This late 10th-century collection of saints’ lives originates
from the Benedictine abbey of Luxeuil. It opens with the lives of
the abbey’s first abbots: the life of St Columbanus (b. 543, d.
615) by Jonas of Bobbio (b. c. 600, d. 659); the life of St Eustace
(b. c. 560, d. c. 629); and the life of St Waldebert (d. c. 668) by
Adso Dervensis (also known as Adso of Luxeuil, b. c. 910/915, d.
992), abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Montier-en-Der. The
manuscript also includes the life of St Deicolus (b. c. 530, d.
625), a follower of St Columbanus, together with a history of the
Benedictine abbey of Lure, which had been founded by Deicolus. At
the end of the text (f. 71v), a scribe identifies himself through a
cipher: ‘Hbfc Stfphbnxs scrkpskt p[er] prfcfptb brchkinb[er]tk
mbgkctrk’. The solution for this code is offered by Sir Frederic
Madden (b. 1801, d. 1873), palaeographer and Keeper of Manuscripts
at the British Museum: ‘Haec Stephanus scripsit per precepta
Archimberti magistri’ (‘This was written by Stephanus at the
command of Master Archimbertus’). The manuscript was certainly at
Luxeuil until the early 18th century, and probably remained there
until the abbey was dissolved during the French Revolutionary
period. Contents: ff. 1r-12r Jonas of Bobbio, Vita Columbani
Abbatis Luxoviensis et Bobiensis (The Life of St Columbanus, Abbot
of Luxeuil and Bobbio), imperfect at the beginning. ff. 12r-26r:
Anonymous, Vita Sancti Eustasii Abbatis Luxoviensis (The Life of St
Eustace, Abbot of Luxeuil), beginning: ‘Scripturus vitam beati
Eustasii, abbatis Luxoviensis monasterii’. ff. 26r-34r: Adso
Dervensis, Vita Sancti Walberti Abbatis et Confessoris (The Life of
St Waldabert, Abbot and Confessor), beginning: ‘Luxoviensium
coenobitarum sacrecontioni · Adso · qui et hermiricus nomine
abbas non merito vocatus · perpetuam in Christo domino salutem’;
including miracles of St Waldabert and St Eustace. ff. 34r-41r:
Anonymous, Vita Sancti Philiberti Abbatis et Confessoris (The Life
of St Philibert, Abbot and Confessor), beginning: ‘Inclitus ille
arbiter in cuius laude sollempniter’. ff. 41r-51r: Anonymous,
Vita Sancti Taurini Episcopi (The Life of St Taurinus, Bishop),
beginning: ‘Beato quidem taurino plenarie sufficit’ [features
interlinear notes]. ff. 51r-71v: Anonymous, Vita Sancti Deicoli
Abbatis Lutrensi (The Life of St Deicolus, Abbot of Lure),
containing a history of the Benedictine abbey of Lure until the
year 990, beginning: ‘Qui sane mentis advortitur’ [features
interlinear notes]. ff. 72r-73v: Anonymous, Vita Beati Hieronimi
Presbiteri (The Life of St Jerome, Priest), imperfect at the end,
beginning: ‘Hieronymus noster in oppido stridonis quod agotis
versum est dalmatiae’. ff. 73r-95v: Anonymous, Vita Sancti
Augustini (The Life of St Augustine), imperfect at the beginning.
ff. 95v-104r: Anonymous, Vita Sancti Gregorii Papae Urbis Romae
(The Life of St Gregory the Great, ), beginning: ‘Gregorius urbe
Romulae a patre Gurdiano editus non solum expectabili senatorum
prosapia’. ff. 104r-131r: Anonymous, Vita Sancti Silvestri (The
Life of St Sylvester), beginning: ‘Historiographus noster
eusebius cesariensis palestine episcopus cum hystoriam
ecclesiasticam scriberet’. ff. 131r-135v: Anonymous, In
Inventione Sanctae Crucis (On the Finding of the Holy Cross),
beginning: ‘Perrexit autem Helena ad hierosolimam et quaesivit
diligenter locum’. ff. 136r-144r: Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum
Apostolorum Petri et Pauli (The Martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul
the Apostles), beginning: ‘Cum venisset paulus romanus
convenerunt’. ff. 144v-148v: Anonymous, Passio Sancti Andreae
Apostoli (The Martyrdom of St Andrew the Apostle), beginning:
‘Quod oculis nostris vidimus omnes presbyteri’. ff. 148v-152r:
Anonymous, Passio Sancti Iacobi Apostoli (The Martyrdom of St James
[the Greater] the Apostle), beginning: ‘Apostolus domini nostri
iesu christi iacobus frater beati iohannis evangeliste omnem iudeam
et samariam visitabit’. ff. 152r-160v: Anonymous, Vita Sancti
Johannis Apostoli (The Life of St John the Apostle), beginning:
‘Miletus servus Christi episcopus Laudicie’. ff. 160v-171r:
Anonymous, Passio Sancti Thomæ Apostoli (The Martyrdom of St
Thomas the Apostole), beginning: ‘Cum apostolus thomas qui ex
didimus esset apud caesariam apparuit ei dominus ihesus’. ff.
