Vaticinia, siue Prophetiae abbatis Ioachimi & Anselmi episcopi Marsicani, cum imaginibus aere incisis, correctione et pulcritudine, plurium manuscriptorum exemplariu[m]

Joachim Of Fiore; Anselm, Bishop Of Marsico

Edité par Giovanni Battista Bertoni, Venice, 1600

[i],70, [ii] unnumbered leaves, with one blank at the front (probably later) and two at the rear, one of which seems to be original. Bound in full period vellum leather, in very good antiquarian condition, in Latin and Italian, with 34 copper plate full page engraved plates, as well as an engraved title page and woodcut engraved initials and head and tail pieces. It measures 8 ¼" by 6". This is a 1600 edition of text and engravings of "one of the most mysterious and esoteric texts of the Middle Ages, " enhanced by the series of 34 similarly esoteric engraved plates. The purported author of these cryptic and much discussed prophecies or vaticinia, was Joachim of Fiore (c.1132 1202). He was a medieval Italian Cistercian monk and a mystic philosopher who believed that the advent of the Antichrist and a violent end of the age were imminent. Contemporaries considered him a prophet. Joachim was abbot of Corazzo, Italy, but later withdrew into solitude at a remote region in Fiore where he founded the order of San Giovanni and delved into the hidden meanings of the Bible, especially those of Revelation. The Joachim scholar Marjorie Reeves neatly summed him as "the prophet of the Antichrist, the interpreter of the seven-headed dragon, the oracle on the fate of Jerusalem, the recipient of a miraculous gift of spiritual understanding, the prophet of the two great mendicant orders …" To add to the mysteries of this book, it is very uncertain that it was initiated by Joachim at all, rather, various forms of the book may have existed for centuries, beginning in ancient Greece; changing with the times and thus, the focus of the prophecies. Apparently, Joachim and his followers seized upon some of these earlier texts and drawings and produced a more definitive account which strongly blended prophecy with apocalyptic Christianity. To add to the mystery, the other author listed on the title page, Anselm, Bishop of Marsico may not have actually existed at all. No matter, Joachim, the prophecies and the enigmatic illustrations accompanying his text won over medieval and Renaissance Europe, particularly those with an interest in the occult or religious end times. The book has 34 apocalyptic and/or anti-papal prophecies, written in Latin and Italian, each illustrated with an engraving of a pope surrounded by the emblems referred to in the text. One of them is an Oraculum Turcicum predicting the downfall of the Ottoman Empire and includes Turkish writing. The series of engravings here are quite important beyond their strange prophetic value; they are by the acclaimed Renaissance Italian engraver and publisher Girolamo Porro, known for fine engravings and maps. Condition is very good. Full vellum, probably a bit later, with hand written spine title, small scar at top of spine, covers a bit aged but quite nice. Interior renewed endpapers, some small staining and occasional humidity mark but in general the paper is sturdy and clean. A very pleasing copy of this mysterious collection of apocalyptic prophecies. ; Engravings; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 140 pages. N° de réf. du vendeur 11598

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Vaticinia, siue Prophetiae abbatis Ioachimi ...
Éditeur : Giovanni Battista Bertoni, Venice
Date d'édition : 1600
Reliure : Vellum
Illustrateur : Illustrated by Porro, Girolamo
Etat : Very Good
Etat de la jaquette : No Dust Jacket
Edition : Second Edition.