Author: Anne-Sophie Rouckhout

Team DBBE is taking a short, well-deserved summer break! We wish you all a wonderful and relaxing vacation! ☀️🍹
And what is more relaxing than lying back to enjoy a good book? 📚 Wherever you are, books can take you anywhere. Even the Byzantines already knew that reading not only enriches the mind, but also salves the soul.

 

✒️ Ἰδὼν τὸ κάλλος ὧδε τῶν γεγραμμένων
ὡραῖον, ὡς θαυμαστόν, ὡς γνῶσιν γέμον,
ἀνεμποδίστως προσλαβὼν χρῶ προφρόνως·
νοῦν γὰρ πιαίνει εἰς καλῶν ὁδηγίαν.
Νόμος διδάσκει καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου φύσις·
τούτων τὸ τέλος τῆς χάριτος τὸ φάος.
Ὅθεν προσῆκε, ὡς μέλι, γλυκασμάτων
ὑπερφυῶς τῶν τῇδε λαμβάνειν μέγα.

 

📖 See the beauty of these writings
– how lovely and wonderful, how full of knowledge it is –
and take it unhindered, use it readily,
for it enriches the mind on the way to virtue.
The law gives instructions and so does nature before the law;
of these the light of grace is the completion.
So it befits to take abundantly, as from honey,
from the sweetness contained here.

 

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/2001
📸 https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b110001885/f4.item

So how about reading some good old Byzantine book epigrams this summer? 😉 Dive into our literary garden, indulge in the fruits of our labour and let yourself be amazed!

What a moving scene: Saints Peter and Paul, celebrated together on this day, in embrace.
This intimate moment between the two apostles is immortalized in the 13th-century manuscript Moscow, GIM Mus. Sobr. 3648, which contains the Acts of the Apostles. Inserted on f. 255v, the miniature faces the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the 15th century, Gregorios, a monk from the Megistes Lauras monastery in Athos, added these verses in the upper margin:

 

 

✒️ Ἰδὼν ὁ Παῦλος ὅνπερ ἐπόθει λίαν
χεῖρας ἐκτείνας δεξιοῦται τὸν φίλον·
ἰδὼν δὲ Πέτρος τὴν θερμὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν
ἀγκάλας ἀνοίγων ἀσπάζεται τὸν Παῦλον.
Ὦ ζεῦγος ἁγιόλεκτον, τοῦ κόσμου οἱ προστάται
πρεσβεύσατε ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ σας δούλου·
Γρηγόριος ἁμαρτωλὸς τάχα καὶ Λαυριώτης.

 

📖 Als Paulus (ihn) sieht, den er sehr ersehnte,
streckt er die Hände aus und begrüßt den Freund.
Als aber Petrus die Warmherzigkeit sieht,
öffnet er die Arme und umarmt Paulus.
O in Heiligkeit erwähltes Paar, ihr Vorsteher der Welt,
tretet für mich, euren demütigen Diener, ein!
Gregorios ein Sünder, zugleich auch Mönch der Laura.

 

 

 

In the first four verses, written in dodecasyllables, Gregorios describes the depicted moment. The last three verses, in decapentasyllables, are a prayer from the monk to both saints. The poem is followed by the prosaic, scribal words ‘τὸ μὲν σχῆμα μοναχός, τὰ δὲ ἔργα ἀσθενεῖ καὶ σαθρά‘.

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/21375
📸 A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften. Wien: 701

This stunning miniature would have adorned the poster of our Growing Corpora conference, which, in better times, would have come to an end today, after three undoubtedly beautiful and fascinating days. 💔
The lovely full-page illumination opens Genoa, Biblioteca Franzoniana Urbani 17, a manuscript written in the middle of the tenth century that contains works by Basil of Caesarea and Gregorius of Nyssa. Above the double circle, decorated with loops in beautiful blue, green and pink tints, a pair of birds is drinking from a water vessel 🐦and if you take a closer look, you can even spot another animal! 🕵️‍♂️ In the central space, an epigram is inserted in red ink, addressing and praising Basil the Great. At the end of the poem, we meet Ioseph, probably the sponsor of the manuscript, who begs the famous saint for protection.

