1654 · réf. R121051 — Parisiis [Paris], Apud Ioannem Billaine, Simeonem Piget & Frederic Leonard 1654 Complete series of 17 volumes bound in 12 physical volumes, together ca. 11.324pp., in folio (38x26cm.), with engraved vignet on title pages, uniform contemporary full-vellum bindings (bit soiled, all bindings are intact and in good condition except for a tear on upper side of spine of volume 9, handwritten title on spines, raised bands, blind-tooled decorations on both covers, with 2 intact brass clasps for each volume), text printed in two columns, handwritten ex-libris on blanco leaf Ex Libris Rnd Ingolij prior. d.g. momento mori, .., Volume 17 contains the indices and errata, containing texts in Latin and in Greek, text and interior are clean and bright except for the following: volumes 1-2 have an old large waterstain on left side of the pages and volumes 9 to 15 contain an old waterstain on the lower right corner of the pages (these stains do not affect the reading of the text though), [This work is a monumental collection of early Christian writings compiled by the French theologian Marguerin de La Bigne (1546-1597). In 1575, he published his Sacra Bibliotheca Sanctorum Patrum in 8 volumes, gathering the works of ca. 200 early church writers, many of which were printed for the first time. It was re-edited, with the same title, in 1589 (2nd ed.) and 1610 (3r ed.). Subsequently it was re-edited with the title "(Magna) Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum.." in Cologne (1618-1622 in 14 vols.) and in Paris in 1624 (11 vols.) and 1644 (17 vols). Our 1654-edition is a re-edition of the Paris-1644-edition in 17 volumes. De La Bignes work was a strategic reponse to the Protestant Reformation, aiming to demonstrate that the Catholic doctrine was firmly rooted in the writings of the early Church Fathers. By providing authorized versions of texts and by providing such a large collection of patristic texts which previously existed only as manuscripts and/or separate works de La Bigne is considered to be the founder of modern patrology and precursor of the 19th cy. J.P. Migne, publisher of the famous Patrologia], weight: 45kg., rare complete set, R121051
