, at the
beginnings of works of St Ambrose and St Ivo of Chartres (ff. 2r,
23r). Initials in red, purple, or green, some with penwork
decoration or highlights in yellow.Instructions for rubrics in the
lower margins.
