Old Icelandic Homily Book
Encyclopedia
The Old Icelandic Homily Book (Stock. Perg. 4to no. 15), also known as the Stockholm Homily Book, is one of two main collections of Old West Norse sermon
s; the other being the Old Norwegian Homily Book
(AM 619 4to), with which it shares eleven texts. Written in around 1200, and both based on earlier exemplars, together they represent some of the oldest examples of Old West Norse
prose.
The Old Icelandic Homily Book (OIHB) contains 62 texts and parts of texts, 50 of which are homilies
. For this reason it is better considered a homiletic hand-book rather than a homiliary
. Further, the ‘homilies’ it contains, as with most Old Norse homilies, conform more closely to the definition of sermons. The other texts are wide-ranging and include excerpts from Stephanus saga, a translation of part of pseudo-Ambrose’s Acta Sancti Sebastiani, and a fragment of a text dealing with musical theory, amongst others.
The manuscript has been variously dated between the end of the 12th century and the middle of the 13th century, but it is now generally accepted that it was written ‘around 1200’. Both the handwriting and orthography
confirm that the manuscript was written in Iceland
.
, bound in a sealskin cover, which folds over in a flap at the front. Both the front cover and the flap have a number of signs carved into them, most of which can be identified as runes. The back cover has three signs which appear to be in Gothic script
.
The text is predominantly in Carolingian minuscule
script with insular thorn
and wynn
, written in brown ink. There are a number of headings in red ink and occasionally the first word of a sermon has been filled in with red ink. There are numerous marginal entries; some contemporary with the manuscript and others dating from the 16th – 19th centuries.
There a number of very early alterations to the manuscript which appear to date from a controversy between Theodor Wisén, the text's first editor, and Ludvig Larsson, who published a study which contained nearly 2000 corrections of Wisén’s edition. Linbald (1975) concluded that in almost 1200 instances Larsson’s readings were correct and in around 150 cases, his readings were incorrect. But in the majority of the instances where Larsson’s readings seem to be incorrect, there have been alterations to the text: identified as very young by the “shape of additions, ink and the quality of pen used”.
Page 77v has three drawings: two lions engraved by dry-point and an ink drawing of a man pointing with his hand. The clearest lion is of Romanesque
-type and has been dated to the first part of the 13th century.
There has been much debate concerning the number of hands involved in the writing of the manuscript, with opinions ranging from 1 to 14. The two most recent studies quoted by van Leuwen, (Rode 1974) and (Westlund 1974) place the number of hands at 14 and 12 respectively. Van Leuwen states that she is drawn to there being only one hand involved,. Stefán Karlsson similarly holds this view.
(ONHB) in that unlike the latter it is not arranged according to the church year. The source material for the OIHB has been traced to a number of the Church Fathers
, though a full study of the sources has yet to be carried out. However, the OIHB also made use of material available in other homiliaries. For example, it contains a close translation a sermon included in the “Pembroke-type homilary”: a Carolingian
preacher’s anthology.
The style of the OIHB is closer to that of the Íslendingasögur than the Latinate vocabulary and syntax of later Old West Norse religious prose. It makes use of abrupt changes in tense and from indirect to direct speech, particularly in paraphrases of the gospels. It occasionally uses “native proverbs and everyday similitudes” which contribute to its simple, practical style. However, rhetorical devices are sometimes used to achieve a high style and some sentences can be scanned as verse.
Of the 11 sermons in the OIHB and ONHB have in common, two are found in what is possibly the oldest Icelandic manuscript fragment, AM 237a fol: dated to 1150. These texts are the ‘Stave-church
Homily’ and a sermon for St. Michael’s Day. Indrebø
has shown that the 11 sermons in common are copies of copies, at least. Similarly, he concluded that AM 237a fol is a copy of a copy, and was itself probably a remnant of a homiliary
itself. This implies that at least some material in the manuscript belongs to before 1150.
As well as sermons found in the ONHB and AM 237a fol, some sermons feature in other Old Norse manuscripts such as Hauksbók
.
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s; the other being the Old Norwegian Homily Book
Old Norwegian Homily Book
The Old Norwegian Homily Book is one of two main collections of Old West Norse sermons. The manuscript was written around 1200, contemporary with the other principal collection of sermons, the Old Icelandic Homily Book; together they represent some of the earliest Old West Norse prose. The two...
(AM 619 4to), with which it shares eleven texts. Written in around 1200, and both based on earlier exemplars, together they represent some of the oldest examples of Old West Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
prose.
The Old Icelandic Homily Book (OIHB) contains 62 texts and parts of texts, 50 of which are homilies
Homily
A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word...
. For this reason it is better considered a homiletic hand-book rather than a homiliary
Homiliarium
A homiliarium is a collection of homilies, or familiar explanations of the Gospels.-History:From a very early time the homilies of the Fathers were in high esteem, and were read in connection with the recitation of the Divine Office . That the custom was as old as the sixth century we know since...
. Further, the ‘homilies’ it contains, as with most Old Norse homilies, conform more closely to the definition of sermons. The other texts are wide-ranging and include excerpts from Stephanus saga, a translation of part of pseudo-Ambrose’s Acta Sancti Sebastiani, and a fragment of a text dealing with musical theory, amongst others.
