Thursday, September 14, 2017

Where are they now? New Testament text-critics’ libraries

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Eb. Nestle’s library (photo credit)
Occasionally, one buys a book on Amazon or at a used book store and discovers with delight that it was owned by a famous scholar from times past. When I was at Tyndale I managed to get a copy formerly owned by F. F. Bruce, many of which float around the stacks there.

Much better than a one-off copy, however, is to discover a past scholar’s entire library. Aside from the insight this can give of a scholar’s interests and abilities (for example), there are often many hidden gems to be found either in correspondences, in the margins of the books, or simply in the books themselves if they are rare.

To further this benefit, I thought it might be worth trying to compile a list of New Testament textual critics’ libraries. Here is what I have come up with so far, with the help of a few of my fellow bloggers. I would like to add to this, so if you know of any corrections or additions, please let me know.
  • Richard Bentley – Trinity College CB (per P. M. Head)
  • J. J. Wettstein – scattered across Europe (see Jan Krans here)
  • S. P. Tregelles ­– papers and correspondence at various British libraries (see here)
  • C. von Tischendorf University of Glasgow
  • B. F. Westcott – Some at Westcott House (Cambridge), some with Bible Society in the CUL. A PDF catalogue from the British National Archives is here
  • F. J. A. Hort – Sold at auction. See here. PMH mentions Hort’s books here. Stephen Neill (Interpretation, 66 n. 1) says that Hort’s copy of Mill ended up with Archdeacon Naylor of Montreal.
  • Hermann Hoskier – some books at Duke Divinity School Library
  • Caspar René Gregory – papers at Harvard Divinity School (see here)
  • Eberhard Nestle – Sold to Cambridge after 1913, now with the Van Kampen collection at the Scriptorium; papers, letters, and other memorobilia of Eberhard and Erwin are at FTH Giessen (see here)
  • Kirsopp and Silva Lake – ?
  • J. Rendel Harris – Woodbrooke Study Center in Birmingham, UK (see PDF here) and some at University of Birmingham library
  • E. C. Colwell – Library sold by his son (per Maurice Robinson)
  • Eric Turner – University of Western Australia. See Hixson’s comment below.
  • Kenneth W. Clark – Duke Divinity School Library, mixed among the main collection
  • Kurt and Barbara Aland – First part (up to 1959) of Kurt’s is held at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (info) and the second part (1959–1994) is at the Archive of the University of Münster available now with the family’s permission and to the public starting in 2030. Barbara’s library is still being used.
  • Neville Birdsall – University of Birmingham (info)
  • Bruce M. Metzger – Sold on the internet if my memory is right
  • Gordon Fee – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (info)
  • Jacob Geerlings – CSNTM (see here)
  • Eldon J. Epp – Baylor University (see here)

32 comments

  1. Glasgow seems right for Tischendorf: http://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/specialcollections/collectionsa-z/tischendorfcollection/

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  2. Wever's library is at Trinity Western University.

    Though some of his volumes that were library duplicates ended up on TWU library's book sale--I picked up Wever's copy of BDB for a toonie.

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  3. Edgar J. Goodspeed
    http://goodspeed.lib.uchicago.edu/collection.php

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  4. Many of J. Rendel Harris's papers are at the Woodbrooke Study Center in Birmingham, UK.
    https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/learn/resources/library-services/
    Also some at the University of Birmingham.

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  5. Thanks, all. Jeff, the Goodspeed collection is ancient material isn't it?