 

 

✒️ Σαφῶς τὸ κάλλος τῆς γραφῆς ἐγγυμνάσας
τὴν τῶν ἀδήλων γνῶσιν ἐξεῦρες, πάτερ·
Μωσῆς γὰρ ἄλλος εἰκότως δεδειγμένος
γνόφῳ τε εἰσδὺς πανσόφων νοημάτων
τὴν πᾶσαν ἄρδην τῶν ὁρωμένων φύσιν
ἐξετράνωσας φαντικῶς τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις
ταύτην ἀμυδρῶς ἱστορηθεῖσαν πάλαι.
Ἀλλ᾽ ὦ λατρείας μυσταγωγὲ τῆς ἄνω,
Βασίλειε τρίσμακαρ, εὐσεβῶν κλέος,
Ἰωσὴφ τὸν σὸν οἰκέτην σκέπε
τεύξαντα ταύτην τὴν βίβλον θερμῷ πόθῳ,
ἐξ ἧς κομίζοι ψυχικὴν σωτηρίαν.

 

📖 Deutlich die Schönheit des Schreibens übend
fandest du das Wissen um die verborgenen Dinge, Vater.
Denn mit gutem Grunde dich als zweiter Moses erweisend
drangst du ins Dunkel der überaus weisen Gedanken ein
und verkündetest von Grund auf deutlich die ganze Natur der sichtbaren Dinge
durch deine Worte,
sie, die zuvor undeutlich erklärt worden war.
Doch beschütze, du Wegweiser des höheren Gottesdienstes,
dreimal seliger Basileios, Ruhm der Frommen,
deinen Diener Ioseph,
der dieses Buch in glühender sehnsüchtiger Liebe anfertigen ließ,
auf dass er aus diesem das Seelenheil beziehe.

 

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/19604
📸 A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften. Wien: 677

On this day in 323 BCE, Alexander the Great died. The Alexander Romance, a fictional account of Alexander’s life fashioned around a historical core, was very popular during the medieval period, as attested by the many versions in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, English, French, German and so on. In its Greek version, the tale has been preserved in eighteen manuscripts. One of them is manuscript Venice, Istituto Ellenico di Studi Bizantini e Postbizantini cod. 5 (14th c.), a luxury edition of the text, adorned with more than 200 richly executed illustrations.
The book opens with this portrait of the emperor for whom the manuscript was made, i.e. one of the emperors of the Trebizond as the title above the picture indicates, and most likely Alexios III. In the epigram written in red ink to the right of the miniature, the emperor addresses Alexander the Great:

 

 

✒️ Ἐγώ, βασιλεῦ Ἀλέξανδρε γενν[αῖε]
στεφηφόρων ἄριστ[ε] καὶ κοσμοκρά[τορ],
τοὺς σοὺς κατιδ[ὼν] καμάτους καὶ τὰς [πράξεις]
ὑπερνικώσ[ας] τῶν ὅλων βασιλε[ίαν],
ἔσχον πόθον (…)

 

📖 I, O brave emperor Alexander, most excellent of all crowned men and ruler of all the world, having contemplated your great labors and [deeds], and your all-triumphant kingship, I had the desire …

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/26746
📸 http://eib.xanthi.ilsp.gr/gr/showpic.asp?gotonumber=&vmagnification=500&picpath=0402_txt_01_nn5&curTable=manuscripts&curRecord=9999&vorder=6&vmode=next

 

 

Unfortunately, only part of the poem has been preserved. Also note the Turkish caption on the left, which was added by a later owner of the manuscript. This miniature possibly faced a now missing portrait of Alexander the Great on the opposite folio, which may have been accompanied by an inscription in which he replies to the emperor.

It’s time for the last illumination in our series of miniatures from the 14th century Gospel Athos, Mone Batopediou 937! On f. 19v, three verses accompany a depiction of Pentecost: the Holy Spirit is descending, in the form of twelve blue sun beams (which represent the tongues of fire), upon the twelve Apostles.

 

✒️ Ἡ τῶν ἐνάρθρων ἀνθράκων ἐπομβρία
γλωσσῶν ἐν εἴδει τὸν Παράκλητον φέρει
πρὸς τοὺς θεόπτας καὶ μαθητὰς τοῦ Λόγου.

