The Moore Bede (Cambridge,

University Library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...

, Kk. 5. 16) is an early manuscript of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

's 8th-century ''

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' (), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the growth of Christianity. It was composed in Latin, and ...

'' (''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''). It was formerly owned by Bishop John Moore (1646–1714), whose collection of books and manuscripts was purchased by George I and donated to

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Physical description

The manuscript is written on

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

. It contains 128

folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...

s. Pages average approximately 293 × 215 mm with a writing surface of 250 × 185 mm (1 column, 30–33 lines in the main text). The manuscript has been copied in a single hand and shows signs of haste.

The Moore Bede contains (with The Leningrad Bede) one of the two earliest representatives of the ''m-type'' text of the Latin ''

''. The manuscript contains a copy of the Northumbrian

recension Recension is the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis. When referring to manuscripts, this may be a revision by another author. The term is derived from the Latin ("review, analysis"). In textual criticism (as is the ...

of Cædmon's Hymn on the last page of the manuscript, f. 128v. The poem is in the hand of a contemporary

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

, probably to be identified with that responsible for the so-called Memoranda on the same page (written in a larger script, but showing many similarities to the more cramped Cædmon’s Hymn and the main text of ff. 1r-128r).

Dating

The Moore Bede is traditionally dated to 734–737 on the basis of the so-called Moore Memoranda, a series of chronological notes preserved on f. 128v. Although the validity of these (and similar notes in The Leningrad Bede) as evidence for the manuscript’s date has been challenged vigorously, the manuscript can be dated securely to the 8th century on

palaeographic Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US) (ultimately from , , 'old', and , , 'to write') is the study and academic discipline of historical writing systems. It encompasses the historicity of manuscripts and texts, subsuming deciphering and dati ...

and

codicological Codicology (; from French ''codicologie;'' from Latin , genitive , "notebook, book" and Greek , ''-logia'') is the study of codices or manuscript books. It is often referred to as "the archaeology of the book," a term coined by François Masai. ...

grounds. The manuscript is now thought "likely to be English in origin" (Ker 1990). Bischoff has shown that the manuscript was at the Palace School at

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

around CE 800. Parkes suggests that it may have been sent to there from

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

at the request of

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; ; 735 – 19 May 804), also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin, was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Ecgbert of York, Archbishop Ecgbert at Yor ...

.Parkes 1982, 27, n. 35

References

Bibliography

*Blair, Peter Hunter, ed. 1959. ''The Moore Bede: Cambridge University Library Kk. 5. 16''. With a contribution by R. A. B. Mynors. Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 9. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger *Colgrave, B. & Mynors, R. A. B., eds. 1969, ''Bede’s ecclesiastical history of the English people''. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. xliii–xliv; *Dobbie, E. v. K. 1937. ''The manuscripts of ''Cædmon’s Hymn'' and ''Bede’s Death Song'' with a critical text of the ''Epistola Cuthberti de obitu Bedæ''.'' Columbia University Studies in English and Comparative Literature, 128. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 11–16; * Hardwick C., et al., eds. 856-18671980. ''A Catalogue of the Manuscripts Preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge''. Munich: Kraus. Reprint by G. Olms. Vol. 3: art. 2058; *Ker, N. R. 1990. ''Catalogue of manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Art. 25. *Lowe, E. A. 1934-, ''Codices latini antiquiores: a palaeographical guide to Latin manuscripts prior to the ninth century''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Art. 139. * Mayor, J. E. B. & Lumby, J. R., eds. 1878. ''Venerabilis Bedae historiae ecclesiasticae gentis anglorum libri IV''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; pp. 413, 431*. *O'Donnell, D. P. 2005. ''Cædmon’s Hymn, a multimedia study, edition, and witness archive.'' SEENET A. 7. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. §§ 4.29–4.30. *Paleographical Society. 1879. ''Facsimiles of Manuscripts and Inscriptions''. London: W. Clowes & Sons. Vol. 1: pll. 139 and 140 and accompanying letterpress; *Plummer, C., ed.

896 __NOTOC__ Year 896 ( DCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * February – King Arnulf of Carinthia invades Italy at the head of an East Frankish expeditionary army. He storms ...

1969. ''Venerabilis Baedae Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, Historia abbatum, Epistola ad Ecgberctum, una cum Historia abbatum auctore anonymo''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Vol. 1: lxxxix-xci; *Robinson, P. R. 1988. ''Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c. 737–1600 in Cambridge Libraries''. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. Art. 68 (1: 37 and 2: pll. 1 and 2); *Robinson, F. C. & Stanley, E. G. 1991. ''Old English Verse Texts from Many Sources: a comprehensive collection.'' Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 23. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger. acsimile of f. 128v on pl. 2.1 *Wanley, H., ed. 7051970. ''Librorum vett. septentrionalium catalogus. Linguarum veterum septentrionalium thesaurus''. Menston: Scholar Press; p. 287.

External links

Whole manuscript online, from Cambridge Digital Library

More information at Earlier Latin Manuscripts
{{authority control Old English literature Manuscripts about England in Latin Bede manuscripts Manuscripts held by the University of Cambridge

Physical description

Contents

Dating

References

Bibliography

External links