Alcuin Bible

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Creation of man and expulsion from paradise (fol. 7 v )
The Lamb of God, the signs of the four evangelists, the four great prophets (fol. 339 v )

The so-called Alcuin Bible is a late Carolingian illuminated manuscript named after the scholar Alcuin of York , which was created between 834 and 843 in the Marmoutier monastery near Tours . The binding , on the other hand, dates from 1611. Before secularization , the code was in the Bamberg Cathedral Library , as evidenced by an entry from the 15th century. Today it is stored in the Bamberg State Library under the signature Msc. Bibl. 1 kept.

The manuscript with numerous artistic initials , four canon tables and two (full-page) miniatures contains 423 parchment sheets in the format 47 × 35.5 cm. It is written in Carolingian minuscule - probably by four different scribes. Headings are in different colored capitalis : book titles in brown, red for the chapter lists, the Explicit in black Capitalis rustica , the Incipit, however, in red or black Capitalis quadrata .

The miniatures are placed in front of the Old Testament (fol. 7 v ) and the New Testament (fol. 339 v ). The first picture shows u. a. Creation scenes with the creation of Adam and Eve , the naming of the animals and the Fall of Man with inscriptions in golden Capitalis rustica on a purple background . The second picture shows the Lamb of God with a cross nimbus on a tied scroll of the Apocalypse , the Eucharistic chalice and the golden crossed Passion tools with a lance and the staff with the vinegar sponge as a sign of redemption ; also the full-length, winged and cross-shaped evangelist symbols and gold-framed medallions of the four nimbated Nevi'im ( prophets ) in the spandrels ; also the scrolls carrying the great prophets Isaiah , Jeremiah , Ezekiel and Daniel . This miniature is unusual in its composition for the current iconography of the time, as elements of the Parousia , Passion and Eucharist are combined with those of the Maiestas Domini to form a common, holistic representation of the New Testament salvation event.

literature

  • Bonifatius Fischer : The Alcuin Bible (= from the history of the Latin Bible. Vol. 1). Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1957.
  • Gude Suckale-Redlefsen: The manuscripts of the 8th to 11th centuries of the Bamberg State Library (= catalog of the illuminated manuscripts of the Bamberg State Library. Vol. 1). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 978-3-447-05117-0 , pp. 26-30 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Alcuin Bible  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files