At 09:23 15.10.98 +0800, you wrote:
>I have come across a fleeting reference to the fact that Jerome's
>translation of the Bible received the title of 'Vulgate' only in the
>sixteenth century.
>
>Can anyone in here cast any light on the processes by which the title
>"Vulgate" came to be ascribed to Jerome's translation?
Dear John,
I will have to check this (and will let you know if I find that I was
wrong), but I have never thought of the title 'Vulgate' as an early title,
and I don't recall this use as a standard title in late patristic or
early/high medieval authors ("translatio Hieronymi", "interpretatio
Hiernoymi", "editio Hieronymi" or simply "veritas latina" would be common
medieval forms of quoting Jerome's translation or the Latin in general as
distinct from other versions like the Septuagint, whereas for the latter
the title Septuagint was of course well established).
No less fleeting than the reference you already have is O. Stegmu"ller,
_U"berlieferungsgeschichte der Bibel_, in: AA.VV., _Die Textu"berlieferung
der antiken Literatur und der Bibel_, Mu"nchen: DTV, 1975 [reprint of
_Geschichte der Textu"berlieferung der antiken und mittelalterlichen
Literatur_, vol. I, Zu"rich: Atlantis, c1961], p.149-206, who writes: "erst
am Ende des Mittelalters wird er [sc. der Text des Hieronymus]
alleinherrschend im Abendland und erha"lt den Namen <<editio vulgata>>
(p.193).
I have nothing at hand for such late medieval precedents, but the title was
used frequently in the first half of the 16th century (e.g., _Biblia
veteris & novi testamenti: iuxta vulgatam editionem_, Argentorati:
Schottus, 1535; Froben's preface in Basilea: Frobenius, 1530: "En damus
amice lector, utrumque testamentum iuxta vulgatam quidem aeditionem",
similarly ibd. 1538, see below; _Biblia sacrosancta veteris et novi
instrumenti, iuxta vulgatam et consuetam aeditionem_, Lugdunum: Giunta,
1536; _Biblia vulgata_, Moguntia: Schoeffer, 1542), at this time apparently
already sufficiently clear to distinguish the 'vulgata editio' from other
translations (e.g., _Biblia utriusque testamenti: iuxta vulgatam
translationem & eam quam haberi potuit emendatissimam: cui in novo,
apposuimus Des. Erasmi Rot. versionem_, Basileae: Frobenius, 1538), and I
suppose that this process was finalized and cemented through the
Sixto-Clementine text, _Biblia sacra vulgatae editionis Sixti Quinti iussu
recognita (et auctoritate Clementis Octavi edita)_, Rome, 1592, 1593 and 1598.
Yours,
Otfried
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