Farfel Notebook 05: Leaves 317-396

Coptic is the language of the Egyptians as it was spoken by the inhabitants of the Nile valley & delta during the Christian era. By the end of the 2nd century, its speakers had successfully discarded the hieroglyphic, hieratic & demotic scripts & had begun to use the archaic Greek alphabeth, with 7 additional characters adapted from demotic for sounds not found in Greek. Its 2 main dialects are Sahidic + Bohairic. The former was the chief lierary dialect from the time of emergence of Coptic writing in the 3rd century until it was gradually superceded by Bohairic during the 11th-12th century.

After the coming of Islam, the Copts became bilingual + finally Arabic speaking, retaining their old language + script only for Bibles & service books & even these were eventually accompanied by Arabic translations, rubrica + colophons, not to mention Islamic ornamentation. Bohairic is still in use today for religious purposes.

The older Coptic manuscripts (to about the 9th century) are mostly on papyrus. Later, paper comes into use alongside parchment + colomed decoration becomes more common; elaborate geometric & interlaced patterns in frontispiece crosses, head pieces, borders & panels; enlarged + sometimes colured capitals at beginnings of paragraphs + almost exclusively Coptic - marginal scrolls in the shape of birds.

The Coptic literature that has come down to us is almost entirely religious. Even the laws & history are really canon law + church history.

- Coptic on one column + Arabic on the other, thus illustrating the Moslem takeover which was to eliminate both Greek + Coptic as languages of Egypt.

Bohairic - a major dialect of Coptic called the "northern dialect" or dialect of Lower Egypt - the 1st Coptic dialect -, which Western scholarship became acquainted. In the 8th & 9th centuries it broke the monopoly of Sahidic as a PanCoptic idiom & by the 11th century had largely completed the process of becoming virtually the sole dialect of Coptic. Bohairic became the official ecclesiastical language.

(324 California Book Club San Francisco April 1991 $75.00

The Rhemes New Testament (Douai Bible). Rhemes: John Fogny, 1582. 4° (Rheims) Ref: S.T.C. 2884 A.S. Herbert #177 - 180 x 129 mm. 400ff. D + M 134. Pforzheimer I, no. 68, The Library 4th Series Vol XX p. 351 Cop: BM, Bible House London, Bodleian, Newberry; Harvard, NYPL.

leaf book by Decherd Turner: 395 copies produced at the press of W. Thomas Taylor, using Mono Type Bembo cast at the press, printed on Lana mould made papa + bound in quorter red morocco at Book lab in Austin. The 7 x 10" volume contains 44 pages. Publication No. 193. Fall, 1990 publication.

A.S. Herbert - Historical cat. of Printed ed. of the English Bible 1521-1961.

CHA. XVIII - According to S. Iohn - 269 LLiij Chap. XIX - The Gospel - 270 (died at Rheims Oct. 1582.) The 1st ed. of the Roman Catholic version of the N.T. in English. Translated from the Vulgate by G. Martin under the supervision of W. Allen + of R. Bristow. According to the Douai Diaries, Martin began the translation in Oct. 1578 + completed it in March 1582. The Rheims N.T. exerted a very considerable influence on the version of 1611. Allen wasthe 1st President + Bristow was Prefect of Studies of the English Roman College, est. in 1568 in connection c the Univ. of Douai + removed temporarily to Theims 1578-93. -- 15 preliminary leaves. Text pp. 3 to 745, 27 pp. ending on Eeeeeijb. c the words Lavs Deo. Sig: a-c4d2 A-Z4 Aa-Zz4 Aaa-Zzz4 Aaaa-Zzzz4 Aaaaa-Ddddd4, Eeeee2; 400ff. The Annotations are placed at the end of each chapter, the shorter notes, etc. in the outside margins, the references in the inside margins. The text is in paragraphs, c the verse numbers on the inner side. Contents precede each chapter + Arguments appear before most of the books. No illustrations, but many vignettes, initial tetters etc. After St. John's Gspel is The summe, + the order of the Evangelical historie___pp 281-285.

Rheims + Douai Version - This came from the Church of Rome, + is the work of Gregory Martin, who c a number of Other English Romanists left England at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign + settled in the NE of France, where in 1568 they founded a college. The NT was published in 1582, + hence is known as the Rheims NT, but the OT was not published until 1609-10 after the college had moved to Douai + hence it is called the Douai OT. The Preface warned readers against the then existing "profane" translations + blames Protestants for casting what was holy to dogs. Like Wycliffe's version, this one was made not from the original languages but from Latin. The main objection to the version is its too clase adherence to the words of the original Latin + the too great Latinizing of the English. It included the Apocrypha, + contained a large number of notes, most of them to interpret the sacred text in conformity [with] Roman Catholic teaching + to reply to the arguments of the Reformers The Rheims-Douay Bible in use today is not the same as the one made by Gregory Martin, but is a thorough revision made of it between 1749 + 1763 by Bishop Richard Challoner. It was 1st authorized for use by American Roman Catholics in 1810. The 1st Catholic N.T. in English Copy 1976 $585 The 22 page preface is in many ways of unusual significance + historic interest; containing specific refutations of Protestant interpretations + translations of the Bible, + this controversial tone is sustained in the voluminous Annotations which accompany the text. -- Jean de Fogny - Printer at Rheims. 1561-93. -- Rheims 1582 - The need of this translation was forced on Cardinal Allen by his discovery that the Jesuit controversialists were exposed to a great disadvantage by having to translate Biblical quotations on the spur of the moment.

Woodcut border on title; woodcut headpieces + large initials, some historiated at beginnings of chapters; cul de lampe woodcuts at the end of sections. This transl. of the Bible into English will always hold a commanding position. It stands out as the 1st English version prepared specifically for the followers of the Roman Catholic Church. Previously the translators, mainly Protestants had been stimulated by the wave of reformation sweeping over the Church The work of the transl. was carried on at the English College at Rheims + adheres closely to the text of the Vulgate, which they claimed was most ancient; was corrected by Jerome; commended by Augustine; was used by the Fathers, + was more authentic + preferred to the Greek. The 22 page preface is in many ways one of unusual significance + historic interest. It contains specific refutations of Protestant interpretations + translations of the Bible. There are summaries annotations in the text, along the margins, as well as ample indices at the end. - the 2nd ed. appeared in 1600, the 3rd 1610 + the 4th in 1633.

325) Maggs Bros. L+d. London May 1991 70£ = $126

resembles the lettre de forme used by Fust + Schoeffer in their 1457 Psalter

See #174 25.5 x 38 cm Breviary - German ^late 15th C. Vellum 10 x 13" 26 lines, written in a bold Gothic Textura Quadrata script c alternating red + blue versals. Gothic neumes (Hufnagelschrift) on black 4 line stave. Large initials in red + blue. Black ink. Summer Part Easter to the last Sunday before Advent Sanctoral - large ^format choir Breviary. Large noted Breviary including Officis for St. Martin of Tours (Nov. 11) c 316-397 (He was the greatest of the pioneers of Western monasticism before St. Benedicit] and St. Catherine of Alexandria (Nov. 25) d.c. 310 (Having caused many conversions to Christianity, she was condemned to death on the wheel which was miraculously destroyed by her touch.

3) Nunc unetat dies annua reuoluēs de sācto martino. magna daudia gua pater sanctus obajt guē

A tick at the end of the lines is a silent warning to the singer of what is to be the 1st note on the following line. One of the 4 lines at the beginning of each now is marked c a clef sign, the notes on or between the lines of the stave are pitched in accordance c this known note. St. Catherine - data of her life derive from 2 works without historical value. After the 10th C, her cult became very popular especially in Italy.