Hereford Gospels

John's Gospel, first page

The Hereford Gospel Book is an illuminated manuscript from the late 8th century from Wales or south-west England . It contains the text of the four Gospels of the New Testament in minuscules . Some initials are decorated in the Celtic style (see La Tène style ) with spirals and three-part circles. The text differs in about 650 places from the Vulgate version and is very similar to the text of the Lichfield Gospel , which indicates a common text tradition.

The manuscript was probably created in a monastery in Wales, but a monastery in south-west England is also possible. It is now in the library of Hereford Cathedral , call number MS PI2.

literature

• Richard Gameson: The Hereford Gospels: A History. In: GE Aylmer, JE Tiller (eds.): Hereford Cathedral: A history. Hambledon Press, London, Rio Grande, Ohio 2000, ISBN 1-8528-5194-5 , pp. 536-543. (= Chapter 29)

Web links

• Illustration of ornate initials (replicas of the Hereford Gospels, folio 1, 36, 102). ( Memento from March 1, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ), accessed on March 1, 2016.