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  6. This may not be directly relevant to NT text criticism, but Duke U. bought some scholars' libraries during, more of less, the depression, when tobacco money was still flush. These included those of Christian history scholar Karl Holl (1866-1927), editor of Epiphanius etc., and Hebrew Bible scholar Wolf (W. F. von) Baudissin (1847-1927). Stretching the topic even more, Morton Smith's books and some papers are at Jewish Theological Seminary in NY; in the archive is something that paleographers who studied Smith's Greek marginalia handwriting seem to have missed: his super neat 1958 fair copy of the "Letter to Theodore," on which he wrote "manufactured in the United States." Going even further afield, if Smith wrote that letter partly to show it to Gershom Scholem--possibly the first person to whom he showed it--Scholem's library and papers are at Hebrew U. Scholem had little interest in NT, despite Smith trying to parallel Jesus with Sabbetai Sevi, and--more surprisingly--little interest in Dead Sea Scrolls (though Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifices, sadly, was not published before his death). "I do not propose to dwell on this controversy [Minim as gnostics or Jewish-Christians] which, like the voluminous literature on the subject of the Essenes, has become the happy hunting-ground of those who delight in hypotheses."

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  7. Peter, this informatiom could go into the resource page. What do you think?

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  8. W.D. (William David) Davies' library was, I think, bought by Wake Forest U.

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  9. This is becoming more helpful, thanks.

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  10. For Hort's library: Catalogue of the Valuable Library of Books Consisting of Theological, Classical, Philosophical & Liturgical Literature. To be Sold ... by John Swan & Son ... on Wednesday & Thursday, May 17 & 18, 1893 ... By Direction of the Executors of F.J.A. Hort

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  11. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Auction_Rooms_19_Sidney_Street_Cambridge.html?id=1mX2MgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

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    1. Thanks, Pete. That's the book I have personal photos of. But, for whatever reason, I could not find the UL entry for it when I put this post together last week.

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  12. I just came across the fact that the papers of A.C. Clark are in Oxford. Granted, papers ≠ personal library, but it's worth noting: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/online/modern/clark-ac/clark-ac.html

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  13. Where are they now, Erasmus' books? See:
    Erasmus and his books / Egbertus van Gulik ; translated [from the Dutch] by J.C. Grayson ; edited by James K. McConica and Johannes Trapman. - Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, 2017. - (Erasmus studies)
    https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctv301dgt


    ehy now

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  14. Not his whole library, I'm sure, but some of F.C. Burkitt's books ended up at Tyndale House—specifically, his copies of P.Oxy. I–XVII (I write this with his copy of P.Oxy. XV in front of me to check the ed. pr. of the part of P5 published there). Unfortunately, I have not run across any interesting marginalia.

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  15. Interesting post.

    "E. C. Colwell – Library sold by his son (per Maurice Robinson)"

    Even so, many of "Pomp" Colwell's books were integrated into the Claremont School of Theology's library;--including some volumes which were originally owned by such names as: Burgon, Hoskier, Legg and other key text critics. Several of the older standard works on NTTC had not only the name of E.C. Colwell (or oftentimes "Pomp" Colwell) written in pencil on a flyleaf,--but also contained personal handwritten notes occasionally. (A typewritten rough draft of the IGNTP Luke vols. actually had some back-and-forth note taking (and interaction) between Colwell and Metzger.)

    I've been told that the vast bulk of this library has been recently moved to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon due to the closure of the school. Hopefully someone will continue to enjoy these small hidden treasures in the Pacific Northwest. Thankfully, many of the volumes have been digitized, and will be made available to those who live outside of the Salem, Oregon area.

    https://www.infodocket.com/2020/07/01/claremont-school-of-theology-donates-250000-research-volumes-and-ancient-biblical-manuscripts-collection-to-internet-archives-open-library/


    Silver lining: perhaps my recent misfortune of losing the library that I frequented since my youth will benefit someone...somewhere, and to God be the glory.

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  16. I saw on facebook that Larry Hurtado's books have gone to (been purchased by?) the Lanier Theological Library.

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  17. Eric Turner: University of Western Australia.

    From Nongbri, "Palaeography, Precision and Publicity: Further Thoughts on P.Ryl. III.457 (P52)" NTS 66 (2020): 491, n. 59: "Much of Turner’s library and a small collection of his personal papers were purchased by the University of Western Australia in Perth in 1985. Eight boxes of Turner’s papers are kept in Special Collections, while his books have been integrated into the library’s general collection."

