Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, University Library, MS Kk.1.24

Gospel Book

Contents

Introduction: For early medieval Christian communities, a gospel book was a treasured possession and, according to an Anglo-Saxon riddle, 'a thing useful against evils'. The most outstanding example of an Anglo-Saxon gospel book is undoubtedly the Lindisfarne Gospels, but this was a deluxe production. Cambridge, University Library, MS Kk.1.24, shown here, is a more typical example, also made in Northumbria in the 8th century, and its pages reveal many of the ways this precious book was used over the centuries. First and foremost, it was a book to be used for reading the word of God. It is written in a beautifully clear half-uncial script - and evidently the text was read carefully. At Luke 14:13 (f. 161r), for example, after the opening word 'Sed', the scribe accidentally skipped ahead to the word 'uiuium' - and a reader supplied the omitted words, 'cum facis con-', in the margin, using tiny signes de renvoi ·/. to indicate where these should be placed in the sequence. Elsewhere, rubrics have been added in the margins to indicate the start of gospel passages to be read on a particular feast day, suggesting that the book was being used as part of the liturgy: for example, a passage from Luke's gospel on f. 153r is marked for the feast of the Nativity of Mary. Further evidence indicative of liturgical use is the addition on f. 129r of a verse and response with music notation. Perhaps the most intriguing additions to the biblical text are the letters 'l' and 'c', which have been inserted at various points towards the end of each gospel (see ff. 177r-183v and 232v-237r). These represent cues to two speakers, 'Lector' (narrator) and 'Christus', who would have performed readings of the Passion narratives, an important part of the liturgy around Easter. These cues are often found in early medieval bibles but, as Patrick McGurk points out, their presence here does not necessarily mean that the book was used for this purpose. In MS Kk.1.24, the cues are reversed: Christ's words 'satis est' are marked 'l' and the narrator's next line, 'Egressus ibat...' is marked with a 'c', suggesting that they indicated where the speaker should stop rather than start. 'Noli me tangere' ('Do not touch me', John 20:17) reads the final line of the last leaf of the manuscript - a poinant coincidence in a book that was heavily used and survives now in very incomplete form. In terms of its text, all that remains are portions of the gospels of Luke and John. Decoration is also conspicuously absent. Insular gospel books of this period are renowned for their displays of artistic brilliance, but aside from a few flourishes and dots on minor initials, no decoration is to be found. This was probably due to deliberate removal by a later owner rather than accidental loss, since some decorated pages show evidence of being cut out. However, there are still clues that enable us to reconstruct what is missing. The most evocative such evidence is on f. 192r, which begins with the text of John 1:18. The first seventeen verses must have occupied the previous leaf, which is now missing. The opening initial for each gospel was commonly enlarged and decorated, and sometimes accompanied by a display script for the opening line or lines, a border, and other artistic elements. However, under raking light, it is still possible to see the impression on f. 192r of the outline of the decoration that was once found on the adjacent leaf. Folio 192 must have lain underneath this missing leaf when the artist or scribe drew the outline of the decoration he was preparing to execute. Not only does the result give us a glimpse of what the lost initial looked like; it also tells us about the sequence of production. Evidently, the pieces of parchment were all gathered together as quires before the drawing (and presumably the writing, too) were done - rather than being finished as separate bifolia. The impression shows that the lost initial ran the full length of the page. The tall 'I' of 'In principio' (the opening words of the gospel of John in Latin) appears to have been surmounted by a knot of interlace, and to have curved backwards at the base, ending in a dragon-like head that turns with open jaws and an extended tongue towards the letter. A comparable example of such an initial may be found on f. 37r of Durham, Cathedral Library, MS A.II.16 . The beast's head - with broad, delineated muzzle, rounded features, parted jaws and small high-set eyes - is also similar to those found in the terminals to King David's throne in a full-page miniature on f. 81v of Durham, Cathedral Library, MS B.II.30 (the 'Durham Cassiodorus'). These two manuscripts share other features with MS Kk.1.24. MS A.II.16 was likewise marked up for liturgical use with prompts for 'Christus' and 'lector', and E.A. Lowe considered the script in MS B.II.30 to be the closest comparison to that in MS Kk.1.24. Another trace of drawing survives on a narrow stub after f. 189, comprising remnants of plant motifs drawn in red ink. Evidently, this was once another decorated page, presumably a full-page evangelist portrait of John introducing his gospel text. However, these foliate motifs are very different in style to what was produced in 8th-century Northumbria, bearing closer resemblance - albeit in simpler, line-drawn form - to the architectural frame found in Insular manuscripts of the 10th century, such as the Benedictional of St Aethelwold ( London, British Library, Add. MS 49598) , f. 56v) and the Trinity Gospels ( Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.10.4) ). Furthermore, the stub in MS Kk.1.24 is one half of a bifolium that is separate from the original structure of the manuscript (its conjugate, f. 189, is blank). We know that Anglo-Saxon artists sometimes updated old gospel books by adding new evangelist portraits alongside the originals, as in London, British Library, Add. MS 40618 and London, British Library, Royal MS 1 E.vi . This phase of embellishment may have taken place at Ely or Ramsey Abbeys. In 1964, N.R. Ker tentatively attributed the manuscript to Ely's ownership on the basis of the addition of texts relating to its estates to a final leaf (which is now separated from MS Kk.1.24, and divided in two between two manuscripts: London, British Library, Cotton MS Tiberius B.v , f. 76 and London, British Library, Sloane MS 1044 , f. 2). This was later rejected in 1987 by Andrew Watson, who observed that these texts related not to Ely but to nearby Ramsey (though he did not, in turn, place the manuscript in Ramsey's possession in the relevant section of the catalogue). Such practices - seen in other manuscripts at Cambridge University Library, including MS Ii.6.32 (the Book of Deer) and MS Ll.1.10 (the Book of Cerne) - confirm that the manuscript was considered the safest and most sacred place to preserve the community's most important records. The addition of this evangelist portrait (and presumably three others) was probably likewise intended as a pious renovation of a cherished manuscript. Dr Suzanne Paul| Keeper of Rare Books and Early Manuscripts| Cambridge University Library| and| Dr Eleanor Jackson| Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts| British Library

