The Lunar and Paschal Tables of de ratione paschali Attributed to Anatolius of Laodicea

Archive for History of Exact Sciences

Volumn 49, Issue 4, 1996, Pages 285-320

  McCarthy, Daniel ^a  

^a TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN   (Ireland)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 4244047349     PISSN: 00039519     EISSN: 14320657     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/bf00374701     Document Type: Article

References (76)

1. H. J. LAWLOR & J. E. L. OULTON Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea - The Ecclesiastical History and the Martyrs of Palestine, in two volumes, I -Translation, II -Introduction, Notes and Index, (London, 1927). Vol. II pp. 3-5.
2. Patrologia Latino, MlGNE, vol 23, 683.
3. E. SCHWARTZ Eusebius Werke, with RUFINUS text by Tu. MOMMSEN, (Leipzig, 1903), p. 723.
4. J. MORETON, personal communication translated from E. SCHWARTZ & TH. MOMMSEN, Eusebius Werke, p. 723: Multa qiioque opuscula supra dicti Anatolii magnifiée conposita ad nos usque venerunt. I wish to acknowledge gratefully both this and her translation of KRUSCH'S edition of De ratione paschali and much constructive discussion.
5. EUSEBIUS Church History VII.32,
6. see LAWLOR & OULTON op. cit., vol I, p. 248.
7. M. HERREN & M. LAPIDGE, Aldhelm: The Prose Works (Cambridge, 1979), p. 141.
8. D. MCCARTHY, The Origin of the Laterals Paschal Cycle of the Insular Celtic Churches", Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, 28 (1994), pp. 25-49.
9. WALKER, G. S. M., Sancti Cohimbani Opera, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1970, p. 18.
10. WALKER, op. cit. p. 3-4.
11. M. WALSH & D. ÓCRóINI'N, "Cummian's letter 'De controversi Paschali' and the 'De ratione conputandi"', (Toronto, 1988), p. 84-6. On p. 7 they deduce the date 632/33 for the letter.
12. A. BREEN, D. MCCARTHY, & J. MORETON, A Critical Edition of De ratione paschali, in preparation. I am grateful to Dr. BREEN for allowing me to use the manuscript results of his collation of all the known texts. Note that all citations in this article will be taken from there with a cross reference to KRUSCH'S edition.
13. For this citation see KRUSCH, op. cit. 317
14. . 12 See KRUSCH, op. cit. p. 320, section 5, 11. 14-17.
15. C. W. JONES, Bedae Opera de Temporibiis (Cambridge, Mass., 1943), p. 82, DTR cap. vi, xiv, xxii, xxx, xxxv, xlii. Dr. BREEN pointed out that BEDE took all these citations of ANATOLIUS in DTR from RUFINUS' edition of the History of the Church.
16. BEDE Epistola and Wicthediim, para. 10, edited and translated by JONES, p. 324: ipswn vero libelhtm Anatolii postmodum in aliqiiibus latinoriim exemplaribus esse corniptiim, eorwn nimirwn fraude qui vertun paschae tempus ignorantes erroneam siiam observantiam tanti patris auctoritate defendere gestirent.
17. JONES, p. 325 Quid sane horum sit vérins illi potins qui Anatolium graecutn legunt videant; veriim si Eusebiits imam sentientiam sen alius quilibet totum ipsum libelhun a suo statu transvertit.
18. B. MACCARTHY, Introduction, Annals of Ulster iv, Rolls Series, (Dublin, 1901), pp. cxix-cxxvii.
19. B. KRUSCH, Studien zur christlich-mittelalterlichen Chronologie: Der 84-jáhrige Ostercyclus und seine Quellen, (Leipzig, 1880).
20. E. SCHWARTZ, Christliche und júdische Ostertafeln (Abhandlungen der Kóniglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zur Góttingen, Phil.-Hist. Klasse, Neue Folge, Band 8, no. 6 (Berlin, 1905), pp. 13-17 and
