Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/273

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Note to Article V. of No. I. 263 1723), we find (1) 'Bibliotheca integra in uno volumine,' and (2) 'Biblio- theca dispersa in voluminibus xrv.' I do not, of course, maintain that all the ' centum volumina' at Gemblours were inspired writings. As con- trasted with ' ssecularis disciplina,' the phrase ' Divina Scriptura' would mean what is in that age more commonly expressed by ' libri de divini- tate,' and ' eruditio divina ;' or, as we should say, ' sacred literature.' Still, such a comprehensive way of speaking was not, I think, general even in the Middle Ages. I have looked through all the works of John Scotus, as collected by Dr Floss, without finding a single case where

  • Scriptura,' * Sancta Scriptura,' * Divina Scriptura,' are applied to any

authority except the Old and New Testament. Once at least (De Divi- sione Naturce, lib. v. c. l) the writings of the Fathers are positively ex- cluded. Scotus also uses the plural forms ' Scripturse' and ' Divinse Scrip- tural with the same limitation, a limitation which obtains, as far as I can see, in all the standard works of the period, more especially in those of Rabanus Maurus, who died 856. About half a century later, the monk Notker of St Gall put forth his meagre narrative respecting the chief expositors of Holy Writ (Biblioth. Patrum, ed. Galland. xm. 755 sq.) : the title of it shewing that ' Sacra? Scripturse' was then generally restricted to the Bibld? It runs thus : * Notatio Notkeri de illustribus viris, qui ex intentione Sacras Scripturas exponebant, aut ex occasione quasdam sen- tentias divinse auctoritatis explanabant.' One or two additional exam- ples of this usage are subjoined from English writers. Theodore (Liber Pcenitentialis, c. xlv. 15), after quoting numerous texts of Scripture, (' multis Divinarum Scripturarum documentis') adds : ' His quoque sen- tentiis concordat auctoritas canonical and then gives extracts from the Fathers and Councils. Archbishop Ecgbert, in like manner (Dialogus, in Thorpe's Ancient Laws, &c. n. 96), adduces passages exclusively from Holy Writ, and then observes : ' Hac ergo auctoritate Divinarum Scrip- turarum ecclesia catholica morem obtinet,' etc. ; and the author of the Ecclesiastical Institutes (Ibid. n. 414) remarks, that although the Holy Scriptures (' halgu gewritu') abound in salutary examples, he would add the lessons of a holy Father for instruction in good works. And, lastly, the same restricted use of the expression l sanctse Scripturse' occurs in a MS. Commentary on the Rule of St Benedict, written in the 10th century by Dunstan, and lately brought to light in our University Library (Ee. n. 4); vid.e.g. fol. 26, b. One cannot help remarking in all questions of this kind, how much of vagueness and confusion has resulted from the want of some definite article in the Latin language.] C. Hakdwick.