History
Nothing of the history of the OIHB is known for certain until 1682 when it was bought by Jón Eggertsson for the Swedish College of Antiquities. In 1789 it was moved, along with the other manuscripts of the college, to the Royal Library of Sweden.The manuscript has been variously dated between the end of the 12th century and the middle of the 13th century, but it is now generally accepted that it was written ‘around 1200’. Both the handwriting and orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
confirm that the manuscript was written in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Description of the manuscript
The manuscript is written on 102 leaves of parchmentParchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
, bound in a sealskin cover, which folds over in a flap at the front. Both the front cover and the flap have a number of signs carved into them, most of which can be identified as runes. The back cover has three signs which appear to be in Gothic script
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas for the purpose of translating the Christian Bible....
.
The text is predominantly in Carolingian minuscule
Carolingian minuscule
Carolingian or Caroline minuscule is a script developed as a writing standard in Europe so that the Roman alphabet could be easily recognized by the literate class from one region to another. It was used in Charlemagne's empire between approximately 800 and 1200...
script with insular thorn
Thorn (letter)
Thorn or þorn , is a letter in the Old English, Old Norse, and Icelandic alphabets, as well as some dialects of Middle English. It was also used in medieval Scandinavia, but was later replaced with the digraph th. The letter originated from the rune in the Elder Fuþark, called thorn in the...
and wynn
Wynn
Wynn is a letter of the Old English alphabet, where it is used to represent the sound ....
, written in brown ink. There are a number of headings in red ink and occasionally the first word of a sermon has been filled in with red ink. There are numerous marginal entries; some contemporary with the manuscript and others dating from the 16th – 19th centuries.
There a number of very early alterations to the manuscript which appear to date from a controversy between Theodor Wisén, the text's first editor, and Ludvig Larsson, who published a study which contained nearly 2000 corrections of Wisén’s edition. Linbald (1975) concluded that in almost 1200 instances Larsson’s readings were correct and in around 150 cases, his readings were incorrect. But in the majority of the instances where Larsson’s readings seem to be incorrect, there have been alterations to the text: identified as very young by the “shape of additions, ink and the quality of pen used”.
Page 77v has three drawings: two lions engraved by dry-point and an ink drawing of a man pointing with his hand. The clearest lion is of Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
-type and has been dated to the first part of the 13th century.
There has been much debate concerning the number of hands involved in the writing of the manuscript, with opinions ranging from 1 to 14. The two most recent studies quoted by van Leuwen, (Rode 1974) and (Westlund 1974) place the number of hands at 14 and 12 respectively. Van Leuwen states that she is drawn to there being only one hand involved,. Stefán Karlsson similarly holds this view.
Contents
The OIHB is principally distinct from the Old Norwegian Homily BookOld Norwegian Homily Book
The Old Norwegian Homily Book is one of two main collections of Old West Norse sermons. The manuscript was written around 1200, contemporary with the other principal collection of sermons, the Old Icelandic Homily Book; together they represent some of the earliest Old West Norse prose. The two...
(ONHB) in that unlike the latter it is not arranged according to the church year. The source material for the OIHB has been traced to a number of the Church Fathers
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, though a full study of the sources has yet to be carried out. However, the OIHB also made use of material available in other homiliaries. For example, it contains a close translation a sermon included in the “Pembroke-type homilary”: a Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
preacher’s anthology.
The style of the OIHB is closer to that of the Íslendingasögur than the Latinate vocabulary and syntax of later Old West Norse religious prose. It makes use of abrupt changes in tense and from indirect to direct speech, particularly in paraphrases of the gospels. It occasionally uses “native proverbs and everyday similitudes” which contribute to its simple, practical style. However, rhetorical devices are sometimes used to achieve a high style and some sentences can be scanned as verse.
Of the 11 sermons in the OIHB and ONHB have in common, two are found in what is possibly the oldest Icelandic manuscript fragment, AM 237a fol: dated to 1150. These texts are the ‘Stave-church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
Homily’ and a sermon for St. Michael’s Day. Indrebø
Gustav Indrebø
Gustav Indrebø was a Norwegian philologist.His father was a teacher in Årdal, Jølster. His brother Ragnvald Indrebø became bishop of the diocese of Bjørgvin....
has shown that the 11 sermons in common are copies of copies, at least. Similarly, he concluded that AM 237a fol is a copy of a copy, and was itself probably a remnant of a homiliary
Homiliarium
A homiliarium is a collection of homilies, or familiar explanations of the Gospels.-History:From a very early time the homilies of the Fathers were in high esteem, and were read in connection with the recitation of the Divine Office . That the custom was as old as the sixth century we know since...
itself. This implies that at least some material in the manuscript belongs to before 1150.
As well as sermons found in the ONHB and AM 237a fol, some sermons feature in other Old Norse manuscripts such as Hauksbók
Hauksbók
The Hauksbók is one of the few medieval Norse manuscripts of which the author is known. His name was Haukr Erlendsson , and as long back as it is possible to trace the manuscript it has been called the Hauksbók after its author. It was partly written by Haukr himself, partly by assistants...
.
External links
- Uncritical edition in modern Icelandic orthography provided by Orðabók Háskolans (in Icelandic)
- Wisén's 1872 edition at septentrionalia.net (in Icelandic)
- http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/5andrea.pdf David McDougall, review of The Icelandic Homily Book, Perg. 15 4° in the Royal Library, Stockholm, ed. Andrea de Leeuw van Weenen, and Íslensk hómilíubók: Fornar stólræður, ed. Sigurbjörn Einarsson, Guðrún Kvaran, and Gunnlaugur Ingólfsson, Alvíssmál 5 (1995): 107–11.