p. lxxiv X.—Editions and Manuscripts.
Among the chief editions and mss. the following may be mentioned:
The Editio Princeps of the complete extant works of Basil in the original Greek is that which Froben published for Janus Cornarius at Bale in 1551. But Froben had already published in 1532, under the editorship of Erasmus, an edition containing the De Spiritu Sancto, the Hexæmeron, the Homilies on the Psalms, twenty-nine different Homilies and some Letters.
A Venetian edition, published by Fabius in 1535, comprised the Moralia, as well as the dubious book on Virginity, three books against Eunomius, and the tract against the Sabellians, Arians, and Anomœans.
The Greek editions had been preceded by a Latin version at Rome, by Raphael Volaterranus in 1515, of which the autograph manuscript is in the British Museum, and by another at Paris in 1525, and by a third Latin edition issued at Cologne in 1531. These were followed by other editions printed at Paris, Antwerp, and Cologne. In 1618 Fronton du Duc, commonly known as Ducæus, published, in conjunction with Frederic Morel, an edition in two folio volumes containing a Latin version as well as the Greek. The edition of the French Dominican Father Francis Combefis, was published shortly after his death in 1679. The most important step in the direction of accuracy and completeness was taken by Julian Garnier, a Benedictine Father of the Congregation of St. Maur. He revised and corrected the Greek text of earlier editions on the authority of a number of manuscripts in Paris, Italy, and England, and issued the first of his three folio volumes at Paris, at the press of John Baptist Coignard, in 1721. The third volume did not appear till 1730, five years after Garnier’s death. In the meanwhile the editorial work had been taken up by Prudent Maran, another Benedictine, to whom are due a careful and voluminous biographical notice, many notes, and a chronological arrangement of the Letters. This was reissued in three 4° volumes in Paris in 1889, and is the basis of the edition published, with additions, by the Abbé Jacques Paul Migne, in the Patrologia Græca, in 1857.
An important edition of a separate work is the revised text, with notes and introduction, of the De Spiritu Sancto, by the Rev. C. F. H. Johnston, published at the Clarendon Press in 1892.
German translations were published by Count Schweikhard at Ingolstadt in 1591 (Ceillier VI. viii. 8), and by J. von Wendel at Vienna in 1776–78. There have also been issued Basilius des Grossen auserlesenes Homilien, übersetzt und mit Ammerkungen versehen von J. G. Krabinger, Landshut, 1839, and Auserlesene Schriften, übersetzt von Gröne, Kempten, 1875.
Homilies and Orations were published in Italian in 1711 by Gio. Maria Lucchini. Omelie Scelte, translated by A. M. Ricci, were published in Florence in 1732.
Many important extracts are translated into French in the Historie Générale des Auteurs Sacrés of the Benedictine Remy Ceillier (Paris, 1737).
E. Fialon, in his Ét. Hist. (1869) has translated the Ηεξͅμερον; and in 1889 the Panégyrique due Martyr Gordius was published in French by J. Genouille.
A complete account of the bibliography of St. Basil is given in the Notitia ex Bibliotheca Fabricii (Ed. Harles, tom. ix. 1804), in Migne’s ed. vol. i., Prolegomena p. ccxli.
In 1888 a translation of the De Spiritu Sancto, by G. Lewis, was included in the Christian Classic Series.
Of all the smaller works a great popularity, as far as popularity can be gauged by the number of editions and translations, has belonged to the Advice to the Young and the Homily on the Forty Martyrs.
The mss. collated by the Ben. Edd. for their edition of the De Spiritu Sancto are five entitled Regii, and a sixth known as Colbertinus, now in the national library at Paris. The Ben. Regius Secundus (2293) is described by Omont (Inventaire Sommaire des mss. Grecs) as of the Xth c., the Colbertinus (4529) and the Regius Tertius(2893) as of the XIth c., and the Regius Primus (2286), Regius Quartus (2896), Regius Quintus(3430) as of the XIVth c.
For his edition, Mr. C. F. H. Johnston also collated or had collated 22,509 Add. mss., Xth c., in the British Museum; codd. Misc. xxxvii., XIth c., in the Bodleian Library at Oxford; Cod. Theol. 142, XIIth c., in the Imperial Library at Vienna; Cod. Theol. 18, XIVth c., also at Vienna; Cod. xxiii, XIth c., in the Library of the Holy Synod at Moscow; p. lxxv 500 (Reg. 1824, 3) G, XIth c., at Paris; Cod. lviii., Xth c., at St. Mark’s, Venice; Cod. lxvi., XIIth c., also at St. Mark’s, Venice; Codd. Regin. Suaecor. 35, XIVth c., in the Vatican at Rome.
