In Principio: The Origins of the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis 1–3 by Alice Hutton Sharp A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Alice Hutton Sharp 2015 In Principio: The Origins of the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis 1–3 Alice Hutton Sharp Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto 2015 Abstract This thesis traces the twelfth-century origins and development of the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis from the evidence of sixteen early manuscripts, focusing on the creation narrative (Genesis 1–3). The Glossa ordinaria on the Bible, a product of the twelfth-century School of Laon, was one of the most influential texts of the High Middle Ages. The Glossa on the creation narrative compiled excerpts from Genesis commentaries and Hexameral literature, explaining the scriptural basis for doctrines such as the creation of the world ex nihilo and Original Sin, and exploring the relationship between the Genesis account, Plato’s Timaeus, and Aristotelian natural philosophy. The first chapter observes the manuscripts for themselves: it describes their physical characteristics and argues that the textual development of the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis depended upon mid-twelfth-century innovations in formatting and layout. The second and third chapters study the history of the two distinct versions of the text. The second chapter compares the earlier version—the Glossa primitiva— to an anonymous Genesis commentary found in London, Lambeth Palace Library, 349, and argues that the two commentaries are built on a shared source, likely a lecture aid used in a classroom. The third chapter studies the relationship between the Glossa primitiva and the later Glossa ordinaria, arguing that they represent two ii stages in a process by which classroom notes were transformed into an encyclopedic reference. The fourth chapter focuses on the content of the texts: it looks at the exegetical principles and theological questions treated in the Glossa ordinaria to show that its compilers read the creation account with a hermeneutic that challenges a simplistic division between literal and allegorical readings. It concludes by observing that this, combined with the narrative structure of the gloss format, gave twelfth-century exegetes more scope for cosmological inquiry than did other contemporary genres, such as sentence collections. The thesis is supported by two appendices: one containing manuscript descriptions, the second a transcription of the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis 1-3. iii Acknowledgments First, I would like to acknowledge the institutional support that has made this research possible. The manuscript that provides the foundation for this project could not have been completed without the assistance of the Zeno Karl Schindler/Claudio Leonardi Fellowship from the Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation and SISMEL, which funded my research in European Libraries in the summer of 2013. My research was also supported by two Graduate Travel Fellowships from the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. I am grateful for the help of the librarians I met on these travels, who include those of the Bibliothèque nationale de France; the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal; the Bibliothèques municipales of Amiens, Alençon, Arras, Rouen, and Valenciennes; the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek; the Bamberg Staatsbibliothek; the Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senkenberg Frankfurt-am-Main; the British Library; Lambeth Palace Library; the Bodleian; and the Cambridge University Library. Particular thanks are owed to Johann Tomaschek of the Admont Stiftsbibliothek; Harriet Fisher and Julian Reid of the Archives of Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Pat Aske and Frank Bowles of the Library of Pembroke College, Cambridge; Julie Dietman of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library; and the librarians of the Centre Félix-Grat of the Institut de Recherche et d’Histoire des Textes. For the past eight years, I have had the good fortune to make my home in the same city as the Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies. This dissertation could not have been completed without the benefit of its collections, and I would like to acknowledge the work of its librarians and staff. I am indebted to many mentors, colleagues, and friends. My adviser, Alexander Andrée, has been unfailingly generous with his support over the years. His course in Paleography inspired my interest in manuscript studies. I am grateful to him for introducing me to the Glossa and the School of Laon, and for trusting in my abilities as a researcher when I was uncertain. John Magee patiently guided this project from its early stages, and his advice and critiques in matters of textual scholarship have been invaluable. Conversations with Joseph Goering—always a great pleasure— have sharpened my analysis of the texts. I must also thank him (somewhat more materially) for the loan of a microfilm reader. Lawrin Armstrong and Jennifer Harris were generous with their time and advice as I set out on the beginning stages of this project; Suzanne Akbari and Isabelle Cochelin provided encouragement at its end. Cédric Giraud was a welcome iv friendly face in Paris. Patricia Stirnemann directed me to several useful resources. Mark Clark was an enthusiastic and thoughtful commentator to the research in Chapter Two, when it was first presented at the Catholic University of America. My examination committee was completed by Frans van Liere, Greti Dinkova-Bruun, and Bert Roest. I thank them for their careful reading of this not insubstantial text. Their support and advice have added to the clarity and force of my argument. All remaining infelicities and errors are my own. A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, and over the course of my graduate education I have relied on many. I would like to thank Anna Wilson and Jessica Lockhart, my thesis-writing support team, for daily cheerleading and frequent assistance with childcare. Thanks are due to Nicholas Wheeler, Christopher Berard, and Gregory Maxwell for their firm friendship, as well as to Carolyn Haberman and Stephanie Rumpza. Morris Tichenor went beyond the duties of friendship by proof-reading Chapters Two and Three. Lucy Pick and Rachel Fulton Brown introduced me to Medieval Studies, and their wisdom and insight have made them clear-sighted guides to a student in the early years of an academic career. I also owe thanks to my parents, Stan Hutton and Frances Phillips. Their willingness to read chapter drafts—despite their lack of any particular interest in theology, the Bible, Latin, or medieval history— is just one example of their desire to engage with the widest possible variety of intellectual topics and cultural experiences. I can only aspire to follow in their footsteps. I must thank my husband, Tristan Sharp, my companion, friend, and colleague these seven years. I am grateful for his love, patience, support, and willingness to discuss problems of medieval text editing over the dinner table. Finally, I thank our son Isaac—for his laughter. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix List of Appendices ......................................................................................................................... xi Conspectus Siglorum .................................................................................................................... xii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... xiii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Previous Research on the Glossa ordinaria ............................................................................... 5 2 The Context of the Glossa ordinaria: The Twelfth-Century Schools ..................................... 10 2.1 Gilbert the Universal and the Glossa ordinaria on Genesis ............................................. 14 3 Genesis in the Christian Tradition ............................................................................................ 17 4 Genesis in the Twelfth Century ................................................................................................ 37 Chapter One: The Manuscript Witnesses ..................................................................................... 43 5 The Development of the Mise-en-Page ................................................................................... 46 6 The Glossed Bible in the Early Middle Ages ........................................................................... 49 7 The Manuscripts of the Twelfth-Century Glossae on Genesis ................................................ 55 7.1 Binding .............................................................................................................................. 55 7.2 Script ................................................................................................................................. 60 7.3 Decoration and Readers’