📖 Der Regen der feurigen Stimmen
bringt Parakletos in Form von Zungen
zu den Gottschauern und Jüngern des Logos.

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/23632
📸 A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften. Wien: 645

Pentecost is a holiday celebrated today by Christians following the Gregorian calendar, while those following the Julian calendar celebrate it next week.

 

Today, Christians around the world celebrate the Ascension of Christ, his physical departure from Earth into the presence of God in Heaven.
In the 14th-century Gospel Athos, Mone Batopediou 937, after the miniatures depicting the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ we shared on Good Friday and Easter, there is an illumination of the Ascension.
The image shows the ascending Christ blessing the Theotokos, flanked by two angels, and the twelve Apostles. Above and below, this miniature – like the others – is captioned with a short poem.

 

✒️ Ἄνεισι Χριστὸς εἰς πατρῷαν ἑστίαν
σαρκὸς θεώσας ἥνπερ εἴληφε φύσιν.

📖 Christus wird zum väterlichen Herd emporsteigen,
nachdem er die Natur des Fleisches, die er angenommen hatte, vergöttlicht hat.

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/23607
📸 A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften. Wien: 644

 

Today, on International Nurses Day, we wanted to give an extra, virtual applause for all healthcare heroes around the globe – Byzantine style! 👏

This beautiful portrait of Hippocrates, the ‘Father of Medicine’, can be found in the medical manuscript Par. gr. 2144 (14th c.), surrounded by a poem fifty (!) verses long. The reader is addressed by the ancient physician himself, who recounts how medicine has stolen his heart in these first five verses.

 

✒️ Ἰατρικῆς μὲν τῆς κρατίστης ἐν τέχναις
δεινός τις εἷλε τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν ἔρως
ἐκ παιδὸς εὐθὺς ἐντακεὶς εὐμηχάνως
καὶ προςπαθῶς ἔχουσαν ἕλκων τὴν φύσιν
πρὸς συμπαθῆ παίδευσιν ὁλκαῖς ἐμφύτοις.

 

📖 Zur Heilkunst als der besten unter den Künsten
erfasste eine gewaltige Liebe meine Seele,
die gleich von Kindheit an passend in mir eingeschmolzen war,
und zog meine leidenschaftliche Natur
zu einer Bildung, die den angeborenen Neigungen angemessen war.

 

Healing was a calling for Hippocrates, just as it is for modern-day doctors, nurses and other health workers, whose everyday commitment is invaluable during this corona pandemic. You are doing an incredible job, thank you all! ❤️

Interested in reading the whole poem or other medicine-related epigrams? Check out DBBE!

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/7126
📸 A. Bianchini, 1992, Byzance: l’art byzantin dans les collections publiques françaises. Paris: 457

Happy World Veterinary Day!

Veterinary medicine dates back far into history. Due to the economic and military value of horses, especially equine medicine was highly appreciated and developed during the Byzantine period. 🐎

In the 5th or 6th century AD, a reference work collecting excerpts from seven different Greek treatises, devoted to the care and healing of horses, was compiled by an unknown editor. This compilation, known as the ‘Hippiatrica’, is preserved in twenty-two manuscripts from the 10th to the 16th century. It is a valuable source of information, describing symptoms and diseases that are still very recognisable today, such as lameness, cough, neck strains and glanders.

Several hippiatric manuscripts are richly illuminated with miniatures depicting the treatment of sick horses and illustrating specific parts of the text. In two manuscripts, Leiden Voss. Gr. Q 50 and Paris gr. 2244, some of these images are captioned with a verse. Have a look at them in DBBE!

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/manuscripts/16792, https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/manuscripts/16793
📸 A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften. Wien: 688-694

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On this day in the year 303, Saint George of Cappadocia, a Roman soldier, died a martyr in the Diocletian persecution. He became one of the most popular Christian saints, immortalised in the legend of ‘Saint George and the Dragon’.

This doodle of the saint was drawn in the Vatican manuscript Reg. gr. 147 (14th c.), below a variant of the famous “ὥσπερ ξένοι” scribal epigram.

 

🌐 https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/occurrences/24449
📸 https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Reg.gr.147/0261