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First separate edition together with the Latin translation of the famous collection of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic poems: the Sibylline oracles

[CASTELLIO(N), Sebastianus].
[Greek text] Sibyllinorum oraculorum libri VIII. Addita Sebastiani Castalionis interpretatione Latina, quae Graeco erigionè respondeat. Cum annotationibus Xysti Betuleij in Graeca Sibyllina oracula, & Sebastiani Castalionis in translationem suam: quae annotationes numeris marginalibus signantur. Quae praeterea huic editioni ultra priorem accesserint, diligens lector ex praefationibus & collatione facilè deprehendet.

Basel, Joannes Oporinis, August 1555. 8vo. Early eighteenth-century three-quarter vellum with later title label. With woodcut initials. 333, (3) pp.

First separate edition with both, the original Greek text of the famous 'Sibylline Oracles', a collection of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic poems and the Latin translation by Sebastianus Castellio(n), published together.
Castellio(n), or Sebastien Chatillon (1515-1563) was a French humanist and reformer who went to Strasburg in 1540, lived in Calvin's house, and accompanied him to Geneva, where on Calvin's recommendation he became rector of the high school. He left Geneva, however, in 1544 and settled in Basel, where he was appointed professor of Greek literature in 1552. In 1551 he published in Basel his chief work, an elegant annotated Latin translation of the Bible. The notes gave offence, as they betrayed scepticism as to the attainability of religious truth, and the dedication, a noble plea for religious toleration, was unacceptable to the age. Castellio is the generally recognized champion of rational tolerance and a precursor of the French Revolution. His views eventually led to the development of the Antitrinitarian and Unitarian movements and Socianism.

The 'Sibylline Oracles' is the name given to certain collections of supposed prophecies, emanating from the sibyls or divinely inspired seeresses, which were widely circulated in antiquity. The derivation and meaning of the name Sibyl are still subjects of controversy among antiquarians. While the earlier writers (Eurìpides, Aristophanes, Plato) refer invariably to 'the sibyl', later authors speak of many and designate the different places where they were said to dwell. Thus Varro, quoted by Lactantius (Div. Instit., L, vi) enumerates ten sibyls: the Persian, the Libyan, the Delphian, the Cimmerian, the Erythræan, the Samarian, the Cumæan, and those of the Hellespont, of Phrygia, and of Tibur. The Sibyls most highly venerated in Rome were those of Cumæ and Erythræa.
In pagan times the oracles and predictions ascribed to the sibyls were carefully collected and jealously guarded in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and were consulted only in times of grave crises. Because of the vogue enjoyed by these heathen oracles and because of the influence they had in shaping the religious views of the period, the Hellenistic Jews in Alexandria, during the second century B.C. composed verses in the same form, attributing them to the sibyls, and circulated them among the pagans as a means of diffusing Judaistic doctrines and teaching in their efforts to win the heathen world to their faith. This custom was continued down into Christian times, and was borrowed by some Christians so that in the second or third century, a new class of oracles emanating from Christian sources came into being. Hence the Sibylline Oracles can be classed as Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. In many cases, however, the Christians merely revised or interpolated the Jewish documents, and thus we have two classes of Christian Oracles, those adopted from Jewish sources and those entirely written by Christians. Much difficulty is experienced in determining exactly how much of what remains is Christian and how much Jewish. Christianity and Judaism coincided on so many points that the Christians could accept without modification much that had come from Jewish pens. It seems clear, however, that the Christian Oracles and those revised from Jewish sources all emanated from the same circle and were intended to aid in the diffusion of Christianity. The Sibyls are quoted frequently by the early Fathers and Christian writers, Justin, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Lactantius, Augustine, etc. Through the decline and disappearance of paganism, however, interest in them gradually diminished and they ceased to be widely read or circulated, though they were known and used during the Middle Ages in both the East and the West. Large collections of these Jewish and Christian oracles are still in existence.
In form the Pagan, Christian, and Jewish Oracles are alike. They all purport to be the work of the sibyls, and are expressed in hexameter verses in the so-called Homeric dialect. The contents are of the most varied character and for the most part contain references to peoples, kingdoms, cities, rulers, temples, etc.
Book IV is generally considered to embody the oldest portions of the oracles, with verses which are truly poetical and sublime; it is now looked on as completely Jewish. Book V has given rise to many divergent opinions, some claiming it as Jewish, others as the work of a Christian Jew, and others as being largely interpolated by a Christian. It contains so little that can be considered Christian that it can safely be set down as Jewish. Books VI and VII are admittedly of Christian origin. Some authors (Mendelssohn, Alexandre, Geffcken) describe Book VI as an heretical hymn. It dates most probably from the third century. Books I and II are regarded as a Christian revision of a Jewish original. Book VIII offers peculiar difficulties; the first 216 verses are most likely the work of a second century Jew, while the latter part (verses 217-500) beginning with an acrostic on the symbolical Christian word Icthus is undoubtedly Christian, and dates most probably from the third century. In the form in which they are now found the other four books are probably the work of Christian authors.

