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The Rooklooster Register Unveiled

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The Rooklooster Register: a Tough Monument to Edit

Several scholars have studied the Rooklooster Register, but their plans to edit and publish the manuscript have never been carried through.
The first researcher whose attention was drawn to the manuscript was Theodor Gottlieb (†1929), librarian of the Imperial and Royal Court Library of Vienna. Apparently he was planning a study or publication on the subject, and as a consequence he was unwilling to grant foreign colleagues access to the manuscript. In any case his research notes seem to have been lost.
Nevertheless it was C.G.N. De Vooys (†1955), professor of Dutch Linguistics and Literature at the Rijksuniversiteit in Utrecht (Netherlands), who rediscovered the Rooklooster Register. In 1897 he excerpted some notes from the manuscript, e.g. on the works of the mystic Hadewijch, to provide them to Willem De Vreese (†1938), his colleague of Gent. The latter's visit to the imperial Familien Fidei-Kommissbibliothek in 1907, to consult the Rooklooster Register, came to naught. He was told, contrary to agreement and in spite of his indignation, that the manuscript had been requested by the Hofbibliothek. Rather irritated over this unfortunate event, he voiced his opinion that access to manuscripts that had been wrongfully taken from "Belgian" monasteries, was withheld from a "Belgian" scholar. In 1913 the jesuit and historian of Dutch literature Jozef van Mierlo (†1958), one of the pioneers of the Ruusbroecgenootschap in Antwerp, also ventured upon consulting the manuscript. Gottlieb, however, only allowed him a glimpse of the Hadewijch items in the register. In the mean time, Paul Lehmann (†1964), a Latinist from Munich who initiated the publication of German and Swiss medieval library catalogues, had announced the preparation of the publication of the manuscript in a few articles in 1920 and 1937.

C.G.N. De VooysLoading zoom, please waitC.G.N. De Vooys Willem De VreeseLoading zoom, please waitWillem De Vreese Paul LehmannLoading zoom, please waitPaul Lehmann
Jozef Van MierloLoading zoom, please waitJozef Van Mierlo Jozef-Maria De SmetLoading zoom, please waitJozef-Maria De Smet Pieter ObbemaLoading zoom, please waitPieter Obbema

In the following decades, the Rooklooster Register would increasingly attract attention in Belgium. A few years after his attempt to study the manuscript in Vienna, Van Mierlo managed to obtain it in loan in order to photograph the entire manuscript. As a result, the part containing the anonymous works in the illustrious book register were published in 1930. At the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven the interest was also lively: the church historian and canon Jozef-Maria De Smet (†1996) had the Rooklooster Register at his disposal in Leuven between 1949 and 1954. He was to lead an effort to study the manuscript with the intention of publishing it. Finally, two staff members of the Ruusbroecgenootschap, the jesuit Paul Verdeyen and the academic librarian Frans Hendrickx, after a visit to Vienna in 1978 again attempted to resume the earlier study of the manuscript at the Ruusbroecgenootschap. Lacking structural support for their plans, their effort also failed.
P.F.J. Obbema (†2015), who was curator of Western manuscripts at the University Library of Leiden, attempted to edit the Rooklooster Register in a "light" version. Since many titles and biographical notes in the manuscript have been copied from Joannes Trithemius’ Liber de scriptoribis ecclesiasticis Obbema decided to leave out parts of the copied entries, specifically those that are not referring to a library. Furthermore, some printed editions are included in the Rooklooster Register, because at the time of the compilation of the manuscript the art of printing was already in full expansion. Those prints were also left out by Obbema, because they no longer represent unique items in the monastic libraries. Obbema was specifically referring to prints that were present in the Rooklooster and Groenendaal libraries at the time of the compilation of the Rooklooster Register. An exception was made for printed works of which a handwritten copy was registered in the Register of Sint-Maarten. In doing so, the edition of the Rooklooster Register could be reduced in size by almost sixty to seventy percent. In addition to transcribing a reduced set of items from the manuscript, Obbema was also taking on the daunting task of adding bibliographical notes for the remaining entries in his edition.

Basic Literature

Apart from the two most recent articles by Pieter Obbema, digitally available on this website (see below), we here provide a bibliographical list of studies, although restricted to those that treat the Rooklooster Register more or less in its entirety. Reports of research into individual authors and their works or the book possession of individual monastic libraries based on the Rooklooster Register have been left out. In our opinion the latter would fit better in a study of the reception of the manuscript in the history of religious literature and monastic history. The following bibliographical list is ordered chronologically.

