Explanatio in Psalmos
Parisiis (Paris): Ioannis Iost, 1634. New edition, corrected. Hardcover. Quarto (9 1/2 x 7 1/4"). 10, [6], 1088, [24]pp (Index). Contemporary blind-tooled pigskin, with handwritten title to spine. Vignette on title. Decorative head-, tailpieces, and initials.
Originally published in 1611, Robert Bellarmine's "Commentary on the Book of Psalms" was written after the author was called to the Cardinalate by Pope Clement VIII. As one of only two Jesuit Doctors of the Church, Robert Bellarmine found need for a respite from what were often tedious temporal obligations. Therefore, to exhaust his intellectual and spiritual energies in writing, he prepared this work, his very own commentary on each of the Psalms. "Most of the Psalms of David," he said, "read like a compendium of the whole of the Old Testament, a summation in poetic capsule." St. Robert Bellarmine gives verse-by-verse commentary on the Psalms as they are in the Vulgate and rendered in the Douay-Rheims Bible.
Contemporary previous owner's name (F. Siardus de Bal) and inscriptions in ink on top edge, inside of fly leaf, and title page (not affecting lettering). Inscriptions in Latin, dated Tongerloensis (Louvain), 1682.
Original clasps missing. Handwritten title mostly faded. Stunning binding partly darkened and rubbed along edges. Closed tear at upper front joint appears to have been glued. Previous owner's Ex-Libris on front free endpaper (Wm. R. Blumenthal). Minor and sporadic foxing to very first and very last leaves. Text in Latin. Binding in overall good to good+, interior in very good condition. g to vg. Item #41185
* Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J. (1542-1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation. He was a professor of theology and later rector of the Roman College, and in 1602 became archbishop of Capua. Bellarmine supported the reform decrees of the Council of Trent. He was canonized in 1930 and named a Doctor of the Church. Bellarmine is also widely remembered for his role in the Giordano Bruno affair and the Galileo affair.
Price: $500.00