171r-172r: Anonymous, Passio Sancti Iacobi Apostoli (The Martyrdom
of St James [the Lesser] the Apostle), beginning: ‘Jacobo
apostolo praesidente cathedrae ecclesiae Ierosolimorum orta est
perturbatio’. ff. 172r-173v: Anonymous, Passio Sancti Philippi
Apostoli (The Martyrdom of St Philip the Apostle), beginning:
‘Philippus apostolus domini nostri ihesu Christi post ascensum
salvatoris per annos viginti instanter praedicavit’. ff.
173v-180r: Anonymous, Passio Sancti Bartholomei Apostoli (The
Martyrdom of St Bartholomew the Apostle), beginning: ‘In die tres
esse ab historiographis asseruntur’. ff. 180r-190r: Anonymous,
Passio Sancti Mathei Apostoli et Evangelistae (The Martyrdom of St
Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist), beginning: ‘Quoniam Deo cura
est de hominibus ut plus animarum’. ff. 190r-198v: Anonymous,
Passio Sanctorum Apostolorum Simonis et Judae (The Martyrdom of
Saints Simon and Judas the Apostles), beginning: ‘Symon Chananeus
et Judas Zelotis apostoli Domini nostri ihesu Christi cum per
revelationem Spiritus Sancti Persidis fuissent regionem
ingressi’. ff. 198v-202r: Anonymous, Passio Sancti Marci Apostoli
et Evangelistae (The Martyrdom of St Mark the Apostle and
Evangelist), beginning: ‘Per idem tempus quo dispersi erant
apostoli toto orbe terrarum contigit beatissimum Marcum ad
Aegipti’. ff. 201r-202r: St Jerome (b. 347, d. 420), Argumentum
Evangelii secundum Lucam (The Argumentum to the Gospel according to
Luke), beginning: ‘Lucas syrus antiocensis arte medicus
discipulus apostolorum’. ff. 202r-229v: Anonymous, Vita Sancti
Marcialis Apostoli (The Martyrdom of St Martial the Apostle),
beginning: ‘Predicante domino nostro Ihesu Christo apud Iudæam
in tribu Beniamin’. ff. 230r-231r: Anonymous, Vita Sancti Georgii
(The Life of St George), imperfect at the beginning. ff. 231v-234v:
Anonymous, Passio Sancti Pancracii Martiris (The Martyrdom of St
Pancras), imperfect due to damage, beginning: ‘Tempore duorum
tirannorum potius quam regum seu imperatorum diocletiani
videlicet’. ff. 235r-240r: Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum Nerei et
Achillei (The Martyrdom of Saints Nereus and Achilleus), beginning:
‘Nisi studia catholicorum securitatis suae somno quiescerent’.
ff. 240r-245r: Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum Martirum Iohannis et
Pauli (The Martyrdom of Saints John and Paul), beginning: ‘Sub
constantino augusto gallicano duce romani exercitus’. ff.
245r-252r: Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum Alexandri, Eventii et
Theodoli (The Martyrdom of Saints Alexander, Eventius and
Theodulus), beginning: ‘Quinto loco a beato Petro apostolo
Romanae urbis aecclesiae [sic] cathedram sedit Alexander’. ff.
252r-262r: Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum Martyrum Abdon et Sennes,
Sixti Episcopi Felicissimi et Agapiti atque Laurentii Diaconi (The
Martyrdom of Saints Abdon and Sennen, Bishop Sixtus, Felicissimus
and Agapitus, and St Lawrence), beginning: ‘Orta tempestate sub
Decio Caesare multi Christianorum necati sunt’. ff. 262r-265v:
Anonymous, Passio Sanctorum Martyrum Mauritii et Eius Sociorum (The
Martyrdom of St Maurice and his Companions), beginning:
‘Passionem sanctorum martirum qui hunc locum glorioso sanguine
inlustrant’. f. 265v and ff. 267r-268r: Gregory of Tours (b. c.
538, d. 594), Historia Francorum (The History of the Franks), an
excerpt on the episcopate of St Brice, beginning: ‘Igitur post
excessum beati Martini Turonicae civitatis episcopi’. ff.
266r-266v: Anonymous, De Passione Sancti Ypoliti (On the Martyrdom
of St Hippolytus), a fragment. [f. 268v is blank].Decoration: 2
large foliate initials in green with some red fillers (f. 144v and
f. 231v). 5 large red foliate initials featuring interlace and
knotwork (ff. 26r, 56v, 72r, 104v, 202v). Medium capitals in red.
Small capitals highlighted in red; some in red and green (f. 231v).
Display script alternating between letters in red and highlighted
in red. Roman numerals in red. Rubrics in red. Foliate line-fillers
in red (ff. 56r, 104v, 131r). Manicules in brown ink added in the
margins. Foliate decoration in red for words written into the lower
margin (ff. 45r, 49r, 102v, 105v, 112r, 117r, 194r, 199r, 221r,
261r); once with a bird (f. 62r). In some instances foliate
decoration has been added to pages with no words in the lower
margin (ff. 85r, 128r, 129v); a drawing of two hands (?) in brown
ink added to the lower margin of 145r.
