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Notes on Cyprian's De habitu virginum, Its Source and Influence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2017

Rose Bernard Donna C.S.J.*
Affiliation:
The Catholic University of America

Extract

The chief purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence which the De habitu virginum of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage in the middle of the third century, may have exerted upon the De virginitate of Aldhelm, the earliest outstanding writer of seventh-century England. Cyprian himself was strongly influenced by Tertullian, as Sister Angela Elizabeth Keenan thoroughly demonstrated in her doctoral dissertation. Incidentally, Sister Angela Elizabeth refers to Aldhelm's quoting from chapter five of De habitu virginum. This reference led me to find out whether there might be other instances of Cyprian's influence on the De virginitate.

Type
Miscellany
Copyright
Copyright © 1946 by Cosmopolitan Science & Art Service Co., Inc. 

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References

1 Keenan, Angela Elizabeth Sister, Thasci Caecili Cypriani De Habitu Virginum (The Catholic University of America Patristic Studies 34, Washington 1932) 1027. The topic was previously discussed less comprehensively by Galdi, Marco, ‘De Tertulliani “de cultu feminarum” et Cypriani “ad virgines” Libellis,’ Raccolta di Scritti in Onore di Felice Ra-morino (Milan 1927) 539–567. I should like to call attention to the following passages not mentioned in either of the above as also indicating such influence. For De habitu, I have used Sister Angela Elizabeth's text; for De cultu, W. Kok's dissertation, Tertullianus. De Cultu Feminarum met Inleiding, Vertaling en Commentaar (Amsterdam 1934).Google Scholar

The above quotation by Cyprian introduces the problem of the Biblical text which he used. In each of the Biblical quotations used in this paper, except one, Cyprian's version is different from that of the Vulgate. Wordsworth, and White, , Novum Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi latine secundum editionem Sancii Hieronymi (Oxford 1922) II, 2, 204, in a note to I Cor. 6:19–20, refer to clarificate used by Cyprian and magnificare used by Tertullian instead of the Vulgate rendering of glorificate. For a complete study of the differences between Cyprian's text and the Vulgate, see Heidenreich, Joh., Der neutestamentliche Text bei Cyprian verglichen mit dem Vulgata-Text (Bamberg 1900).Google Scholar

2 Keenan, Angela Elizabeth Sister, op. cit. 40.Google Scholar

3 Sister Mary of the Incarnation Byrne, C. D. P., The Tradition of the Nun in Medieval England (Washington 1932) 2223, 25–40, discusses the general patristic influence upon Aldhelm. She includes references to several passages which show the influence of Cyprian.Google Scholar

4 The text of Aldhelm used is that of Ehwald, Rudolf, Aldhelmi Opera (MGH, Auct. antiquiss. 15, Berlin 1919).Google Scholar

5 Starred passages indicate the influence of Tertullian's, De cultu feminarum. Google Scholar

6 Sister Angela Elizabeth follows von Soden, Hans Freiherr, Das lateinische neue Testament in Afrika zur Zeit Cyprians (Texte und Untersuchungen, ed. Harnack, and Schmidt, , Leipzig 1909). Von Soden, , p. 44, on the basis of MS W (Würzburg 145) and certain other manuscripts emends Hartel's ierit to it. Google Scholar

7 See Heidenreich, , op. cit. 82, but Heidenreich, professing to follow Hartel, p. 4, gives coniunxit for Hartel's, contraxit. Google Scholar

8 See ibid. 131.Google Scholar

9 See ibid. 25.Google Scholar

10 See ibid. 47, but Sister Angela Elizabeth again following von Soden (op. cit. 44) emends incipiunt to incipient. Google Scholar

11 See Heidenreich, , op. cit. 96.Google Scholar

12 See note 1.Google Scholar