This manuscript was written at a scriptorium in Northern France,
most likely the Benedictine abbey of Corbie, in the 4th quarter of
the 7th century. It was certainly in the abbey's library from the
12th century onward. In 1638 the manuscript was transferred to the
Benedictine abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés in Paris and, at an
unknown point in time, to the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Laurent in
Liège. It remained there until the abbey’s dissolution by French
Revolutionary troops in 1794. The manuscript originally contained
both a collection of homilies on the Book of Numbers by the Greek
theologian Origen of Alexandria (b. 184/185, d. 253/254) and De
Reparatione Lapsi (On the Reparation of the Fallen) by the Church
Father John Chrysostom (d. 407). In the 1790s, however, the two
works were separated. The part with Origen’s homilies (ff. 1-60)
entered the collection of the classical scholar Charles Burney (b.
1757, d. 1817) and was subsequently acquired by the British Museum.
The part with John Chrysostom's work (ff. 61-104) was acquired by
Peter Dubrovsky (b. 1754, d. 1816) and is now in Saint Petersburg,
National Library of Russia, MS. Lat. F v I (the off-set of the
former subsequent text is still visible on f. [61] verso).
Contents: ff. 1r-60v: Origen of Alexandria, Homilies on Numbers
15-19, beginning ‘INCIPIT TRACTATUS ORIGENIS DE BALAHAM ET
BALAC’.Decoration:Rustic display capitals in green and pink (ff.
1r, 11r), or green and black (ff. 27v, 51v, 60v) for the title,
explicit, and certain beginnings of homilies. Large capitals in
green, black and pink (f. 4r (2x), 4v, 9v, 11r), green and red (f.
4v) or green and black (ff. 5v, 9r, 12r, 12v, 17r, 17v, 27v, 34v,
51v), some with zoomorphic figures (a bird (f. 4r) or a fish (12r,
12v)). Small initials in brown ink. Running heads in blue ink on
ff. 30v-31r.
