Cornelius a Lapide - Acta Apostolorum - 1717

THE SECRETS OF THE APOSTLES: THE GREAT COMMENTARY ON THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY
A monumental Venetian edition from 1717 dedicated to the Acts of the Apostles, by the renowned Jesuit theologian Cornelius a Lapide, one of the most authoritative Catholic exegetes of the early modern era. A journey into the birth of the Church, the missions of Peter and Paul, and the spread of Christianity in the ancient world. Enriched by a splendid frontispiece engraved on copper by Pietro Ridolfi, this important large-format edition preserves one of the most influential biblical commentaries of the Counter-Reformation tradition. An fascinating testament to European theological culture between the 17th and 18th centuries.

ABSTRACT
Important Venetian edition of 1717 of the Commentarius in Acta Apostolorum by Cornelius a Lapide, Latinized name of the Flemish Jesuit theologian Cornelis Cornelissen van den Steen (1567–1637). Published in Venice by Girolamo Albrizzi, this second Venetian edition presents the famous commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, one of the fundamental texts for understanding the birth and diffusion of the Christian Church. The work systematically analyzes the Gospel account of Pentecost, the early Christian communities, the apostolic preaching, the martyrdom of Stephen, the conversion of Paul, and the great missionary journeys that carried Christianity from the Jewish milieu to the Greco-Roman world. The author approaches the sacred text through an interpretation that combines literal exegesis, historical analysis, moral reflection, theological doctrine, and references to the Church Fathers. Knowledge of biblical languages and of classical tradition allows Cornelius a Lapide to develop a commentary particularly rich in citations and comparisons. The edition is enhanced by a full-page copper-engraved frontispiece by Pietro Ridolfi, a second title page with a vignette, and Latin typography in one or two columns with marginal notes and bibliographic references. An authoritative example of Jesuit theological production in the early eighteenth century.

WHY TO BUY
A work of significant interest for antique-book collectors of theology, the history of Christianity, biblical exegesis, and publications of the Society of Jesus. Cornelius a Lapide was one of the most influential Catholic interpreters of Scripture in the modern era, and his commentaries were used for centuries by theologians, preachers, and scholars. This Venetian edition of 1717 presents several appealing elements: the large format, the contemporary or antique parchment binding, the frontispiece engraved by Pietro Ridolfi, the richness of marginal annotations, and the carefully organized typographical layout to facilitate consultation. Particularly interesting is the interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles in the post-Tridentine Catholic theological context, where the experience of the primitive Church takes on fundamental importance for defining ecclesiastical authority and apostolic continuity. The volume also testifies to the international circulation of Jesuit writings, published and reprinted in major European printing centers. A work suitable for religious libraries, collections of ancient biblical texts, and volumes devoted to the history of Catholic culture.

