Anonymous

Tractatus VII. De Incarnationis Divini Verbi Sacratissimo Mysterio, Juxta Mentem et Inconcussam Angelici Praeceptoris Divi Thomae Aquinatis Doctrinam

1766

8vo [8 x 6 inches] (2), 416pp. (10) [Latin]  Good

A solid 18th-century Latin manuscript focused on Thomistic theology, specifically the doctrine of the Incarnation and the dual nature of Christ. The text is laid out in a formal scholastic structure with Tractatus and Caput sections and consistently follows the framework of Thomas Aquinas. It covers Christological doctrine, the union of divine and human natures, and includes discussion of early doctrinal controversies and heresies, especially those concerning the nature of Christ and the Incarnation. This is clearly academic in nature and likely produced as part of higher-level theological training rather than devotional use.

The manuscript is written in a clean and consistent hand throughout, laid out as a complete and organized text. It was acquired in Mexico City, though there are no ownership marks or institutional stamps present. Based on the structure, language, and materials, it fits well within 18th-century Catholic scholastic practice and could have been produced either in Europe or in New Spain. The paper is laid with visible watermarks, including a crowned device with a fleur-de-lis motif and a second mark reading “CARBO,” likely pointing to continental European paper, possibly Italian or southern French, which would have been commonly used in both European and colonial settings. The manuscript is dated 1766 within the text. None of the pages are numbered.

Bound in full vellum. The vellum has a split to the front board but remains fully attached, with chipping and a roughly one-inch loss to the spine, along with general staining and warping. Inside, there are extensive wormholes to the first endpaper and mild wormholing to the second, with the rest of the text block largely unaffected. There is foxing throughout, along with waviness and rippling to the pages from moisture, and scattered damp staining, including a heavier one to a leaf corresponding roughly to page 238.