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antiphonal, Basilica of San Silvestro, Capite, Christ, Elizabeth Peterson, Flavius Josephus, France, Gospel of Saint Mark, Herod, Herodias, hymn, Italy, James T Svendsen, Jewish, John, John the Baptist, Latin, lauds, medieval, parchment, Philip, Pontius Pilate, Pope Benedict XVI, prodromos, psalm, relic, Rome, Salome, Samaria, The University of Utah, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Vespers
Puell(a)e saltanti im-
peravit mater nihil
allud petas nisl caput
loa(n)nes PS. Beatus vir (qui timet Dominum)
Arguebat ero-
dem Ioannes prop-
Her mother ordered the dancing girl
that you (she) seek nothing other than
the head of John Psalm. Blessed is the man (who fears the Lord)
John kept censuring Herod
(prop)ter Herodia(m) de qua(m)
tulerat fratri suo
Philippo uxorem Ps.
L(auda)te pu(eri Dominum)…Da mihi in
disco caput Ioannes
Baptist(a)e et contristas(tus est rex)…
because of Herodias the wife
of his brother Philip whom he had married.
Psalm. You servants, Praise the Lord…Give me on a dish
the head of John the Baptist; and the king was saddened…
The hymns of this fragment relate the story of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist and are sung at vespers and lauds on August 29th. The story in its entirety is told in the Gospel of Saint Mark (6, 14-29). In these two passages Mark focuses on the machinations of Herodias, Herod’s wife, with her daughter Salome and king Herod’s contrition after the fact. The passage also mentions the reason why Herodias was so angry with John, the fact that John was censuring Herod for marrying his brother Phillip’s wife. Note that Herod’s infamous step-daughter Salome is not named in Mark’s narrative. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, however, does name her as Salome. He also states that the real reason that Herod killed John was “lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his head to raise a rebellion” (Antiquities of the Jews) One of John’s frequent epithets is prodromos, translated as “the forerunner,” and some see him as a forerunner of Christ put to death at the hands of Pontius Pilate. Others see in the story the conflict between earthly power (Herod), revenge (Herodias), carnality (Salome) with spirituality and asceticism (John the Baptist). On August 29, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the dedication of a crypt in Samaria where the head of Saint John the Baptist had been commemorated for centuries. He also mentioned the transfer of the relic to the Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome.
~Transcription, translation, and commentary by James T. Svendsen, associate professor emeritus, World Languages and Cultures, The University of Utah
MS chant frag. 7 — Parchment leaf from an Antiphonal, 16th c Italy/S. France.
~Description by Elizabeth Peterson, associate professor, Dept. of Art & Art History, The University of Utah, from Paging Through Medieval Lives, a catalog for an exhibition held November 2, 1997 through January 4, 1998 at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
A reader writes:
“As an interested follower of your Open Book weblog, I want to thank you for sharing some of the treasures of your collection and especially today for noting the Feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist with this handsome leaf.
May I humbly offer a few corrections to the transcription and description of the fragment in question?
recto
line
3 allud > aliud
3 nisl > nisi
4 Ioa(n)es > ioa(n)is
5 erodem > herodem
verso
line
1 Herodia(m) de > herodiade(m)
5 Ioannes > ioa(n)nis
6 contristas(tus…) > contrista(tus…)
…these are…the third, fourth, and part of the fifth of the five Psalm-antiphons…for the Office of the feast. These five antiphons are indeed sung at Lauds and Vespers, but also one each at the Little Hours…[the] Psalms whose incipits are given here are specifically those appointed for Vespers.
…the Church considers St John the Baptist to be the Forerunner of Christ not only in his death, but also in his birth and his proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, his whole life shaped, we are told, to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’.
In gratitude,
Eric Mellenbruch
Organist & Associate Music Director
St David’s Episcopal Church
Austin, Texas
Director & Organist
Schola Aliquando
Typographic Designer
ericmellenbruch.com”
Rare Books welcomes comments and conversation about our posts. Thank you, Eric — for reading and writing!