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  18. Not related to textual criticism, but I have about 90 books from G. Campbell Morgan's personal library. Unfortunately most of his personal library given by his descendants to Chicago Theological Seminary (United Church of Christ), something I don't think Morgan himself would approve of.

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    1. Alexander Thomson6/28/2021 11:06 am

      That sad story underlines the importance of making provision to pass one's books to some person/institution who/which will care! Don't leave it to the last minute / family / chance!

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  19. On Bentley see the recent article in Novum Testamentum: https://brill.com/view/journals/nt/62/3/article-p322_5.xml

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  20. A mystery, which is somewhat on topic—whose book was this?
    New Testament Studies 67.3 (2021) 356-387, “Opera Evangelica: A Lost Collection of Christian Apocrypha” by Tony Burke and Gregory Peter Fewster report on a manuscript, now in Toronto, “Done into English by I. B.” The identity of I. (or J.) B. is uncertain, but someone later added to B., to Beltz.
    The book Preface suggests that the author had a connection with Oxford. Another partial copy of the book is in Cambridge. Searches for an I. or J. Beltz as an Oxford fellow (or librarian?), circa 1700, so far have failed.
    Is the added name Beltz accurate? Beltz, a name either originally from eastern Europe, or meaning furrier (pelt), or… shortened, in various spellings, for Balthazar, coincidentally known from apocrypha.
    Maybe a dead end, but: Alumni Cantabrigienses, part 1 to 1751 lists Balster, Jacob. Adm. pens. At Clare, May 9, 1692. Of Silton, Dorset. Matric. 1692. One of these names, of Wincanton, Somerset; matric. At New Inn Hall Oxford, Apr. 7, 1688, age 19. Ord. deacon (Lincoln) Sept. 24, 1693; C. of Glatton, Hunts.; priest, June 3, 1694.
    Others may find better information.

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  21. For a nice example of the value of scholars’ libraries, see p. 7 of the Introduction to CSNTM’s new facsimile of P45, P46, and P47.

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    1. I personally have bought books that were once owned by D. C. Parker, one of which was Swete's commentary on the Gospel of Mark. In it were contained several of his own personal notes. :) Also if one goes to https://archive.org/details/family13theferra0000unse_s3s7/page/n5/mode/2up , they can see what appears to be a scan of E. C. Colwell's personal copy of K. and S. Lake's The Ferrar Group - The Gospel of Mark. :)

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  22. Ted Letis' library went to the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary in Wyoming, MI. A blog post about it here (with a few others at the same blog): https://cjts3rs.wordpress.com/2014/07/10/finishing-the-letis-collection/

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  23. H.H. Baber's books are sold at a Sotheby's auction.
    Baber enriched the Ely Cathedral Library with many books, also in the field of textual criticism. He donated a copy of his facsimile edition of the Codex Alexandrinus to Ely. Baber was Keeper of Printed Books in the British Museum Library.
    Part of the Ely Library transferred to Cambridge in 1970, with the exception of those books sold at Sotheby's 9-10 March 1972. Sold by order of Dean and Chapter are for example Emmerling's Commentary on 2 Corinthians, 1823 (with extensive notes on TC) and Tischendorf's edition of the Codex Vaticanus, 1867. Both acquiered from Baber.
    So a great part of the Ely Cathedral Library is no longer available in public libraries.

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  24. I just came across a note in the acknowledgments of a dissertation (p. iii of James Wesley Wiles, "A Reconstruction and Evaluation of the Matthean Text of John Chrysostom"; 1992 PhD SWBTS): "Appreciation is also expressed to Dr. James A. Brooks for his successful efforts in acquiring the personal library of Dr. G.D. Kilpatrick for A. Webb Roberts Library, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary...".

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