This study presents for the first time in detail two manuscripts dealing with the beginnings of the Unitas Fratrum which are in the holdings of the Benedictine Library in Seitenstetten in Austria. Manuscript 72, dating from the beginning of the nineties of the 15th century, contains Latin translations of five letters written by the Czech Brethren to Jan Rokycana from 1489, which have been unknown till now and excerpts from five introductory chapters of the Síť víry (The Net of Faith) by Petr Chelčický, also translated into Latin in 1477. Manuscript 302 contains a copy of the record of an interrogation of four prominent Brethren in Kłodzko in 1480. This article indicates the possibilities of studying these texts, focusing on three main points: on their possible contribution to text tradition research, on research of the circumstances of the origin of their translations, and on the person of the scribe who made the collection. From the possible persons the inquisitor Jindřich Institoris has been excluded as his autograph doesn´t correspond with the writing of the scribe being looked for.
This study presents for the first time in detail two manuscripts dealing with the beginnings of the Unitas Fratrum which are in the holdings of the Benedictine Library in Seitenstetten in Austria. Manuscript 72, dating from the beginning of the nineties of the 15th century, contains Latin translations of five letters written by the Czech Brethren to Jan Rokycana from 1489, which have been unknown till now and excerpts from five introductory chapters of the Síť víry (The Net of Faith) by Petr Chelčický, also translated into Latin in 1477. Manuscript 302 contains a copy of the record of an interrogation of four prominent Brethren in Kłodzko in 1480. This article indicates the possibilities of studying these texts, focusing on three main points: on their possible contribution to text tradition research, on research of the circumstances of the origin of their translations, and on the person of the scribe who made the collection. From the possible persons the inquisitor Jindřich Institoris has been excluded as his autograph doesn´t correspond with the writing of the scribe being looked for.
This paper deals with the reconstruction of the now longer preserved gallery of coats of arms at Roupov Castle (District of Klatovy, Western Bohemia) based on manuscripts XVII.A.8 and XVII. E. 28 a from the Czech National Library. Information from individual manuscripts was combined to form an image of probably the largest Czech family coat of arms gallery at the end of the 16th century containing a collection of coats of arms from 270 noblemen and noblewomen. The gallery probands are Jan Nezdický of Roupov († before 1607) and his two wives – Dorota Bezdružická of Kolovraty and Benigna of Švamberk. The paper draws attention to the utilization of hitherto neglected manuscript sources for research into displays of self-awareness among the privileged classes and it attempts to show the way in which the nobility used genealogical and heraldic means for representative purposes. Not least, these manuscripts are often the only source of information on genealogical and heraldic artefacts which are no longer in existence.
The history of the earliest Czech translation of the Bible begins in the 18th century´s last quarter by first studies about the Old Czech translation of the Bible by V. F. Durych and J. Dobrovský and it ends in springtime 2010 by publishing the last volume of the critical edition Staročeská Bible drážďanská a olomoucká (Old Czech Bible of Dresden and Olomouc). It took nearly 30 years to publish the complete edition.
The history of the earliest Czech translation of the Bible begins in the 18th century´s last quarter by first studies about the Old Czech translation of the Bible by V. F. Durych and J. Dobrovský and it ends in springtime 2010 by publishing the last volume of the critical edition Staročeská Bible drážďanská a olomoucká (Old Czech Bible of Dresden and Olomouc). It took nearly 30 years to publish the complete edition.
The article deals with manuscript XIII G 25 of the National Library of the Czech Republic, which contains an explanation of part of the Book of Psalms (109-118). The explanation is attributed to the Master of the Prague University and preacher in the Prague Bethlehem Chapel Václav of Dráchov (about 1395-1469). The author analyses the contents of the codex, the relationship between it and further manuscripts, its provenience and finally, the research results in this field are summarized.
