Codices Gudiani latini

Country

DE

Name of institution (English)

Herzog August Library

Name of institution (official language of the state)

Herzog August Bibliothek

Language of name of institution

deu

Contact information: postal address

Lessingplatz 1, D-38304 Wolfenbüttel

Contact information: phone number

0049 053318080

Contact information: web address

https://www.hab.de/en/

Contact information: email

ed.bah@tfnuksua

Reference number

Gud. lat.

Type of reference number

Archival reference number

Title (English)

Gudiani Latini Codices

Title (official language of the state)

Codices Gudiani latini

Language of title

lat

Creator / accumulator

Marquard Gude

Date note

7th century/17th century

Language(s)

ara

lat

gre

Extent

478 manuscripts

Type of material

Textual Material

Scope and content

The Codices Gudiani latini collection comprises 478 manuscripts, predominantly from ancient and medieval authors, mostly Latin (361 manuscripts) and Greek, but also 23 Arabic manuscripts. A miscellaneous codex (MS. 13 Gud. Lat. 21) includes autographed letters from the Portuguese Jewish physician Abraham Zacuto, alias Zacuto Lusitano, (1575-1642), to his colleagues Rodrigo de Castro (1550-1627) and Baruch de Castro (1597-1684).

Archival history

The most important and valuable part of this collection came from the manuscripts of the jurist, philologist, and librarian Marquard Gude (1635-89). His private collection was bought by the librarian Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) and incorporated into the ducal library in Wolfenbüttel in 1710. The collection included manuscripts from Padua and the Ducal Library in Gottorf, as well as others from several private collections, such as those of Friedrich Lindenbrog (1573-1648), Bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg of Münster (1626-83), and Bernhard Rottendorf (1594-1671).
The Gudiani latini is the subject of the research project "Marquard Gude (1635-1689) und seine Handschriften".

(source: Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel (Manuscript database))

Administrative / Biographical history

Marquard Gude (1635-89) was a German jurist, archaeologist and classical scholar. He was originally intended for the Law, but from an early age showed a decided preference for classical studies. In 1658, he went to Holland in the hope of finding work as a teacher of classics. In the following year, he obtained the post of tutor and travelling companion to a wealthy young Dutchman, Samuel Schars, who died in 1675, leaving Gude a great part of his property.
During his travels, Gude seized the opportunity of copying inscriptions and manuscripts and acquired numerous Latin and Greek codices from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The wealth inherited from Schars gave him financial support for purchasing more and more manuscripts.
In 1671, Gude accepted the post of librarian to Duke Christian Albert of Holstein-Gottorp. In 1678, Gude, having quarrelled with the duke, retired into private life. However, in 1682, he entered the service of Christian V of Denmark, as counsellor of the Schleswig-Holstein chancellery, and remained in it almost to the time of his death in 1689.

(source: 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica)

Access points: locations

Hamburg (Germany)

Access points: persons, families

Castro, Baruch de (Benedito de Castro)

Castro, Rodrigo de (David Naamias)

Zacuto Lusitano (Abraham Zacuto, Manuel Álvares de Távora)

Access points: subject terms

Sephardim in Germany

Medicine

17th century

Access points: document types

Scientific correspondence

System of arrangement

The items are organised under the general rules of library management.

Access, restrictions

The manuscript collection is currently being digitized and described:

Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel (Manuscript database)

Finding aids

Heinemann, Otto von. 1913. Die Handschriften der Herzoglichen Bibliothek zu Wolfenbüttel. Abth. 4: Die Gudischen Handschriften. Wolfenbüttel: Zwissler. http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/15-4f-10-4b/start.htm.

Links to finding aids