Sibylline Oracles References

Collins, John J., trans. “Sibylline Oracles.” Pages 317–472 in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. Volume 1. Garden City: Doubleday, 1983.

Lanchester, H. C. O., trans. “The Sibylline Oracles.” Pages 368–406 in vol. 2 of The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English. Edited by R.H. Charles. Oxford: Clarendon, 1913 (books 3–5).

Lightfoot, J. L., trans. The Sibylline Oracles: With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on the First and Second Books. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 (books 1–2).

Potter, David, trans. Prophecy and History in the Crisis of the Roman Empire: A Historical Commentary on the Thirteenth Sibylline Oracle. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Terry, Milton S., trans. The Sibylline Oracles: Translated from the Greek into English Blank Verse. New York: Eaton & Mains; Cincinnati: Curts & Jennings, 1899.

Treu, Ursula, trans. Pages 652–84 in vol. 2 of The New Testament Apocrypha. Edited by Edgar Hennecke and Wilhelm Schneemelcher. English translation edited by Robert McLachlan Wilson. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1965 (selections designated “Christian Sibyllines”)

Nikiprowetzky, Valentin, trans. La troisième Sibylle. Paris; La Haye: Mouton, 1970 (book 3).

Roessli, Jean-Michel. “Les Oracles sibyllins: Livres 6, 7 et 8 (vv. 217–428).” Pages 1045–83 in vol. 2 of Écrits apocryphes chrétiens. Edited by Pierre Geoltrain and Jean-Daniel Kaestli. Bibliothèque de le Pléiade 516. Paris: Gallimard, 2005 (books 6–8).

Friedlieb, J. H. Oracula Sibyllina, ad fidem codd. mscr. quotquot exstant recensuit, praetextis prolegomenis illustravit, versione germanica instruxit, annotationes criticas et rerum indicem. Leipzig: Weigel, 1852.

Kurfeß, Alfons, trans. Sibyllinische Weissagungen: Urtext und Übersetzung. Munich: Heimeran, 1951 (books 1–8, 11).

Ubigli, Liliana Rosso. “Oracoli Sibillini.” Pages 383–535 in vol. 3 of Apocrifi dell’Antico Testamento. Brescia: Paideia, 1999 (books 3–5).

Alexandre, Charles, trans. Oracula Sibyllina. 2 vols. Paris: Firmin Didot fratres, 1841–1856.

Suárez de la Torre, Emilio, trans. “Oráculos Sibilinos.” Pages 331–618 in vol. 3 of Apócrifos del Antiguo Testamento. 3d edition. Madrid: Ediciones Cristiandad, 2016.

• from Wikipedia

The text has been transmitted in fourteen "books", preserved in two distinct manuscript traditions, one containing books 1–8, the other 9–14. However, "book 9" consists of material from books 1–8 and "book 10" is identical to "book 4", so that the edition by Collins (1983) contains only books 1–8 and 11–14. The main manuscripts date to the 14th to 16th centuries (Collins 1983:321):

• Group φ: books 1–8 with an anonymous prologue
  • Z: Codex Hierosolymitanus Sabaiticus 419 (late 14th century)
  • A: Codex Vindobonensis hist gr. XCVI 6 (15th century)
  • P: Codex Monacensis 351 (15th century)
  • B: Codex Bodleianus Baroccianus 103 (late 15th century)
  • S: Codex Scorialensis II Σ 7 (late 15th century)
  • D: Codex Vallicellianus gr. 46 (16th century)
• Group ψ: books 1–8, without prologue
  • F: Codex Laurentianus plut. XI 17 (15th century)
  • R: Codex Parisinus 2851 (late 15th century)
  • L: Codex Parisinus 2850 (1475)
  • T: Codex Toletanus Cat 88.44 (c. 1500)
• Group Ω: books 9–14
  • M: Codices Ambrosiani E64 sup. (15th century)
  • Q: Codex Vaticanus 1120 (14th century)
  • V: Codex Vaticanus 743 (14th century)
  • H: Codex Monacensis gr. 312 (1541)

To this may be added the ample quotations found in the writings of the early Church Fathers.

In 1545 Xystus Betuleius (Sixt Birck of Augsburg) published at Basel an edition based on manuscript P, and the next year a version set in Latin verse appeared. Better manuscripts were used by Johannes Opsopaeus, whose edition appeared at Paris in 1599. Later editions include those by Servaas Galle (Servatius: Amsterdam 1689) and by Andrea Gallandi in his Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum (Venice, 1765, 1788).

