Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzen
With Homilies of Gregory of Nazianz (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS. Gr. 510; also The Paris Gregory ) an illuminated Byzantine manuscript with 46 full-page miniatures from the 9th century is referred to. The splendid manuscript is one of the main documents of antique book illumination from the time of the Macedonian Renaissance in Byzantine art . It is kept in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris .
history
The manuscript was created in Constantinople between 879 and 882 for Emperor Basil I. It is certain that the manuscript was created under the auspices of the Patriarch of Constantinople Photios . Photios gave it to Basil as a gift to entertain and teach him.
The homilies of the 4th century Cappadocian bishop Gregory of Nazianzen were among the most important and influential religious writings in the Byzantine Empire . They were widely used in various copies in the liturgical calendar. The Codex MS. gr. 510 contains the full text of Gregory's sermons. This, but above all the full-page miniatures, make the manuscript one of the most important Middle Byzantine manuscripts.
description
The condition of the manuscript is so bad that touching it would cause damage. Research must therefore fall back on the existing copies.
The manuscript is lavishly illuminated. It contains 46 full-page miniatures as well as painted headers and initials and over a thousand gold letters. Over 200 different scenes are shown, including portraits of the Emperor Basil I and his family, pictures from the life of Gregory of Nazianzen and other saints and martyrs, and scenes that thematize the manifestation of God in the world . The format of many of these miniatures is unusual. While some, as was common in the Middle Ages , fill out the entire page and show different scenes in a frame, other pages are divided into different frames of equal or unequal size. In one case an oval frame has been inserted into the normal rectangular frame ( fol. 438 v ).
The penance of David ( 2 Sam 12.1-24 EU ) is one of six scenes that appear on fol. 143 v are presented. The miniature illustrates a sermon by Gregory to the people of Nazianzen and the prefects , the main theme of which is forgiveness. David, who sent Uriah to death, is shown prostrating before Nathan while Bathsheba watches. Photios put this scene in connection with the murder of Emperor Michael III. , the predecessor of Basil I, whom he had killed in his sleep on September 24, 867 by his cousin Asylaion in order to gain sole power.
Other scenes relate to the anointing of David (fol. 174 v ), the judgment of King Solomon (fol. 215 v ) and the ascension of the prophet Elijah (fol. 264 v ). On fol. 440 BC the vision of Constantine is shown on the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge .
The relationship between the text of the sermons and the illuminations was controversial in the 19th century. It was often assumed that there was no connection between text and image. Only Sirarpie Der Nersessian was able to demonstrate significant connections in 1962. Many of the miniatures, however, are intended as comments on the texts of the sermons rather than illustrations. Ms. gr. 510 "is probably the most complex and demanding illustrated manuscript that was ever produced in Byzantium".
literature
- Leslie Brubaker: Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium. Image as Exegesis in the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus. Cambridge Studies in Palaeography and Codicology, 6th Cambridge University Press. New York 1999. ISBN 0-521-62153-4 .
- George Galavaris: The illustrations of the Liturgical Homilies of Gregory Nazianzenus. Princeton 1969.
- George Galavaris: Homily Illustrations , Real Lexicon on Byzantine Art III. Here man. Stuttgart 1978.
- Henri Omont: Miniatures des plus anciens manuscrits grecs de la Bibliotheque Nationale du VIe au XIVe siecle. Paris 1929.
- Glenn Peers: Patriarchal Politics in the Paris Gregory (BN gr. 510), Yearbook of Austrian Byzantine Studies 47th 1997, 50–71.
- Sirarpi Der Nersessian: The Illustrations of the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus: Paris Gr. 510. A Study of the Connections between Text and Images Dumbarton Oaks Papers. Vol. 16, 1962.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Alfred Büchler: Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium: Image as Exegesis in the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Project MUSE, Johns Hopkins University
- ↑ Koubek, Nora: Representations of the books Samuhel, Kings and Chronicle in Romanesque Bible manuscripts. Dissertation, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Faculty of History and Art Studies, Munich 2002, p. 35
- ^ Leslie Brubaker: Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium. Image as Exegesis in the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus. Cambridge Studies in Palaeography and Codicology, 6th Cambridge University Press. New York 1999. ISBN 0-521-62153-4 .