For the Hexæmeron the Ben. Edd. used eight mss. styled Regii, and numbered respectively 1824, 2286 (originally in the collection of Henry II. at Fontainebleau, the Regius Primus of the enumeration for the De Spiritu Sancto, but the Secundus for that of the Hexæmeron), 2287 (1°), 2287 (2°), 2349, 2892, 2896 (the Regius Quartus of the De Spiritu Sancto), and 2989, two mss. entitled Colbertinus, 3069 and 4721, two Coistiniani, 229, IXth c., and 235; and a ms. in the Bodleian, “a doctissimo viro Joanne Wolf collatus.”
The sources of the Ben. Ed. of the Letters were Coislinianus 237, XIth c., a Codex Harlæanus of the Xth or XIth c., and a Codex Medicæus, Codex Regius 2293, Codex Regius 2897, Codex Regius 2896, Codex Regius 2502, Codex Regius 1824, Codex Regius 1906, and Codex Regius 1908.
The following mss. of St. Basil are in the library of the Bodleian at Oxford:
Homiliæ et Epistolæ. Codex membranaceus, in 4to majori ff. 250, sec. xii. Epistola ad Optimum, episcopum, in septem ultiones. Cain. fol. iii.
Epistola ad virginem lapsam, fol. 211b.
Ejusdem Basilii epistola ad monachum lapsum, fol. 215b.
Epistolæ canonicæ. Barocciani. xxvi. 285b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 36).
Codex membranaceus, in 4to minori, ff. 370, sec. xi. fol. 285b.
Epist canon. Baroc. xxxvi. 121 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 147).
Codex membranaceus, in 40 minori, ff. 12 et 161, sec. xii. exeuntis.
Ejusdem epistolæ canonicæ tertiæ prologus, fol. 125b.
CLVIII. 202 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 268). Codex chartaceus, in 4to majori, ff. 374, sec. xv.
S. Basilii ad Amphilochium, Iconii episcopum, et alias epistolæ quinque canonicæ, fol. 202.
CLXXXV. 129b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 307). Membranaceus, in folio, ff. 83 et 312, sec. xi. exeuntis, bene exaratus et servatus.
S. Basilii magni epistolæ canonicæ, cum scholius nonnullis, fol. 129b.
Ejusdem epistolæ septem aliæ, fol. 141.
Epist. Canon. Baroc. cxcvi. 184b (i.e. pt. l, p. 336). Membranaceus, in 4to majori, ff. 313, sec. xi. anno scilicet 1043 exaratus.
S. Basilii expositio de jejunio quadragesimali, f. 6b.
CCV. 400b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 361). Codex chartaceus, in folio, ff. 520, sec. xiv. mutilus et madore corruptus.
Dionysii Alexandrini, Petri Alexandrini, Gregorii Thaumaturgi, Athanasii, Basilii, Gregorii Nysseni, Timothei Alexandrini, Theophili Alexandrini, Cyrilli Alexandrini, et Gennadii epistolæ encyclicæ; interpretatione Balsamonis illustratæ, fol. 378b.
Epistolæ canonicæ. Laudiani. xxxix. 200 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 519). Codex membranaceus in 4to maj. ff. 347, sec. forsan. xi. ineuntis, etc.
S. Basilii Cæsareensis octo, subnexis capitulis duobus ex opere de S. Spiritu, fol. 200.
Seld. xlviii. 151 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 611). Codex membranaceus, in 4to ff. 189, sec. xiii. nitide exaratus; quandam monasterii S. Trinitatis apud Chalcem insulam [ol. 3385].
S. Basilii ad Amphilochium, Diodorum et Gregorium canones, fol. 151.
Misc. clxx. 181, 263, 284b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 717). Codex membranaceus, in 4to majori, ff. 363, secc. si tabulam sec. xi. excipiamus, xiv. et xv.; initio et fine mutilus. Rawl. Auct. G. 158.
S. Basilii, archiep. Cæsareensis, ad Amphilochium epistolæ tres canonicæ, fol. 181.
S. Basilii epistolæ duæ, scilicet, ad chorepiscopos, ad episcopos sibi subjectos, cum excerptis duobus ex capp. xxvii. et xxix. ad Amphilochium de S. Spiritu, fol. 263.
S. Basilii epistolæ duæ, ad Diodorum et ad Gregorium, fol. 284b.
Epist. Canon. misc. ccvi. 171 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 763). Codex membranaceus, in folio minori, ff. 242. sec. forsan xi. exeuntis; bene exaratus et servatus. Meerm. Auct. T. 2. 6.
S. Basilii, archiep. Cæsareensis, ad Amphilochium ep. Icon. epistolæ tres canonicæ cum scholiis hic illic margini adpositis, fol. 171.
p. lxxvi Epistolæ cccxxxiv. Misc. xxxviii. 1 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 642). Codex chartaceus, in folio, ff. 196, sec. xvi. anno 1547 scriptus [ol. 3091]. Auct. E. 2. 10.
