The Liber de ordine creaturarum

Marina Smyth

Pages: 191 p.
Size:156 x 234 mm

Language(s):English, Latin
Publication Year:2023

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One of the first treatises in systematic theology written in Latin

Subject(s)

Review(s)

"Attractive, carefully revised, and richly commented, this work is welcome in every way. Marina Smyth is to be commended on having performed a most valuable service, as are the editors of the Brepols Library of Christian Sources for having seen the volume through to publication." (John Carey, in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 87, Summer 2024, p. 114-115)

"L’ouvrage de [Marina Smyth] a au moins deux mérites : il offre l’édition de Díaz y Díaz qui est rare et difficilement trouvable ; à certains égards, il interpelle la théorie de Michael Gorman d’une influence majeure de l’Espagne wisigothique sur la culture exégétique carolingienne par laquelle il s’oppose à la thèse de l’influence irlandaise défendue avec autorité par Bernard Bischoff." (Kristina Mitalaité, dans Revue des Sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 108, 2024, p. 699-701)

"Mit der zweisprachigen Ausgabe des „Liber de ordine creaturarum" macht M. Smyth einen hochinteressanten Text aus dem 7. Jahrhundert n. Chr. einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Dies ist umso verdienstvoller, weil die kritische Ausgabe von Díaz y Díaz (fast) nicht mehr greifbar ist. Man könnte sich gut vorstellen, dass diese Ausgabe noch weitere Forschungen inspirieren könnte." (Horst Schneider, forthcoming in Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum / Journal of Ancient Christianity, 29/3, Autumn 2025)

BIO

Marina Smyth was awarded the Ph.D. in 1984, by the Medieval Institute, University of Notre Dame, for work later published as Understanding the Universe in Seventh-Century Ireland. By the mid-seventh century, Irish scholars based most likely in monasteries were making well-considered and original contributions to the corpus of Latin Christian learning, and Smyth has been mainly focusing on scientific and theological aspects of that activity. Her 2018 Farrell Lecture gives an overview of the world in which these scholars lived.

Summary

The Liber de ordine creaturarum is an anonymous Latin work with an Irish provenance that dates back to the seventh century. It presents the creation as the divine handiwork and is notable for serving as both a commentary on the Hexaemeron (Six-day Work) in Genesis and as one of the earliest works of systematic theology. Although previously attributed to Isidore of Seville, the Liber de ordine creaturarum is far more than a mere compilation of 'authorities.' Instead, it emphasizes the inherent order that exists within the creation itself.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Summary Review of the Evidence for the Origin and Dating of De ordine creaturarum
Spelling Influenced by the Irish Language
Words with Characteristic Spellings Occurring Frequently in Hiberno-Latin Texts, but Comparatively Rarely in Other Contexts
Reception
Division into Chapters and Chapter Headings

Latin Text with English Translation
1. The Doctrine of the Trinity
2. On Spiritual Created Beings
3. On the Waters Above the Firmament
4. The Celestial Firmament
5. The Sun and the Moon
6. The Higher Space and Paradise
7. The Lower Space and the Various Hemispheres
8. Concerning the Devil and the Nature of Demons
9. On the Nature of Water and the Behaviour of the Ocean
10. On Paradise, the First Dwelling Place of Man
11. The Disposition of the Terrestrial Orb Inhabited by Man
12. On the Nature of Man
13. On the Different Kinds of Sinners and their Places of Punishment
14. The Cleansing Fire
15. The Life to Come
Appendix

Notes

Bibliography
Abbreviations
Previous Editions
Ancient and Medieval Authors
Modern Authors

Indices
Index of Biblical References
Index of Patristic & Medieval Works and Councils
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Topics