  • 1912 C. Mohlberg, Nachrichten von belgischen Sammelkatalogen des 15./16. Jahrhunderts, in: Historisches Jahrbuch der Görres-Gesellschaft, 33 (1912), 365-375.
  • 1913 W. De Vreese, Een catalogus der handschriften in Nederlandsche kloosters uit het jaar 1487, in: Verslagen en mededeelingen der Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde [Gent], 1913, 337-348 — Reprint: see 1962.
  • 1920 P. Lehmann, Quellen zur Feststellung und Geschichte mittelalterlicher Bibliotheken, Handschriften und Schriftsteller, in: Historisches Jahrbuch der Görres-Gesellschaft, 40 (1920), 44-105 — First reprint: see 1941. Second reprint: see 1959.
  • 1928 J. Van Mierlo Jr., Een katalogus van handschriften in Nederlandsche bibliotheken uit 1487, in: Ons geestelijk erf, 2 (1928), 275-303.
  • 1930 J. Van Mierlo Jr., De anonymi uit den katalogus van handschriften van Rooklooster, in: Ons geestelijk erf, 4 (1930), 84-102, 316-357.
  • 1937 P. Lehmann, Alte Vorläufer des Gesamtkatalogs, in: Festschrift Georg Leyh. Aufsätze zum Bibliothekswesen und zur Forschungsgeschichte dargebracht zum 60. Geburtstage am 6. Juni 1937 von Freunde und Fachgenossen, Leipzig, 1937, 69-81 — Reprint: see 1961.
  • 1941 P. Lehmann, Quellen zur Feststellung und Geschichte mittelalterlicher Bibliotheken, Handschriften und Schriftsteller [1st reprint]: in: P. Lehmann, Erforschung des Mittelalters. Ausgewählte Abhandlungen und Aufsätze, Leipzig, 1941, 306-358 — Original edition: see 1920. Second reprint: see 1959.
  • 1941 L. Verschueren, De bibliotheek der kartuizers van Roermond, Tilburg, 1941, 64-71 (= Historisch tijdschrift, serie Studies, 6).
  • 1959 P. Lehmann, Quellen zur Feststellung und Geschichte mittelalterlicher Bibliotheken, Handschriften und Schriftsteller [2nd reprint], in: P. Lehmann, Erforschung des Mittelalters. Ausgewählte Abhandlungen und Aufsätze, vol. 1, Stuttgart, 1959, 306-358 — Original edition: see 1920. First reprint: see 1941.
  • 1961 P. Lehmann, Alte Vorläufer des Gesamtkatalogs [reprint], in: P. Lehmann, Erforschung des Mittelalters. Ausgewählte Abhandlungen und Aufsätze, vol. 4, Stuttgart, 1961, 172-183, especially 176-181 — Original edition: see 1937.
  • 1961 H. Silvestre, À propos d’anciens catalogues collectifs de manuscrits, in: Scriptorium, 15 (1961), 323-327, especially 323-325.
  • 1962 W. De Vreese, Een catalogus der handschriften in Nederlandsche kloosters uit het jaar 1487 [reprint], in: W. De Vreese, Over handschriften en handschriftenkunde. Tien codicologische studiën, bijeengebracht, ingeleid en toegelicht door P.J.H. Vermeeren, Zwolle, 1962, 71-84 (= Zwolse reeks van taal- en letterkundige studies, 11) — Original edition: see 1913.
  • 1962 F. Unterkircher, De Nationale Bibliotheek van Oostenrijk. Handschriften en gedrukte werken over de geschiedenis van de Nederlanden (1475-1600). Vertaald door G. Dogaer & E. Cockx-Indestege, Brussel, 1962, 73-74 (= Catalogi van tentoonstellingen georganiseerd in de Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, A9).
  • 1962 P.J.H. Vermeeren, Op zoek naar de librije van Rooklooster, in: Het Boek, 3e reeks, 35 (1961-1962), 134-173, especially 146-153.
  • 1965 H. Silvestre, Précisions compléméntaires sur d’anciens catalogues collectifs de manuscrits, in: Scriptorium, 19 (1965), 90-96, especially 90-92.
  • 1966 W. Lourdaux & E. Persoons, De bibliotheken en scriptoria van de Zuidnederlandse kloosters van het Kapittel van Windesheim. Een bibliografische inleiding, in: Archief- en bibliotheekwezen in België, 37 (1966), 61-74, especially 62-63.
  • 1968 W. Lourdaux, Inleiding tot de studie van de handschriften van Sint-Maarten te Leuven, in: Sources de l’histoire religieuse de la Belgique. Moyen Âge et Temps modernes / Bronnen voor de religieuze geschiedenis van België. Middeleeuwen en Moderne Tijden. Actes du Colloque de Bruxelles 30 nov.-2 déc. 1967, Louvain, 1968, 142-180, especially 154-163 (= Bibliothèque de la Revue d’histoire ecclésiastique, 47) — Sub paragrapho: De cataloog van Gerardus Roelants en deze van Rooklooster.