MARKET VALUE
Cornelius a Lapide’s commentaries enjoy solid antiquarian interest, especially among collectors specializing in Catholic theology, the history of the Society of Jesus, and exegetical literature. The value of individual editions depends mainly on the printing era, format, illustrative apparatus, conservation, and completeness. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Venetian editions, while not generally reaching the prices of the early sixteenth-century impressions, retain appreciable bibliographic interest. For this second Venetian edition of 1717, a retail price range indicative of the market can be placed between 600 and 800 euros for this complete and well-preserved exemplar.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Rigid parchment binding with raised spine cords, manuscript title and the indication “T XIII,” presumably referring to the work’s place within a collection of theological commentaries. Latin text arranged alternately in one or two columns, with glosses, scriptural references, and marginal notes. Full-page copper frontispiece figurative engraving by Pietro Ridolfi, followed by the typographic title page with a smaller second engraving. A handwritten note in pen on the flyleaf is present. Binding shows signs of use. Pages with some browning and natural foxing. In old books with a centuries-long history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Views. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. Images are an integral part of the description. collation: (4); 280; (28).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Cornelius a Lapide.
Commentarius in Acta Apostolorum.
Venetiis, Typis ac Noviter Sumptibus Hieronymi Albritii, 1717.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Commentarius in Acta Apostolorum belongs to the great tradition of Catholic biblical exegesis developed after the Council of Trent, in an era when interpretation of Scripture was one of the fundamental tools of theological exchange between Catholicism and Protestantism. The Acts of the Apostles, traditionally attributed to the evangelist Luke, recounts the events after the Resurrection of Christ and describes the formation of the early Christian communities, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostolic preaching, and the gradual expansion of the new faith in the Mediterranean. Cornelius a Lapide approaches this narrative with a method that unites textual philology with the patristic interpretive tradition. Ample space is given to Peter, to the role of Jerusalem as the original center of the Christian community, and especially to Paul, the protagonist of the great missionary journeys through Asia Minor, Greece, and finally Rome. The author examines doctrinal, moral, and historical problems that emerge from the text, seeking to harmonize the different biblical testimonies with the teaching of the Catholic Church. The depth of the explanations and the abundance of references made Cornelius a Lapide’s commentaries particularly valued in religious colleges, seminaries, and ecclesiastical libraries. The work thus holds a double interest: as testimony to Catholic interpretation of Christian origins and as a document of Counter-Reformation intellectual culture.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Cornelius a Lapide, the Latinized name of Cornelis Cornelissen van den Steen, was born in 1567 in Bocholt, in present-day Belgium, and died in Rome in 1637. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1592 and became one of the most important Catholic exegetes of his time. After philosophical and theological studies, he taught Sacred Scripture at the University of Leuven, where he carried out a long and intensive academic activity. In 1616 he was summoned to Rome to teach at the Collegio Romano, the main center of higher education of the Society of Jesus, where he continued to develop his monumental biblical commentaries. A deep connaisseur ofPatristic tradition, scholastic philosophy, and ancient languages, he systematically used Greek, Latin, and Hebrew sources to explain the sacred texts. His exegetical method was characterized by the breadth of documentation, the precision of observations, and the ability to connect the literal meaning of Scriptures with moral and spiritual applications. His oeuvre includes commentaries on many books of the Old and New Testaments, which continued to be published and reprinted for centuries after his death. Cornelius a Lapide was especially appreciated for the clarity of his explanations and the exceptional richness of his references, to the point of becoming one of the standard authors in Catholic theological formation between the 17th and 19th centuries.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Cornelius a Lapide’s biblical commentaries began to be published in the early decades of the 17th century and quickly enjoyed wide circulation in the major Catholic cultural centers of Europe. Their diffusion was aided by the international network of the Society of Jesus, which helped introduce them into the libraries of colleges, seminaries, and ecclesiastical institutions. During the 17th and 18th centuries the works were reissued in numerous editions, both as single commentaries and as multi-volume collections. The Venetian edition of 1717 testifies to the author’s lasting popularity eighty years after his death. The title page explicitly identifies it as the second Venetian edition, equipped with the necessary indices and subjected to a revision of typographical errors. The publication was produced by the workshop of Girolamo Albrizzi, part of a family of publishers active in Venice, one of the major European centers for the production of religious and scientific books. The frontispiece engraved by Pietro Ridolfi highlights the attention given to the artistic presentation of the work, while the organization of the text in columns, with marginal notes, responds to the needs of systematic consultation. The inscription “T XIII” on the spine suggests that the exemplar may have been part of a collection of biblical commentaries, though it does not prove it belonged to a specific editorial series. No precise original edition print run is documented for this impression. The presence of indices and of the iconographic apparatus constitutes an important element for its bibliographic identification.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Venetian edition of 1717 of one of the main Catholic commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles, belonging to Cornelius a Lapide’s vast exegetical output. The work constitutes a significant testimony to post-Tridentine Jesuit theology and to the editorial fortune of the great biblical commentators between the 17th and 18th centuries. Bibliographically noteworthy are the declaration of the second Venetian edition, the reference to the revision of errors of previous impressions, the final indices, and the copper-engraved frontispiece by Pietro Ridolfi. The volume also documents the activity of the Venetian printing house of Girolamo Albrizzi, part of the religious publishing tradition of the Republic of Venice. The work remains of interest for the study of the historical interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles, the theological formation in Jesuit colleges, and the diffusion of scriptural commentaries in eighteenth-century Catholic Europe.