Pro Catholicae fidei antiquitate & veritate, adversus prophanas … — Antwerp 1560

Pro Catholicae fidei antiquitate & veritate, adversus prophanas omnium haereseon novationes, liber elegantissimus, ante annos mille ab authore conscriptus. Additum est breve commentariolum, per. Ioan. Costerium. — Antverpiae, in Aedibus Ioannis Steelsij, M. D. LX. (colophone: Typis Ioan. VVithagij)

Antverp, (Johannes Withagius for) Johannes Steels, 1560

12mo (116 x 67 mm). A-E¹² F⁶: (66) leaves. Leaf A9 with tear. Stamp on flyleaf. Name of the Amsterdam library of the Recollects in manuscript on title. Contemporary vellum. A nice little binding with lower cover extended to a front-edge flap; its German name is Kopert from the Latin coopertorium.

The very successful book of Vincent of Lérins – some 90 editions were printed in the 16th & 17th century – is most often cited as Commonitoria. His definition of what is Catholic has become famous: In ipsa item catholica ecclesia magnopere curandum est, ut id teneamus, quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est. Hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholicum ... (A4r in our edition). – ustc 404348 (7 copies).