The illuminated manuscripts in Zittau are only known to some extent. The two-volume Vesperale and Matutinale (A I, A VI) from the second decade of the fifteenth century was created for the Karlov Augustinian Monastery in Prague. The painted decoration is the work of the Master of the Hasenburg Missal, who represents the highest stage of fine style. The Missal of the Prague Diocese (A VII) is from the early fifteenth century. The decoration is the work of two illuminators, led by the Master of the Roudnice Psalter, although the share of the second illuminator - the Master of Paul's Gospel – is more extensive. Hitherto unknown is the Antiphonary (A IV) from the second decade of the fifteenth century. The small share of the primary illuminator is based on the Master of the Antwerp Bible. The Zittau Gradual (A III) is dated 1512; its primary illuminator was Janíček Zmilelý of Písek. The Gradual (A V) was created in 1435 for the parish church in Zittau by commander of the Commenda of Johannites Johann Gottfried von Goldbergu. The decoration was evidently created in Vratislav by the Master of the Bible of Banken. The Vesperal and Matutinal (A II) from the end of the fifteenth century was perhaps designated for the Commenda of Johannites in Zittau. The decoration is Saxon work.
The Municipal Library in Bautzen houses a lot of Czech manuscripts which are dealt with by special literature, but the illuminations of which are known very scarcely. The decoration of the collection of work by Jan Hus (Ms. fol. 51) can be narrowed to the middle of the 15th century; the present date of 1412 is based on an entry in fol. 137v and is untenable because it is the text, not the decoration which came into existence in this year. The depictions – the figural and the heraldic ones – were added to the manuscripts supplementally; it is probably a picture of Jan Hus mounting the pulpit and a coat of arms of a member of the Hroznata family, maybe of the Kladruby abbot Bušek of Vrtba or of the front warrior of the Catholic Side, Burian of Gutštejn. The collection of theological-juridical texts (Ms. fol. 56) contains moreover yearly records; only one text item (Řeči besední) can be attributed to Tomáš Štítný of Štítné. The decoration of the codex is limited only to one fi gural illumination and one ornamental initial. Its style is quite advanced; it can most likely be dated to the 1470s.
The Municipal Library in Bautzen houses a lot of Czech manuscripts which are dealt with by special literature, but the illuminations of which are known very scarcely. The decoration of the collection of work by Jan Hus (Ms. fol. 51) can be narrowed to the middle of the 15th century; the present date of 1412 is based on an entry in fol. 137v and is untenable because it is the text, not the decoration which came into existence in this year. The depictions – the figural and the heraldic ones – were added to the manuscripts supplementally; it is probably a picture of Jan Hus mounting the pulpit and a coat of arms of a member of the Hroznata family, maybe of the Kladruby abbot Bušek of Vrtba or of the front warrior of the Catholic Side, Burian of Gutštejn. The collection of theological-juridical texts (Ms. fol. 56) contains moreover yearly records; only one text item (Řeči besední) can be attributed to Tomáš Štítný of Štítné. The decoration of the codex is limited only to one fi gural illumination and one ornamental initial. Its style is quite advanced; it can most likely be dated to the 1470s.
Canonic law of the late middle ages considered the participation of the clerics in killing rather strictly. The Lateran Council 1215 established that a cleric was neither allowed to issue or declare a sentence of death nor to draft or write papers in connnection with it. The edition of the Apostolic Penitentiary Supplications Registers enables people to judge the situation in Bohemia in the period from the 1430´s to the end of the same century. In the examined period a very specifi c case of „complicity in killing“ appeared four times – a phenomenon connected with reading and writing knowledge peculiar to clerics. They read written orders and wrote for the needs of fighting sides. The argumentation is similar in all cases. Th e matter was always activity on command, resulting moreover from the specific condition of the person in question (the only literate, servant). He never participated in the fight actually. With regard to the volume of analogous scribe activity which can be supposed in the period in question, these four cases were certainly just a small fragment of the actual participation of clerics. The situation in Bohemia is doubtlessly specific because of the fact that utraquist disciples and clerics who wrote in the hussite services of course didn´t appeal to the Penitentiary. Nevertheless it must be supposed that the Penitentiary solved similar cases even in the Czech catholic environment only exceptionally.