Dionysius Carthusianus - Commentaria - 1551

DIONIGI IL CERTOSINO: THE BREATH OF MEDIEVAL THEOLOGY IN THE RENAISSANCE
Two works with their own title pages. A beautiful copy, fresh interiors and crisp pages.
French sixteenth-century edition of the Commentaria of Dionysius the Carthusian on the Epistles of Saint Paul, enriched with the Enarrationes on the canonical Epistles, the Acts of the Apostles and the Apocalypse. A work of high exegetical theology, it represents one of the apexes of the late medieval commentarial tradition, transmitted and reread in the heart of Catholic Renaissance.
MARKET VALUE
The Paris editions of the XVI century of Dionysius the Carthusian, especially in large format and complete with the two parts in one volume, are sought after on the antiquarian market for the theological importance of the author and for the typographic quality of the workshops active around the church of Saint-Étienne. Value is supported by the presence of woodcut initials, by provenance noted, and by the overall state of preservation, and falls between 900 and 1,500 euros.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Leather binding from the seventeenth century, spine with gilt title on a morocco label; signs of wear. Woodcut initials in the text. Copy with some browning and small tears on some leaves. Contemporary manuscript annotations, particularly in the second part; leaves slightly trimmed. In old books with a long history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 8ll; 258; (2); 12ll; 340; (2).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
D. Dionysii Carthusiani in omnes beati Pauli epistolas commentaria. Cui quidem in componendis enarrandisque sacrarum litterarum libris, (si singula spectes) pari ingenio dexteritateque vix alter successit. Eiusdem in VII. epistolas canonicas, Acta Apostolorum, Apocalypsim, & hymnos ecclesiasticos, non minus piae quam eruditae enarrationes. Parisiis. Apud Robertum Maffelin, sub trium orbium rubrorum insigni, e regione ecclesiae divi Stephani. M. D. LI.
D. Dionysii Carthusiani in VII. epistolas canonicas, Iacobi, Petri, Ioannis, Iudae. Eiusdem Acta Apostolorum. In Apocalypsim, hymnos ecclesiasticos. Omnia accuratius diligentiusque quam antehac recognita sunt. Parisiis. Apud Robertum Maffelin, sub trium orbium rubrorum insigni, e regione ecclesiae divi Stephani. M. D. LI.
Dionysius Carthusianus.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Dionigi il Certosino (1402–1471), mystical theologian and prodigious commentator, was among the most authoritative interpreters of Scripture in the late Middle Ages. His commentaries on the Pauline Epistles combine scholastic rigor, spiritual depth, and pastoral attention, offering a systematic and theologically articulated reading of the Pauline corpus. The Paris edition of 1551 testifies to the continuity of the medieval exegetical tradition in the midst of the sixteenth century, in a context marked by confessional tensions and the renewed centrality of biblical interpretation.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed in Paris by Robert Masselin, a printer active in the city’s university and religious circles, the work fits into the lively Parisian publishing scene of the mid-sixteenth century, characterized by strong theological and biblical output. Editions of Dionysius the Carthusian enjoyed wide circulation in monastic, university, and Catholic reformist circles.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Adams, Herbert M., Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe 1501–1600, Cambridge, 1967, D-593 (Dionysius Carthusianus, Commentaria).
USTC – Universal Short Title Catalogue, record no. 150386 (Parisiis, Robertus Maffelin, 1551).
Renouard, Philippe, Imprimeurs et libraires parisiens du XVIe siècle, Paris, 1964–, vol. II, pp. 312–315 (entry for Maffelin).
Moreau, Brigitte, Inventaire chronologique des éditions parisiennes du XVIe siècle, Paris, 1972, item 1551, no. 742.
De Vooght, Paul, Denys le Chartreux, Leuven, Universitaire Publications, 1953, pp. 201–230 (on the exegetical work).
Combes, André, La théologie mystique de Denys le Chartreux, Paris, Vrin, 1946, pp. 145–168.
Glorieux, Palémon, Répertoire des maîtres en théologie de Paris au XIIIe siècle, Paris, 1933, for the context of the scholastic exegetical tradition.