21. B. MACCARTHY, Introduction, Annals of Ulster iv, Rolls Series, (Dublin, 1901), pp. cxix-cxxvii.
22. There were as always dissenters, e.g. T. Nickiin, "The date and origin of PseudoAnatolius De rations paschali", Journal of Philology 28 (1903) 137-151,
23. and also the dissertation by P. MAURO DA LEONESSA, La Tavola Pasquale di Anatolia, Tivoli, Maniera, 1934 cited by A. VAN DE VYVER in "Le comput Alexandrin et Romain du IIIe au V Siècle", Renie D'Histoire Ecclésiastique, 52 (1957).
24. C. W. JONES, "Polemius Silvius, Bede, and the names of the months", Speculum ix (1934), p. 51.
25. D. MCCARTHY & D. ÓCRóINI'N, "The lost Irish 84-year Easter table rediscovered", Peritia (Cork), nos. 6-7 (1987-88), pp. 227-42.
26. D. MCCARTHY, "Easter Principles and a Fifth-Century Lunar Cycle used in the British Isles", Journal for the History of Astronomy, xxiv (1993) and "Origins", he. cit.
27. D. ÓCRóINI'N, personal communication 1991, and see also M. WALSH & D. Ó CRóINI'N, op. cit., p. 32, n. 120.1 also wish to acknowledge gratefully Dr. Ó CROINíN'S generosity and assistance in obtaining copies of these MSS and his encouragement for the project. Likewise I am grateful to Prof, W. STEVENS for his assistance in locating and identifying some copies of MSS of De ratione paschali.
28. KRUSCH, B., op. cit. p. 323., section 10.
29. BEDE DTR cap. XXII, see JONES, p. 223.
30. KRUSCH, op. cit., 316.
31. MCCARTHY 1993 op. cit. pp. 211-3.
32. BEDE De temporum ratione cap. XX wrote: Primo decemnouenalis circuit anno, in quo nullae stint epactae, in kalendas iamiarias viiii est luna\ in kl febrtiarias x', in kl. manias, viiii; in kl aprilis, x; in kl. mains, xi; in kl. iunias, xii; in kl iulias, xiii; in kl augiistas xiiii; in kl. septembres, xvi; in kl octobres, xvi, in kl. novembres, xviii; in kl décembres, xviii. JONES, op. cit. p. 220. From this table may be deduced the Roman lunar year given in Table 2. Compare also WALSH & Ó CRóINíN, p. 146, n. 35.
33. I am grateful to Dr. BREEN for his assistance in both reading the MSS and checking all of the data in both this table and that in the Table 5.
34. See MCCARTHY, "Easter Principles", 1993, p. 209 & 215.
35. BEDE, Epistola ad VVicthedum, Jones, 324.
36. ANSCOMBE, A., "The Paschal Canon attributed to Anatolius of Laodicea", English Historical Review, 1895, vol. x, 515-535.
37. TURNER, C. H., "The Paschal Canon of Anatolius of Laodicea", English Historical Review, 1895, vol. x, 699-710.
38. MACCARTHY, B. Annals of Ulster iv (Dublin 1901), cxxvi.
39. JONES op. dt, p. ix.
40. This is simply a consequence of the fact that a common year of 365 days equals 52 weeks and one day, and a bissextile year equals 52 weeks and two days.
41. A. BREEN et al., Critical edition of De ratione paschali, forthcoming.
42. See also B. KRUSCH, op. cit., p. 322.
43. See MCCARTHY, "Easter Principles", op. cit., p. 213-5 for details of the insertion of the embolismic month in the laterals lunar calendar.
44. MACCARTHY, B., op. cit., p. cxix and p. cxxiii.
45. A. BREEN et al. and see also KRUSCH p. 321 Conputa ergo a fine xiii lunae quod est initiwn xiiii, ad finem xx, nnde et xxi principium inclwatiir, et inventes vu tantitm aziinonim dies, in quibiis verissimuin pascha domini dncatu praefinitiim est immolari debere. Sed quid minim, si in xxi lima erraverint . . .
46. SCHWARTZ, op. cit. p. 17
47. e Siècle", Renie d'Histoire Ecclésiastique 52 (1957) pp. 5-25.
