Catalogue 217: CHF 20. - Harteveld Rare Books Ltd.

114 Harteveld Rare Books Ltd., CH-1700 Fribourg
schrift auf schwarzem Grund u. dunkelblauer/schwarzer
Umrandung, davon 3 Blätter illuminiert (Deckblatt mit 3
verschiedenfarbenen Seidenvorhängen zeigt in der Mitte
Shakyamuni, Blatt 2 Subhuti, Blatt 3 einen Stupa), guter
Zustand. HRB 83817 7500.-
Eines der wichtigsten Sutren des Mahayna-Buddhismus, hier in
tibetanischer Sprache und in einer wertvollen alten Handschrift
überliefert. Der Diamant (vajra) durchschneidet (cchadika)
Unwissenheit, Wahn und Illusion, welche Leid verursachen,
und führt zur vollkommenen Weisheit des transzendentalen
Verstehens (Prajnaparamita). Das Diamant-Sutra ist ein Dialog
zwischen Buddha und seinem Schüler Subhuti (tib. Rabyor),
welcher um Erklärungen zu einigen Punkten der Lehre bittet.
Der Text ist eine Zusammenfassung der grundlegenden Lehren
des Prajnaparamita, welches im 9. Jh. ins Tibetanische übersetzt
wurde und 12 Bände umfasst. Damit war dieses Sutra
eine eigentliche Kurzanleitung, um das Nirvana zu erreichen
und die Lehren Buddhas zu verinnerlichen, und es galt als verdienstvoll,
dieses zu lesen und zu rezitieren. Dementsprechend
war es zu allen Zeiten ein wichtiger und vielgelesener Text.
Unsere Handschrift ist ein besonders schön ausgeführtes Exemplar,
welches leider nicht datiert ist. (Blatt n° 15 fehlt). Mit
einer Expertise von F.A. Peters.
Beautiful manuscript in gilt letters in Tibetan language of one
of the most important sutras of Mahayna buddhism. The Diamond
Sutra, that cuts like a diamond through ignorance and
illusion and leads to perfect wisdom is a summary of the essential
teachings and was often read and recited. Undated, this
ms. dates very probably before 1800.
Manuscrits éthiopiens
Äthiopische Handschriften
Most Ethiopian manuscripts are religious Christian texts of
the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the few early Christian
churches of sub-Saharan Africa with traditions going back to
the kingdom of Aksum (1st c. BC). The oldest known manuscripts
date from the 10th century. These codices are written
on parchment in Ge’ez, an ancient form of the Ethiopic language,
which is still used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church,
and with the Ge’ez alphabet, a semitic script read from left to
right. According to Christian Pankhurst the manuscripts cover
a wide range of literature, including not only Bibles, religious
service books, homilies, Biblical commentaries, and works on
theology, but also writings on ecclesiastical and civil law, lives
of saints, local as well as foreign, history, chronography and
medicine. They could be for private use or belong to a church
or monastery. Typically they are written in black and red ink
(black for normal text, red for the name of God, Saints and the
Holy Family etc.) and can be decorated with colorful illustrations.
668. Mäzmurä Dawit (Psalms of David). Ethiopic
manuscript on vellum in original leather bag. n.d. (18th
c.), 16x17 cm (book) / 18x18 cm (bag), ca. 205 leaves on
vellum, Ge’ez manuscript in black ink, with rubrics and
titles in red. Sheet size 15.5 : 15.5 cm, 1 column, with
smaller endpapers before and after the text, containing
writing exercices and on the one at the end the begin
of a magic prayer, slightly worn, beautiful full leather
binding, richly blind tooled decorations on both covers
and some on spine, inside covers covered with patterned
cloth, in good condition, with orig. leather bag with lid,
stitched together with leather cords and a leather band to
hold it, lid with missing side, used. HRB 87932 2200.-
Original manuscript of
the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church containing
the Psalms of David
written in the old liturgical
language Ge’ez.
Paleographically dated
to the 18th c., possibly
the first half of the
century (in reference to
the Gwelh script). The
original leather bookbag
for protection and transportation is made of rougher leather
than the bindings and made to fit exactly this codex (based on
the analysis by Dr. V. Six, Hamburg). Most Ethiopian manuscripts
are religious Christian texts of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church, one of the few early Christian churches of sub-Saharan
Africa with traditions going back to the kingdom of Aksum
(1st c. BC). The oldest known manuscripts date from the 10th
century. These codices are written on parchment in Ge’ez, an
ancient form of the Ethiopic language, which is still used by
the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and with the Ge’ez alphabet,
a semitic script read from left to right. According to Christian
Pankhurst the manuscripts cover a wide range of literature, including
not only Bibles, religious service books, homilies, Biblical
commentaries, and works on theology, but also writings
on ecclesiastical and civil law, lives of Saints, local as well as
foreign history, chronography and medicine. They could be for
private use or belong to a church or monastery. Typically they
are written in black and red ink (black for normal text, red for
the name of God, Saints and the Holy Family etc.) and can be
decorated with colorful illustrations.
669. Mäzmurä Dawit (Psalms of David). Ethiopic
manuscript on vellum in original leather bag. n.d. (after
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