Homeliae et Sermones

4° of 42 pages., blk. l. missing ; gothic type, initials in red ; 19th century calf , ribbed spine, red edges.

189 x 126 mm.

Saint Augustin (354-430). Homeliae et Sermones.

[Cologne. Ulrich Zel, 1470].

Precious and very rare first edition of this beautiful text by Augustine, a true art of living one’s earthly existence well.

HC, 1984 ; Polain (B), 388 ; GW, 2913 ; Goff, A-281.

During the thirty-five years of his episcopate, Saint Augustine almost never wrote his homilies or sermons in advance.

"Despite this, the Sermons of Saint Augustine are not only, as a whole, an unparalleled example of Christian eloquence, but also, without a doubt, one of his most beautiful and significant works in terms of their literary merit."

The orator's primary concern is to connect, with a profound sense of humanity and great understanding, with the soul of even the humblest of his faithful, translating even the most complex subjects, which form the core of his great theological and apologetic works, into clear explanations illustrated with examples. The language is simple, the words are like those used by ordinary people every day; the clear and incisive phrases are often expressed as proverbs; the arguments can be understood by anyone; the tone is always affectionate and good-natured, imbued with great humility. and everything is imbued with a spirit of ardent and constant apostolate.

For Saint Augustine, to pose the problem of humanity is to pose the problem of God. The world certainly finds a place in his philosophical inquiry, but he centers it on God and humanity; the external world interests him only in relation to humanity, which plays, in a way, the role of mediator between humanity and God. Saint Augustine's philosophy is an ardent and uninterrupted dialogue between the creature and the creator, between humanity seeking God and God coming to meet them, a spiritual journey from finite being to infinite being. To know oneself in the true essence of one's being is to know that God exists and to encounter Him through "charitas" (love). It is therefore a journey of the heart, but make no mistake: for Augustine, humanity is a thinking being since it participates in truth.

A FINE COPY PRINTED BY ULRICH ZEL, THE FIRST PRINTER OF THE CITY OF COLOGNE.

In 1464, Ulrich Zel, a cleric of the diocese of Mainz, was enrolled at the University of Cologne. In 1466, he published his first signed and dated edition, of the Psalms of Saint John Chrysostom, but his first printed book, undated, was Cicero's "De Officiis."

First editions of Saint Augustine's works have become extremely rare.

This one in particular, of which only two copies exist in American libraries, is missing from the British Museum.

Provenance : Pierre Hoë.