48. EUSEBIUS Church History VII.32, see LAWLOR & OULTON op. cit., vol II, p. 248.
49. MCCARTHY "Easter Principles", op. cit. 217.
50. MIGNE, P. L., xxiii, 683.
51. A. BREEN et al. and see KRUSCH, op. cit. p. 317. KRUSCH added a footnote regarding ISIDORE saying: Haec quamqiiam in utroqite codice extant postea addita esse supra dixi.
52. JONES, op. cit. p. 106 and p. 110 for subséquent citations.
53. MIGNE, Patrologia Latina xc 647-664.
54. D. ÓCRóINíN, "The Irish provenance of BEDE'S computus", Peritia 2, (1983) p. 229-47.
55. JONES, op. cit. p. 108 and see also WALKER pp. 198-206 who prints it as one of the spuria of COLUMBANUS.
56. It is worth recalling here that the Munich Computus, otherwise Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Clm. 14,456, which is an eighth-century computus favouring Dionysiac Paschal principles written by someone with an Insular background and a good knowledge of both the latercus and ViCTORiUS OF AQUITAINE, commences with the words: Compotits sei Augiistini sei Hieran sei Ysidori sei Dyonisii sei Quirilli Greciae et ceterorwn. Note the lack of chronological order; see MACCARTHY op. cit. p. Ixvii.
57. BEDE Ep. ad VVicthedum, para. 12, see JONES p. 325.
58. BEDE Ep. ad VVicthedum, para. 4, see JONES, p. 320.
59. BEDE Historia Ecclesiastica V.21 and B. COLGRAVE & R. A. B. MYNORS Bedés Ecclesiastical History, 1991, pp. 533-553.
60. The Life of Bishop Wilfrid by Eddius Stephanas, text and translation by BERTRAM COLGRAVE (London, 1985), ch. v, p. 13.
61. K. HARRISON "Epacts in Irish Chronicles", Studio Celtica 12-13 (1977-8) 17-32.
62. BEDE Historia Ecclesiastica V.19
63. and B. COLGRAVE & R. A. B. MYNORS Bede's Ecclesiastical History, p. 528.
64. See also C. W. JONES' discussion in "The Victorian and Dionysiac Paschal Tables", Speculum ix (1934), p. 414.
65. D. ÓCRóINíN, "The Irish Provenance of Bede's Computus", Peritia 2 (1983), p. 242.
66. MCCARTHY "Origin of the Laterals Paschal Cycl65" op. cit., pp. 33-35 provides a full discussion of this aspect of De rations paschali.
67. Vita sancti Wilfrid, cap. xiii, edited and translated by BERTRAM COLGRAVE as The Life of Bishop Wilfrid by Edditts Stephanas, (Cambridge, 1985), p. 25. WILFRID'S words are: Sum enim hie in Britannia nuilti episcopi quorum niiUwn ineiim accusare, quainvis veraciter sciant quod quattiiordecimamii sunt tit Brittones et Scotti.
68. BERTRAM COLGRAVE Life of Wilfred ch. lui, p. 115.
69. Vita sancti Wilfrid, cap. xiii, edited and translated by BERTRAM COLGRAVE as The Life of Bishop Wilfrid by Edditts Stephanas, (Cambridge, 1985), p. 25. WILFRID'S words are: Sum enim hie in Britannia nuilti episcopi quorum niiUwn ineiim accusare, quainvis veraciter sciant quod quattiiordecimamii sunt tit Brittones et Scotti.
70. These excerpts are all from BEDE'S Historia Ecclesiastica 111.25;
71. see B. COLGRAVE & R. A. B. MYNORS Bede's Ecclesiastical History, pp. 301-303.
72. See JONES Bedae Opera, p. 18 wherein he cites and accepts DUCHESNE'S conclusion: "the Nicene Council never advocated a specific method of calculation and officially did no more then proscribe an Easter on Jewish Passover", and this conclusion is only supported by relatively late texts.
73. JONES op. cit., p. 11.
74. B. MACCARTHY op. cit., p. clvii.
75. D. H. FARMER, The Age of Bede, p. 201 taken from ch. 15 of BEDE'S Lives of the Abbots of \Vearmoiith and Jarrow.
76. D. MCCARTHY & D. ÓCRóINI'N, "The 'lost' Irish 84-year Easter table rediscovered", op. cit., p. 228.