  • 1972 A. Gruijs, Fragment d’un catalogue ancien de Groenendael ayant servi à la composition du répertoire collectif de Rougecloître (Paris Mazarine, Ms. 4095A, et Vienne, Ö.N.B., Ms. 9373), in: J.P. Gumbert & M.J.M. De Haan (eds.), Varia codicologica, Amsterdam, 1972, 76-86 (= Litterae textuales. A series on manuscripts and their textes. Essays presented to G.I. Lieftinck, 1).
  • 1973 P.F.J. Obbema, Een Deventer bibliotheekcatalogus van het einde der vijftiende eeuw. Een bijdrage tot de studie van de laat-middeleeuwse bibliotheekcatalogi, vol. 1, Brussel, 1973, 26-28 (= Archief- en bibliotheekwezen in België, extranr. 8).
  • 1974 W. Lourdaux, Het boekenbezit en het boekengebruik bij de Moderne Devoten, in: Contributions à l’histoire des bibliothèques et de la lecture aux Pays-Bas avant 1600 / Studies over het boekenbezit en boekengrbruik in de Nederlanden vóór 1600, Brussel, 1974, 247-325, especially 299-325 (= Archief- en bibliotheekwezen in België, extranr. 11) — Sub paragrapho: De verzamelcataloog van Gerard Roelants en het Register van Rooklooster.
  • 1974 M. Mittler, Studien zur Geschichte der Siegburger Abteibibliothek, Sieburg, 1974, 1-41, especially 1-27 (= Siegburger Studien, 8) — Sub paragrapho: Nachrichten zum Bestand der Siegburger Abteibibliothek in der ersten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts aus einer Wiener Handschrift.
  • 1976 H. Knaus, Ein rheinischer Gesamtkatalog des 15. Jahrhunderts, in: Gutenberg-Jahrbuch, 1976, 509-519.
  • 1977 P.F.J. Obbema, The Rooklooster Register evaluated, in: Quaerendo, 7 (1977), 326-353 — Revised Dutch translation: see 1996.
  • 1979 A. Derolez, Les catalogues de bibliothèques, Turnhout, 1979, 46-47 (= Typologie des sources du Moyen Âge occidental, 31).
  • 1982 W. Lourdaux & M. Haverals, Bibliotheca Vallis Sancti Martini in Lovanio. Bijdrage tot de studie van het geestesleven in de Nederlanden (15de-18e eeuw) / A contribution to the study of intellectual life in the Netherlands (15th-18th C.), vol. 2: De geschiedenis van de bibliotheek en de evolutie van haar inhoud / The history of the library and of its contents, Leuven, 1982, 44-84 (= Symbolae Facultatis Litterarum et Philolosophiae Lovaniensis, series A:8) — Sub paragrapho: De catalogus van Gerardus Roelants en het Register van Rooklooster (Wien, Ö.N.B., Series nova, 12694).
  • 1986 R.H. Rouse & M.A. Rouse, Bibliography before print: the medieval ‘De viris illustribus’, in: P. Ganz (ed.), The role of the book in medieval culture. Proceedings of the Oxford international symposium, 26 September - 1 October 1982, vol. 1, Turnhout, 1986, 133-153, especially 152-153 (= Bibliologia. Elementa ad librorum studia pertinentia, 3).
  • 1996 P. Obbema, Het Register van Rooklooster op de weegschaal, in: P. Obbema, De middeleeuwen in handen. Over de boekcultuur in de late middeleeuwen, Hilversum, 1996, 103-120 — Original English version: see 1977.
  • 1999 Th. Kock, Die Buchkultur der Devotio Moderna. Handschriftenproduktion, Literaturversorgung und Bibliotheksaufbau im Zeitalter des Medienwechsels, Frankfurt am Main etc., 1999, 223-246 (= Tradition - Reform - Innovation. Studien zur Modernität des Mittelalters, 2).
  • 2001 A. Derolez, B. Victor & W. Bracke (eds.), Corpus Catalogorum Belgii. The medieval booklists of the Southern Low Countries, vol. 4: Provinces of Brabant and Hainault, ed. with the collaboration of J.-W. Klein, Brussel, 2001, 179.
  • 2005 P.F.J. Obbema, Problems in editing the Rooklooster Register, in: W. Bracke & A. Derolez (eds.), Middeleeuwse bibliotheken en boekenlijsten in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden / Les bibliothèques médiévales et leurs catalogues dans les Pays-Bas méridionaux, Brussel, 2005, 71-76. (= Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten. Contactforum 5 november 2004).

Frans Hendrickx

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1996 Het Register van Rooklooster op de weegschaal.PDF3.69 MB
2005 Problems in editing the Rooklooster Register.PDF1.17 MB

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© Frans Hendrickx

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