Most widely known today for his studies of Near Eastern languages Guillaume Postel was a pioneer in the study of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and Aramaic in Western Europe. He was better known in his own time as a prophet, millennialist, and Utopiast. His writings deal largely with his effort to promote world peace, but he was condemned as a heretic for his belief that he was divinely inspired; he claimed, in fact, that he was the reincarnation of the Virgin of Venice. As a scholar he was instrumental in promoting the teaching of Arabic and Syriac, and participated in editing and publishing a number of early Christian works. His theories of language origin (he thought all languages were derived from Hebrew) are no longer considered valid, but his work in comparative linguistics earned him the reputation as the founder of that discipline.
Alternative Title:
Lingvarvm duodecim characteribvs differentivm alphabetvm introdvctio and Lord’s prayer. Polyglot
Description:
Imperfect: leaf H2 (signed ’G’) misbound after H3. and Originally intended to form part of a projected treatise De affinitate linguarum et Hebraicae excellentia.
Publisher:
Apud Dionysium Lescuier ...
Subject (Name):
Lord’s prayer. Polyglot
Subject (Topic):
Alphabets --Early works to 1800, Aramaic language --Early works to 1800, Armenian language --Early works to 1800, Grammar, Comparative and general --Early works to 1800, Language and languages --Grammars --Early works to 1800, Samaritan Aramaic language --Early works to 1800, and Syriac language --Early works to 1800
Manuscript on parchment of Pauline Epistles (Epistola ad Romanos 2.27 through Epistola ad Hebreos 11.34), with commentary of Gilbert de la Porree. With Argumenta, later additions, all attributed to Hugo de Sancto Caro or Peter Lombard.
Description:
Binding: Twentieth century, United States (?). Half bound in dark red goatskin with gold-tooled lettering on the spine ("St. Paul/ Epistulae cum commento/ MS. 12th Cent."), marbled paper sides, and yellow edges., Script: Written in fine early gothic bookhand in two sizes of script, above top line., and Three illuminated initials at beginning of first three Epistles of excellent quality, ff. 34v, 69v, 86v, 8- to 5-line, with descenders extending into margins, red, blue, green and beige against gold ground. Bodies of initials filled with stylized scrolling foliage, bright blue, red, green, orange, silver and yellow with white highlights against gold ground. Descenders serve as a trellis for similar scrolls, some ending in biting animal's heads or fantastic birds. Scrolling foliage, f. 86v, inhabited by beasts of a canine variety, white with red shading. The decoration of manuscript is unfinished; f. 99r pen and ink underdrawing for an initial as above, with only touches of red added; blank spaces left for initals for remaining Epistles. Small initials, 3-line, gold with red penwork, for beginning of commentary for each Epistle. Headings in red or alternating red and blue majuscules. Plain initials touched with red. Running titles, later addition, in red.
Subject (Name):
Gilbert, de La Porrée, Bishop, ca. 1075-1154, Hugh, of Saint-Cher, Cardinal, ca. 1200-1263, Paul, the Apostle, Saint, and Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris, ca. 1100-1160
Subject (Topic):
Bible.--N.T.--Epistles of Paul, Bible--Commentaries, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library