Junillus Africanus, Instituta regularia divine legis

Title

  • Vite sanctorum
Location 
  • Cotton Collection, British Library
Subject

  • Junillus Africanus (d. 548/9) was Quaestor of the Sacred Palace (overseeing judicial matters) in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Text helps to understand how Byzantium accommodated Roman law as Roman and Christian theories converged. 

Provenance
  • Lowe compared the script of these folios to that of Cotton MS Augustus II 18, the text of which seems to date from 704-5 (Lowe, Codices Latini Antiquiores , ii, no. 189). The script somewhat resembles that of 'Glossator B', associated with St Boniface and possibly associated with Malmesbury (for more information, see Thomson, 'Identifiable books' (1981), p. 9).
  • ? The Benedictine abbey of Malmesbury: a copy of Junilius's work was noted there by Leland (see Thomson 'Identifiable books' (1981), p. 8).
  • ? The Benedictine abbey of Glastonbury: an old ( vetustus ) copy of Junilius's work was listed in the Glastonbury library catalogue of 1247 (see Sharpe and others, English Benedictine libraries (1996), p. 207).
 Description

  • Fragment of the original manuscript now bound with 3 other unrelated items. Copied possibly in the south of England in the late 7th or early 8th century. The leaves have been rebound out of order. The correct order is ff. 177, 179–180, 176, 175, 178.

  • Latin

Age

  • 4th quarter of the 7th century-1st quarter of the 8th century

Comment

  • It is known from his own writing that Saint Aldhelm of Malmesbury knew this author’s work.

Ownership/Copyright
 Reference Information

  • Cotton MS Tiberius A XV, ff 175–180