HoB_Extending the Medieval Tradition

Title Varii sermoni de Santo Agostino

Brief description This text contains more than fifty of St. Augustine’s sermons and homilies as well as sermons of St. Cyprian, homilies of St. Gregory of Nyssa, sermons of St. Ambrose, homilies and sermons of St. John Chrysostom, sermons of Pope Leo I, and sermons of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. These texts were published by Galeazzo Florimonte, Bishop of Sessa Aurunca, Italy (April 27 1478-c. 1567)6 for printing by Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari of Venice, Italy. It is unknown where and when this text was written, though the sermons of St. Augustine were most likely written during St. Augustine’s lifetime, between 354 A.D.—430 A.D. Location unknown (perhaps in the Roman province in northern Africa since that is where Augustine lived). The rest of the sermons and homilies included in this book would have been written during the saints’ lifetimes as follows: St. Cyprian (200-258), homilies of St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-394), sermons of St. Ambrose (339-397),9 homilies and sermons of St. John Chrysostom (347-407),10 sermons of Pope Leo I (4th century-461),11 and sermons of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea (329-379). This work represents the religious teachings of a few of the most prominent figures in ecclesiastical history from the third century to the fifth century from the perspective of Galeazzo Florimonte, Bishop of Sessa Aurunca, which is near modern Naples, Italy. These sermons were compiled for publication by Galeazzo Florimonte, the Bishop of Sessa Aurunca quite close to the end of his life; he died in 1567 and this book was published in 1561. This text merited production because it contextualizes Augustine’s sermons and homilies with works from other prominent Christian figures who were writing and speaking between the third and fifth centuries. Since Augustine of Hippo lived from 354 A.D. – 430 A.D. and this book was published in 1561 A.D., the audience of this book would have been anyone with an interest in theology, especially of the sermons of St. Augustine, St. Cyprian, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, Pope Leo I, and St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. However, the interested person would have to be wealthy in order to afford such a book, and would probably also be male, and Catholic. It was probably used for personal study in a private setting. The book belonged at one point to Capuccini di Govone (1643). But the book was printed in 1561, so it is unclear what happened to the book prior to di Govone’s ownership, and then later what happened after the end of that ownership until the time when it was acquired by the UCLA Ahmanson-Murphy collection. The primary author is St. Augustine, with writings from St. Cyprian, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, Pope Leo I, and St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. There are also homilies and sermons from St. Cyprian, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, Pope Leo I, and St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea included in this book. The texts included in this book are formative works of early Christendom. The writings of St. Augustine, who was directly influenced by St. Ambrose, directly influenced and developed Western Christianity. St. Augustine also influenced Martin Luther, who was the catalyst for the Reformation. The writings of St. Cyprian, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. John Chrysostom, Pope Leo I, and St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea had a similar influence upon the development of Christianity. St. John Chrysostom was an early Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople. His Greek surname means ‘golden-mouthed’ and was earned by the magnetic energy of his preaching, which appealed particularly to the common people.16 St. Leo I’s pontificate was devoted to protecting orthodoxy and the unity of the Western church under the Papal yoke. He did so by suppressing heresy and with his ‘positive formulation of orthodoxy.’ Like St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil was a Church Father and wrote about monasticism, canon law, and theology. He was also a staunch defender of the orthodox faith against Arianism. St. Gregory of Nyssa was leader of the orthodox party during the controversies regarding the Trinity during the 4th century. Like St. Augustine, he also balanced Platonic and Christian traditions. St. Cyprian was the first bishop-martyr of Africa; he led the Christians of North Africa when Rome persecuted them. St. Ambrose was a bishop of Milan and conceived of ideas that became a model for medieval conceptions of the relationship between church and state. His works are masterpieces of Latin, and he also converted and baptized St. Augustine.

Physical description Due to the book’s size, this was probably for self-study and personal use, not for use during church services. The cover is plain and not decorated in any way, and there is no use of color within the book, although there are beautiful devices and intricate initials printed on the book’s pages. It is apparent that the printer took great care with this book and cared about its beauty and presentation. The book is also quite portable, but it does not show the wear and tear of a book carried about casually—this book was very well taken care of.

