De dignitate conditionis humanae: Translation, Commentary, and Reception History of the Dicta Albini (Ps.-Alcuin) and the Dicta Candidi

Abstract

In two MSS of the ninth century the Dicta Albini and the Dicta Candidi Presbyteri de imagine Dei are to be found fused together into a treatise named De dignitate conditionis humanae. Although the Dicta Albini, once attributed to Alcuin of York, may go back to an unknown late antique author from southern Gaul and the Dicta Candidi may have had a pupil of Alcuin for its author, their common theme unites them and testifies to the history of the conceptualization of human dignity. Both dicta have been critically edited by John Marenbon (1981) and are translated here for the first time. A hitherto-unnoticed source of the Dicta Albini in the Roman liturgy is also identified. Against the background of the study of the content of the treatise(s) it is argued that dignitas conditionis humanae is so close in meaning, systematically and linguistically, to the contemporary idea of human dignity that the treatise(s) should be read as part of the history of this idea. In fact our treatise(s) significantly influenced the thought of later ages. The considerable popularity which the material enjoyed is traced from Carolingian times down to the early Renaissance. Around 1450 an extensive excerpt from the Dicta Albini was translated into Middle English; in an appendix this version is edited from all four manuscript witnesses. All of these ramifications of the treatise(s) alert us to an often-overlooked strand in the history of the idea of human dignity.

Early anthropological interest: Magnus Hundt’s and Galeazzo Capra’s quest for humanity

“…The fact that already in the ninth century an unknown author produced a De dignitate conditionis humanae bears witness to such a perspective. The treatise discussed dignity as the fundamental condition of living as a human, arguing that human beings were created to pro-actively proceed towards self-esteem and goodness (Marenbon 1981;Lebech, Evoy, and Flood 2009). In this sense, the present contribution conjoins the historical meaning of the term anthropology with the uncovering of the medieval roots of the discussion on dignity.…”

Ostfränkische Sammlungen von Dichtung im 9. Jahrhundert

“…223 We lche Handschrift welcher als Vo rlage diente ist unklar; festgestellt kann jedoch werden, dass Inschriften im Gozbald-Kreis zirkulierten und dass der Bischof ein persönliches Interesse darann ahm. Der zweite Teil der Handschrift, der der gesamten den Titel gab, enthältd as pseudo-cyprianische Carmen de resurrectione mortuorum 224 mit Zugabe weiterer Texte zu Cyprian,d arunter Briefe und die Passio Cypriani,s owie zwei der DictaC andidi 225 . Das Gedichti st nicht, wie in einer gleichzeitigen Lorscher Handschrift,226…”

“…356). 582 Nach Bischoff,[117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][224][225], [115][116] S. 201, 202, 220, 241, 263, 293, 294, 382. zerpiertenDichter der Bibliothek eingereiht wurden.…”

“…+IV [109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116] (XV) +V [117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126] (XVI) +VI [127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138] (XVII) +5IV (XVIII-XXI, XXIII) + 4IV (XXIV-XXVI) +(III-1) [203][204][205][206][207] [XXVII?] + IV [208][209][210][211][212][213][214][215] (XXVIIII) +III [216][217][218][219][220][221][222] (XXX) +V [222][223][224][225][226][227][228][229][230]…”

“…Obwohl die Zusammenfassung vonS alzburger Inschriften in Teil II. an eine Empfängerüberlieferung denken lässt, zeigt die sequentielle Übereinstimmung mit Du ChesnesHandschrift (224)(225)(226)(227)(228)(229)(230)(231), dass diese Inschriften sich schon in Alkuins Register beieinander befunden haben müssen. Interessant ist in diesem Zusammenhang ein weiterer Textzeuge: Im Verbrüderungsbuch vonS t. Peter, 1727 das zu Zeiten Virgils begonnen wurde, befindet sich auf pp.…”