Books 11–14 were edited only in the 19th century. In 1817 Angelo Mai edited a further book, from a manuscript in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana at Milan (Codex Ambrosianus) and later he discovered four more books, in the Vatican Library, none of which were continuations of the eight previously printed, but an independent collection. These are numbered XI to XIV in later editions. Several fragments of oracles taken from the works of Theophilus and Lactantius, printed in the later editions, show that even more Sibylline oracles formerly existed. In the course of the 19th century, better texts also became available for the parts previously published.

• from Stewart Lester (2020)

3.1 Manuscripts and Editions

3.1.1 Greek

Class Φ

• A Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, hist. gr. 96, fols. 1^r–61^v (15th cent.)
• B Oxford, Bodleian Library, Barocci 109, fols. 231^r–238^v (15th cent.)
• P Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Monacensis 351 (15th cent.)
• S Madrid, Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Scorialensis Σ II 7, fols. 285^r–324^v (15th cent.)
• D Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana, Vallicellianus graecus 46 (16th cent.)

Class Ψ

• F Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florentinus Laurentianus plutei XI 17 (15th cent.)
• R Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 2851, fols. 1^r–72^v (15th cent.)
• L Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 2850, fols. 1^r–72^v (1475)
• T Toledo, La Biblioteca del Cabildo de la Santa Iglesia Catedral, Toletanus 8⁰.99.44 (15th cent.)

Class Ω

• M Milan, Biblioteca Pinacoteca Accademia Ambrosiana, E 64 sup., fols. 7^r–15^r (15th cent.)
• Q Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 1120 (14th cent.)
• V Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 743, fols. 57^r–90^v (14th cent.)
• H Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Monacensis 312, fols. 1^r–81^v (1541)
• Z Jerusalem, Patriarchē bibliothēkē, Hagiou Saba 419 (late 14th cent.)

Alexandre, Charles, ed. Oracula Sibyllina: Textu ad codices manuscriptos recognits, cum Castalionis versione metrica innumeris locis emendata. 2 vols. Paris: Firmin Didot fratres, 1841–1856 (based on Betuleius (P), A, B, S, F, R, L, H, M, V; First edition of books 1–8, 11–14).

Betuleius, Xystus, ed. Sibyllinorum oraculorum libri octo. Basel, 1545 (based on P; Books 1–8).

Denis, Albert-Marie, O.P., ed. Concordance grecque des pseudépigraphes d’Ancien Testament. Concordance, corpus des textes, indices. Louvain-la-Neuve: Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute Orientaliste, 1987 (books 3–5).

Friedlieb, J. H., ed. Oracula Sibyllina, ad fidem codd. mscr. quotquot exstant recensuit, praetextis prolegomenis illustravit, versione germanica instruxit, annotationes criticas et rerum indicem. Leipzig: Weigel, 1852.

Gallaeus, Seravatius, ed. Sibyllina oracula. Amsterdam: Boom, 1689 (books 1–8).

Gauger, Jörg-Dieter, ed. Sibyllinische Weissagungen. Sammlung Tusculum. Dusseldorf; Zürich: Artemis & Winkler, 1998 (books 1–8, 11; based on Kurfeß).

Geffcken, Johannes, ed. Die Oracula Sibyllina. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1902 (books 18, 11–14).

Kurfeß, Alfons, ed. Sibyllinische Weissagungen: Urtext und Übersetzung. Munich: Heimeran, 1951 (books 1–8, 11).

Lightfoot, J. L., ed. The Sibylline Oracles: With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on the First and Second Books. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 (books 1–2).

Mai, Angelo. Sibyllinus Liber XIV. graece ex Ambrosiano codice, cum poetica editoris interpretatione et praevia dissertatione ac notis, accad. Sibyll. Liber XIV et pars VIII, cum multa vocum et versuum varietate. Milan, 1817 (book 14).

Mai, Angelo. “Sibyllae libri XI. XII. XIII. XIIII. ex codicibus Vaticanis editi.” Scriptorum veterum nova collection e Vaticanis codicibus edita III. Rome, 1828 (based on M, Q, and V; books 11–14).

Opsopoeus, Johannes. Sibyllina oracula ex vett. cod. aucta, renovate et notis illustrata a Johanne Opsopoeo Brettano cum interpretatione latine Sebastiani Castalionis et indice. Paris, 1599 (based on R, and two unknown manuscripts; Books 1–8).

Potter, David. Prophecy and History in the Crisis of the Roman Empire: A Historical Commentary on the Thirteenth Sibylline Oracle. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990 (book 13).

Rzach, Aloisius. Oracula Sibyllina. Vindobonae: F. Tempsky; Lipsiae: G. Freytag, 1891 (books 1–8, 11–14).