S. Basilii epistolæ, ut e numeris marginalibus apparet, cccxxxiv. fol. 1.
Ult. est ad eundem Eusebium, et exstat in ed. cit. tom. iii. p. 257.
Epistola ccxlv. Baroc cxxi. [i.e. pt. 1, p. 199]. Membranaceus, in 4to ff. 226, sec xii. exeuntis, bene exaratus; in calce mutilus.
S. Basilii, archiepiscopi Cæsareensis, epistolæ ad diversos, numero ducentæ quadraginta quinque.
Epist. clxxvii. Roc. xviii. 314 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 471). Codex chartaceus, in folio, ff. 475 , hodie in duo volumina distinctus, anno 1349 manu Constantini Sapientis binis columnis scriptus; olim ecclesiæ S. Trinitatis apud insulam Chalcem [ol. 264].
S. Basilii Cæsareensis epistolæ circiter centum septuaginta septem, fol. 314.
Epistolæ variæ. Baroc. lvi. 28b et passim (i.e. pt. 1, p. 83). Codex bombycinus, ff. 175, sec. xiv. exeuntis; initio mutilus, et madore corruptus.
S. Basilii adversus Eunomium epistola, fol. 28b.
Epist. xiii. ad diversos. Baroc. ccxxviii 118b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 393). Membranaceus, in folio, ff. 206, sec. forsan xii. ineuntis; foliis aliquot chartaceis a manu recentiori hic illic suppletis. S. Basilii et Libanii epistolæ septem mutuæ, f. 126.
Ibid. epp. 341, 342, 337–340, 356.
Epist. tres. Misc. clxxix. 423 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 724). Codex chartaceus, in folio marjori, ff. 262, sec. xvii.; olim peculium coll. soc. Jesu Clarom. Paris, postea Joh. Meerman. Auct. T. 1. 1.
S. Basilii, archiep. Cæsareensis, epistola ad Optimum episcopum in illud, πᾶς ὀ ἀποκτείνας καΐν, p. 423.
Epistola ad Chilonem. Laud. xvii. 352 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 500). Codex chartaceus, et lævigatus, in 4° ff. 358, sec. xv. [ol. 692].
S. Basilii Magni epistola ad Chilonem, fol. 352.
Epist. ad Coloneos. Baroc. cxlii. 264b (i.e. pt. 1, p. 242). Codex chartaceus, in 4o ff. 292, sec. xiv. ineuntis.
S. Basilii Magni epistola ad Coloneos, fol. 264b.
Ejus et Libanii epistolæ. Baroc. xix. 191 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 27). Codex chartaceus in 4o minori, ff. 200, sec. xv. manibus tamen diversis scriptus.
S. Basilii et Libanii sophistæ epistolæ decem amœbœæ, fol. 19l.
Ejus et Libanii epistolæ. Baroc. cxxxi. 296 (i.e, pt. 1, p. 211). Codex bombycinus, in 4° maj. ff. 4 et 536, sec. xiv. haud eadem manu scriptus; madore aliquantum corruptus.
S. Basilii et Libanii epistolæ tres mutuæ, f. 299b.
Epistolæ ad Libanium et Modestum. Baroc. ccxvi. 301 (i.e. pt. 1, p. 376). Codex, fragmentis constans pluribus, in 4° ff. 379 quorum 43 priora membranacea, cætera chartacea sunt.
S. Basilii epistola ad Libanium, fol. 30lb.
Ejusdem ad Modestum epistola, imperf. fol. 30lb.
Basilii et Libanii epistolæ quinque mutuæ, fol. 302.
Ibid. epp. cccxxxv. seq., cccxlii., ccxli., ccclix.
The following mss. of St. Basil are in the British Museum:
1801. Codex membranaceus (Newton’s arms in spare leaf). Doctrina Beati Basilii.
2580. Liber chartaceus. S. Basilii sermo de parentum honore, Latine redditus per Guarinum.
2678. Codex membranaceus. S. Basilii de institutis juvenum liber ex versione et cum præfatione Leonardi Aretini.
5622. XIVth. c. Com. on Isaiah.
p. lxxvii 5689. XIIth c. De V. Virg.
5624. XIVth c. Ep. ad Greg. Frat.
3651. XVth c. De Cons. in Adv.
22509. Vellum curs. Xth c. De Sp. Scto.
34060. XVth c. The doubtful work De Sp. Scto.
34060. XVth c. Against Drunkards.
25881. XVIth c. The Forty Martyrs.
10069. XIIth c. Reg. fus. tract.
18492. XVIth c. De Frugalitate.
23771. c. 1500. Sermones Tractatus.
Autograph of Raph. Volterrano (translation).
535. XIVth c. Excerp. ex adv. Eunom. v.
528. XVth c. Against Drunkards.
583. XIVth c. Epp. can. ad. Amph.