Content description This handsome, well-preserved book contains over fifty sermons and homilies from St. Augustine as well as sermons of St. Cyprian (200-258), homilies of St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-394), sermons of St. Ambrose (339-397), homilies and sermons of St. John Chrysostom (347-407), sermons of Pope Leo I (4th century-461), and sermons of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea (329-379), all luminaries of early Christianity in the third to fifth centuries A.D. It was published by Galeazzo Florimonte, Bishop of Sessa Aurunca, and printed in Italian by Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari in Venice, Italy in 1561. This book is notable for its “recycled” binding, made from a cut-up unknown medieval text. Its pages have beautiful, large engraved devices, head and tail pieces, and historiated initials. A foliated headpiece ornament with cherubic figures and intricate vines with leaves appears throughout the book. A large engraved device with a central image that takes the shape of an amphora-like object to an angelic face, always flanked by grinning faces and laurel leaves, is also repeated throughout the text to open and close certain sections of the book. There are also intricate historiated initials throughout the text, each letter with a different background image delicately rendered. The entire text is printed in black ink. Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari’s printer’s mark takes up a good portion of the first page, a phoenix rising out of the flames of a winged amphora, an elaboration of his father’s printer’s mark. 21 His Latin motto, inscribed on a flowing ribbon, is ‘semper eadem’, meaning ‘always the same’. His initials, G.G., adorn the amphora. The large printer’s mark is repeated again on the end page with a winged globe replacing the amphora. This particular book is the only edition known to exist. This book represents the foundational, formative influence of several great Christian theologians upon ecclesiastical history. This volume was published near the close of the Italian Renaissance, which began in the 14th century and ended circa 1600, only about forty years after this books’ creation in 1561. The Reformation had begun only 44 years earlier in 1517 when the German Augustinian monk and professor of theology, Martin Luther, began to try to reform the Church.22 The Church had become corrupt, power-seeking, and capitally motivated.23 One of the transgressions Luther criticized most was its practice of selling indulgences, a piece of paper bought with charitable work or donations that certified expedited entrance to heaven.24 Luther was directly influenced by the works of St. Augustine, as was another instrumental figure in the Reformation: Jean Cauvin, latinized as John Calvin (1509-1564), who founded a new Christianity - Calvinism.25 The Reformation would come to a close in 1648 with the bloody conclusion of the Thirty Year’s War.26 St. Augustine integrated an array of disciplines, from the four schools of Hellenistic philosophy (Epicureans, Stoics, Skeptics, and Platonists)27 to Christian ideology including St. Ambrose’s Platonism28 (339-397).29 He was one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and one of the Doctors of the Church: his written works helped to form the practice of Biblical exegesis and are foundational for medieval and modern Christianity.30 St. Augustine’s writings were read and imitated to such a degree throughout Latin Christendom that his fusion of Christian, Platonic, and Roman traditions ‘defined the terms for much later tradition and debate.’31 More than five million words of his writings have survived the centuries since they were written.32 St. John Chrysostom was an early Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople. His Greek surname means ‘golden-mouthed’ and was earned by the magnetic energy of his preaching, which appealed particularly to the common people.33 St. Leo I’s pontificate was devoted to protecting orthodoxy and the unity of the Western church under the Papal yoke. He did so by suppressing heresy, and with his ‘positive formulation of orthodoxy.’34 Like St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil was a Church Father and wrote about monasticism, canon law, and theology. He was also a staunch defender of the orthodox faith against Arianism.35 St. Gregory of Nyssa was a leader of the orthodox party during the controversies regarding the nature of the Trinity during the 4th century. Like St. Augustine, he also balanced Platonic and Christian traditions.36 St. Cyprian was the first bishop-martyr of Africa; he led the Christians of North Africa when Rome persecuted them. St. Ambrose was a bishop of Milan and conceived of ideas that became a model for medieval conceptions of the relationship between church and state. His works are masterpieces of Latin, and he also converted and baptized St. Augustine.37 The creation of this book is a testament to the enduring influence of St. Augustine and Saints Chrysostom, Leo I, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyprian, and Ambrose; it provides a true reflection of the importance of religion at the time. To a degree that many of us don’t experience today, religion was integrated into daily life and provided a lens for understanding the world and the self. St. Augustine had been dead for more than one thousand years when this book was assembled for publication and then printed. Yet St. Augustine still offers instruction for us in the modern world; his era mirrors our own in terms of being an age of anxiety.38 The late Roman Empire, like us, enjoyed vast networks of transportation and communication, technological innovation, internationalism, and cultural, theological, and intellectual pluralism.39 Like us, it also experienced warfare and violence, political instability, racial and ethnic tensions, diseases, a shift in values, and even ‘existential despair.’40 St. Augustine influenced such figures as Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Hannah Arendt.41

Contributor: Shanna Shiah

Contribution date: Winter 2014