Basilius von Caesarea - Omnia, quae ad nos extant, opera - 1566

Basilius of Caesarea. All that remains extant to us, by his work. According to the arguments conforming to the five-tolio sections, interpreted by Jan Cornarius, physician from Zwickau, and again examined and corrected.

Basel, Ambrosius and Aurelius Froben, 1566. Rare

5 parts in 1 volume (with continuous pagination). 4 preliminary leaves, 1006 pages, 1 preliminary leaf, 14 leaves. With 2 repeated woodcut printer’s marks and some woodcut initials. Folio, 30 x 20 cm.

Blind-stamped half-leather binding of the period (slightly stained, corners a bit worn, with hand-written title on the spine, without clasp; the boards made from an antiphonal manuscript of parchment from the early 15th century).

VD16 B 646. Adams B 342.

Third Basel complete edition of the works by the Basel-born physician and philologist Janus Cornarius (1500-1558), whose edition of the works of Saint Basil (330-379) appeared first in the same place in 1540. Almost all of Cornarius’ medical works and also his translations of Greek authors, highly valued by the learned world, were published in Basel, where he was closely linked to Erasmus of Rotterdam.

Basilius of Caesarea, also called Basil the Great, was one of the most important church fathers, especially in the Eastern Church. As a member of the “Three Cappadocians,” he decisively shaped the doctrine of the Trinity, promoted monasticism, and as Bishop of Caesarea strongly advocated social concerns and care for the poor. He was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant ecclesiastical speakers of antiquity, combining “rhetorical skill with simplicity of thought and clarity of expression.” (Joh. Quasten, “Patrology,” Vol. 3, Utrecht 1963, p. 216).

Title with a small ink monogram. Initially and at the end slightly brown-stained, otherwise clean. A beautiful and well-preserved copy in a splendid binding, consisting of two pages from a Latin Antiphonal or Breviary (early 15th century) with Gregorian chant for the Divine Office. Front cover: Antiphon “Domine probasti me” for Psalm 138/139, especially sung at Vespers. Back cover: Various antiphons, including “Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus” (Psalm 50) and “Laudate Dominum omnes gentes” (Psalm 116). The dense arrangement of several pieces on one page is unusual.

Weight 2450 g.