Helsinki, National Library, Coll. 762.1, Aholansaari Foundation’s deposit (<hi rend="italic">olim</hi> Nilsiä, Aholansaari, Editin sali, no. 226). A theological collection Cataloguer Jesse Keskiaho Finnish Literature Society (SKS) Codices Fennici Creative Commons BY 4.0 Helsinki National Library Coll. 762.1, Aholansaari Foundation’s deposit olim Nilsiä, Aholansaari, Editin sali, no. 226 Saec. XVI 4/4 (1580), Sweden A collection of Lutheran theological texts. The contents of the manuscript have been wholly transcribed, translated into Finnish, and discussed in Kiiskinen (ed.) 2010.

Fols. [1]r–[55]v, a catechetical dialogue by Laurentius Olai Gestricius (<hi rend="italic">Een eenfalligh Kennedoom af nödtorftelighe articklar vthdraghne aff then Helga schrifft</hi>, 1560).

[(1)r] Enn eenfalligh kennedoom [aff] nödtorfftelighe articklar wthdraghne aff then Helgha schrifft Anno Domini 1560. Per M. Laurentium Olaui Gestritium. Discipulus: Käre sägh migh ... [(55)v] ... thå mister man bådhe delarna.’

Annotations in the main hand indicate Biblical sources and notable concepts.

Fols. [57]r–[59]v, the acts of a 1562 synod in Stockholm (Svenska riksdagsakter, jämte andra handlingar som höra till statsförfattningens historia under tidehvarfvet 1521–1718, vol. 2, E. Hildebrand ed., Stockholm 1899, 59–62).

[(57)r] Thetta effther skreffna bleff handlat in Theologia, aff Domino Archiepiscopo in praesentia M. Marthinj Hels. sampt medh alle andre Christelige Biscopar som till samma mötte och samtal komne wåro, huilkit skedde och stödh och höls i Stockholm, Anno Dominj MDLXII (a later hand has transcribed the date in arabic numerals) tempore S. Petri. Principio. Om Altarens Sacrament ... [(59)v] ... ab officio et beneficio et cetera. finis. τέλος.

Fols. [59]v–[62]r,<hi rend="italic"> manuale</hi>, on confession, absolution and administering the eucharist.

[(59)v] Huru handlas skall medh fålck som wilia komma till schrifft. Effter att twegge ... [(60)r] ... och trösta migh. Schrifftfadren Swarar: Käre wän weet tw ... Tijo gudz budh. Här seger skrifftfadhren yterligare: Käre wen effther tw ... [(61)v] Jordenne giffuitt haffuer. Forma absolutionis. Alzmectighe gudh wårs ... [(62)r] ... then helge andes, Amen. In porrectione Corporis et sanguinis Jesu Christi. Wårs herres Jesu Christi lekamen ... haffuer tu ingen macht.

Fols. [62]v–[65]r, an anti-papist poem (<hi rend="italic">Een lithen wnderwijsningh fwll medh Papisters wilfarelser</hi>).

[(62)v] Een lithen wnderwijsningh fwll medh Papisters wilfarelser, thet swar och en Christen skall taga sigh wara före. Stelt på rihm till Antichristi Präst huru han schall stella sit handell wthi wercket. Så bruka nw ... [(63)v] ... all wår saligheeth. Lutheram Responsio. Hwardt bliffwer thå ... [(65)r] ... prijss j Euigheet Amen. F.I.N.I.S. AMEN.

Fols. [66]r–[77]v, a spiritual treatise for pregnant women by Eric Falck Lincopensis (<hi rend="italic">Enn Tröstbook för Haffuandhe Quinnor</hi>, 1564).

[(66)r] Enn Tröstbook för Haffuandhe Quinnor, Hurw the sigh wthi thet kårs som barnsbördhen haffuer medh sigh trösta och hugsuala måge wthdragen aff skrifftenne och förswenskat. Aff EricoFalck Lincopen. Stockholm 1564. Man förnimmer i sanningenne ... [(77)v] ... åtherlösare Jesum Christum. Amen.

The texts appear to be copies of printed works, with the possible exception of the anti-papist poem. Eric Falck’s <hi rend="italic">Een Tröstbook</hi> is known to have been published, but no surviving printed copies have been identified; Laurentius Olai Gestricius’ catechism is otherwise unknown. He was a teacher in Gävle from 1557 or 1558, then curate of Västerås from 1561 and of Stockholm in 1562, where he died in 1565 (Kiiskinen ed. 2010, 15, 349; Collijn ed. 1927–1938, vol. 2, 324).

 Paper 79 folios. 10 16,5 14-15 8,5-9 Unfoliated. 9IV[72] + (IV–1)[79] Catchwords are frequently used at the foot of a page when a sentence is broken. Condition is good, aside from a few loose leaves and some staining and fraying of edges, especially to the first two folia. Fols. [1], [8] and [73] are loose, and the last folio of the book, probably blank, is missing. Text in one column, on (mostly) 26–33 lines, not ruled.

Gothic Cursive in one hand of the second half of the sixteenth century. A note fol. [47]v (see also the main text on fol. [31]v) indicates that the text was copied in 1580. The anti-papist poem mentions the Jesuit Antonio Possevino, active in Sweden in 1577–1580 (Kiiskinen ed. 2010, 25, 27).

The first initial of the book has been touched with what looks like red pencil. This may be a later addition, as also the green colour to the outer edges of the book block. Titles and rubrics are distinguished, if at all, by layout only.

The book is bound but without covers. The present sewing may not be original, given that the annotations to the catechetical dialogue have frequently been partly lost to ploughing.

 A collection of theological texts, such as could be of use to a parish priest, copied very probably c. 1580 by one Swedish scribe.

The book was found by Terhi Kiiskinen in Nilsiä, Aholansaari. Nothing is known of the history of the book before it ended up in Aholansaari, probably as a part of the library of the curate of Varpaisjärvi, Gottlieb Aron Kleofas Hymander (1874–1931, from 1918 Hyvämäki), bequeathed by his widow Edit in 1955 (see Kiiskinen ed. 2010, 11; cf. idem, 15–25).

The book, owned by the Aholansaari Foundation, is currently deposited in the National Library of Finland.

 I. Collijn ed., Sveriges bibliografi intill år 1600, 3 vols. (Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet vol. 10), Uppsala 1927–1938. T. Kiiskinen ed., Viisi Ruotsin reformaatioajan lähdettä Suomessa / Fem källor från den svenska reformationstiden i Finland (Suomen historian lähteitä vol. 9), Helsinki 2010. Encoding added