e-codices Newsletter #60    		 View online   | en |

       

      e-codices newsletter | issue no. 60 | July 2025

      In this issue:

      1. Spring update
      2. Pseudo-Dyonisius and his authenticity
      3. The Feudal history of the Diocese of Basel
      4. A Syriac lectionary
      5. Fabulous Frauenfeld fragments
      6. e-codices is hiring!
      1. Spring Update

      In April 2025, e-codices published 21 more manuscripts, including a selection of exciting books from Basel, such as a Greek Septuagint manuscript purchased during the Council of Basel's mission to Constantinople, a collection from Porrentruy of scholarship on the history of the Jura and the old bishopric of Basel, and some precious volumes from Cologny and St. Gall.

      > To the manuscripts
      2. Pseudo-Dionysius and his authenticity

      Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, O III 5 is a twelfth-century manuscript with a collection of texts and commentaries related to [Pseudo-]Dionysius the Areopagite, particularly his De caelesti hierarchia. A sixth-century Neoplatonic author writing in Greek, Dionysius' identity is unknown, beyond the claimed association with Paul's disciple, Dionysius. His works were highly influential in the West throughout the Middle Ages. A few medieval thinkers contested the authority. When he was at Abbey of St. Denis, Peter Abelard famously argued that the author who illuminated their community was not Dionysius, the disciple buried in their church. Later, Lorenzo Valla and Erasmus of Rotterdam would continue the argument, inspiring Johannes Novius in the sixteenth century to write an impassioned defense, a copy of which is preserved in a paper copy of the Old Testament held at Pfäfers Abbey and now in the Stiftsarchiv St. Gallen.

      > Study [Pseudo-]Dionysius, and the defense of his authenticity
      3. The Feudal History of the Diocese of Basel

      The Bibliothèque cantonale jurassienne contributes a series of manuscripts containing studies by nineteenth century scholars on the pre-Reformation history of the region. Chef among these is the five-volume series by Antoine Biétrix gathering together material for the feudal history of the old bishopric of Basel, including coats of arms, entries on noble families, and on the history of each village.

      > Explore the Region
      4. A Syriac lectionary

      From the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny comes CB 27, a Jacobite Rite lectionary from around 1200, and copied in a spectacular Estrangelo, the ancient and classical Syriac script.

      > See the lectionary
      5. Fabulous Frauenfeld fragments

      The Fragmentarium team recently concluded a project focused on the loose and in situ fragments of the Kantonsbibliothek Thurgau in Frauenfeld. Fergus Bovill, under the supervision of Dr. Marina Bernasconi Reusser, described and published fragments from over fifty manuscripts and prints from the eighth to the sixteenth century.

      > Explore the Frauenfeld Fragments
      6. e-codices is hiring!

      We're expanding! e-codices is hiring someone to assist in the development and management of the platform. The current position will be through July 2026, with the possibility of renewal. The position for a Webmaster/mistress - Full Stack Developer is currently listed in French and German on the jobs website of the Canton of Fribourg. Apply there, or contact the e-codices team for more information.

      > Work with us