St. Jerome, Selected Letters (Epistolae Selectae in Libros Tres).
1671, Louvain: Hieronymus Nempe, a renowned publisher and bookseller.
Latin
 
Description:  530 pages (pages in the preface and index are unpaginated). 16º. 160 x 92 mm. Thick brownish paper without watermarks. Contains a preface by Hieronymus Nempe and an index of letters.
 
Text area: 132 x 62 mm. 1 column. Printed in black ink. Paginated. Catchwords on every page, bottom right. Signatures: a, A-Z, Aa-Ii.
 
Ornamentation: Title page printed in red and black. Printed decorative initials 10-20 mm, some decorative borders and emblem printed in black. 
 
Binding: 165 x 100 mm. Original dark brown calf, partly worn, over cardboards. Corners cropped. Sewn on 4 thongs.
 
Provenance, inscriptions, and librarian marks: On the front pastedown appears an illegible inscription in dark brown ink. On the recto of the front flyleaf appears: Sancti tres reges orate pro me, in brown ink, in a 17th-century hand. On the title page, there is a red stamp from the Missiehuis Library, with the handwritten number 3349. Following this, there is an inscription, as far as I can decipher: '…in Velden 7 May 1749.' On the rear pastedown, in brown ink, another 17th-century inscription appears: Sancta Maria ora pro me Johanne Henrici Josepho.
 
Condition: Some foxing. Otherwise, in very good condition.
 
Contents: Saint Jerome (c. 347–420 AD) was a Christian scholar, priest, and theologian best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate. He was a leading figure in the early Christian Church and is recognized as one of the Doctors of the Church. Jerome's Epistolae are a collection of his letters, which cover a wide range of topics, including theological disputes, biblical exegesis, moral guidance, and personal matters. These letters offer valuable insights into the religious and intellectual life of the late Roman Empire and showcase Jerome's rhetorical skill and deep knowledge of scripture. 
 
Description by Dr. Ilya Dines