In 1545 Xystus Betuleius (Sixtus Birken) published the editio princeps of eight books of oracles with a preface dating from perhaps the sixth century A. D. with the same publisher in Basel: Sibyllinorum oraculorum libri octo (Basel, Joh. Oporinus, 1545). At the beginning of the 19th century Cardinal Mai discovered four other books, which were not a continuation of the eight previously printed, but an independent collection, numbered book XI-XIV, in later editions. Alexandre published a monumental edition with a Latin translation (Paris, 1841-56), and a new and revised edition appeared edited by Geffcken (Leipzig, 1902) as one of the volumes in the Berlin Corpus.
Only a year Sebastianus Castellio published a translation in Latin , also with Operinus in Basel. This translation is important also from a textual point of view because Castellio could base his text on a manuscript which was not known to Betuleius: Sibyllina oracula de Graeco in Latinum conversa, et in eadem annotationes. Sebastiano Castalione interprete (Basel, Johann Oporinus, August 1546. 8vo; VD 16, S 6280; Buisson II, p. 354). Buisson writes on p. 279 of the first vol. of his book on Castellio: "Les Oracula Sibyllina sont un des titres incontestés de Castellion comme humaniste et comme helléniste". This translation also represents a landmark in French Humanism: "Elle a fait immédiatement authorité: elle s'est imposée d'une manière à peu près définitive aux savants modernes" (Saulnier, 1953).
Both texts, the original Greek and the Latin translation were published together for the first time in March 1555 by another Basel publisher, Henri Petri, as part of a large collection of theological texts: Orthodoxographa, theologiae sacrosanctae ac synceriores fedei doctores numero LXXVI ...
This happened less than half a year before our present separate edition appeared with Oporinus, containing the Greek text, now corrected by Castellio also following the suggestions of Marcantonio Antimaco and Castellio's Latin translation printed on facing pages, with the addition of several interesting texts: the judgments on the Sibylline oracles of Eusebius and Augustine, the letter to reader and annotations to the Greek text by Betuleis and Castellio, and the Song by Moses from Exod. 32, treating a subject not so different from the Sibylline oracles:
- p. 1: Title (verso blank).
- p. 3-4: Preface by Castellio to this 'second edition' of the Greek text ("Sebastianus Castalio de secunda hac editione").
- p. 5-9: Dedication to Thomas and Ambrosius Blaurer by Xystus Betuleius, dated Augsburg, 29 October 1544 (= dedication for Betuleis's first edition of the Greek text (Basel, Oporinus 1545).
- p. 10-20: Dedication to Maurus Musaeus by Seb. Castellio, dated Basel, May 1546 (= dedication for Castellio's first edition of his translation in Latin).
- p. 21: Two laudatory poems in Greek on 1545 the editio princeps of the Greek text by Betulais.
- p. 22-31: Preface by Marcus Antimacho.
- p.32-259: Text and translation on facing pages.
- p. 260-261: Sibyllina ex Lactantio.
- p. 262-285: Eusebius, Iudicium.
- p. 286-290: Augustine on the Sibylline oracles.
- p. 290-294: Various poems (one acrosticon) on Sibylline oracles predicting Christ.
- p. 295-299: Letter by Xystus Betuleis to the reader.
- p. 300-318: Annotations by Betuleius.
- p. 318-328: Annotations to the Greek text by Castellio.
- p. 328-333: Mosis Carmen ... quod argumentum à Sibylla non est alienum (ex Exod. 32).
- p. (334-335): Errata.
- p. (335): Colophon. ((336) blank).

Good copy with two ownership's entries on title: "Sum mei Johan Steinbach" (16th century) and "Ex donatione ... Schersteinii ... Michael Wentin Anno 1665"; with the bookplate of the Neander Library, presented by Roswell S. Burrows, Rochester Theological Seminary pasted to the verso of the upper cover.- (Some (17th-century?) annotations, title somewhat soiled).

VD16 S-6278; Buisson, Seb. Castellion, sa vie et son oeuvre (1515-1563) I, p. 278-83, II, p. 354, nr. 3; C. Alexandre, Excursus ad Sibyllina, seu de Sibyllis, earumque vel tanquam earum carminibus profanis, judaicis, christianisve, dissertationes VII, insertis Græce et Latine, commentarioque auctis Sibyllinorum gentilium fragmentis quod supersunt (Paris, 1856).

Related Subjects: 16th Century Greek & Latin Hebraica Judaica Literary History, Classics

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