Language(s): Latin

123r-238v
Gospel book
1.1. 123r-186r
Gospel of Luke
Incipit: || 123r: erit enim magnus coram domino et uinum
Explicit: 186r: Et erant semper in templo laudantes et benedicentes deum
Final rubric: 186r: expliciunt euangelium secundum lucam

Text begins imperfectly at Luke 1:15.

1.2. 186r-187r
Prologue to Gospel of John
Rubric: 186r: Incipit prologue secundum iohannem
Incipit: 186v: Iohannis euangelista unus ex discipulis deum qui uirgo electus
Explicit: 187r: Et ideo magisterii doctrina seruetur
Final rubric: 187r: Explicit praefatio
Stegmüller 624
1.3. 187r-187v
Capitula to Gospel of John
Rubric: 187r: Incipiunt capitula
Incipit: 187r: I . Pharisaeorum leuitae
Explicit: 187v: Et de barabba passio et sepultura . et resurrrectio eius ||

Ends imperfectly in Capitulum XIIII.

1.4. 192r-230v
Gospel of John
Incipit: || 192r: deum nemo uidit umquam nisi unigenitus
Explicit: 230v: et occurrit ut tangenet eum . dicit eii ihesus noli me tangere ...||

Ends imperfectly in John 20:17.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 124r: et regni eius
Form: codex
Support: Parchment (hair/flesh disposition uncertain)
Extent: Codex: Five leaves of parchment have been inserted in place of missing leaves as part of the volume's conservation (for further information on which, see Custodial History). These inserted leaves have not been digitised, though in one instance (f. 190*) the stubs to which this is attached contains a fragment of decoration. These replacement leaves have not been counted here as part of the manuscript's extent. For the sake of clarity, it has been decided not to enumerate them separately either. iv + 113 + iv leaves. 305 × 225 mm.
Foliation:

19th-century foliation:

i-iv + 123-187, 189, 192-238 + v-viii

Written in pencil in the upper right-hand corner of the recto of each leaf, by Henry Bradshaw , University Librarian 1867-1886. Folio numbers 1-122, 188, 190-191 and 239-242 assigned to leaves no longer present in the volume (as per historic foliation practice at Cambridge University Library).

Although replacement leaves were added throughout the manuscript during its conservation, and although these technically carry a folio number (in accordance with Bradshaw's foliation practice), the foliation statement given above counts only medieval leaves and omits replacement leaves (see also Collation).

The leaves of parchment that have been inserted for missing leaves are: 121*-122*, 188*, 190*-191*. These have not been digitised.
Foliation:

19th-century foliation:

1-113 (for ff. 123-238)

Written in pencil in the upper right-hand corner of the recto of each leaf, by an unidentified hand. Struck through or over-written as part of the refoliation of the manuscript by Henry Bradshaw.

Collation

What remains of this manuscript comprises 15 quires, mostly of 8 leaves, of which 4 are now imperfect due to the loss of leaves. Although replacement leaves were added throughout the manuscript during its conservation, and although these technically carry a folio number (in accordance with Bradshaw's foliation practice), the collation statement given below counts only medieval leaves and omits replacement leaves and stubs (see also Foliation).

  • Quire 110-2 (ff. 123-130: 1st and 2nd leaves, before f. 123, missing)
  • Quires 2-310 (ff. 131-150)
  • Quires 4-78 (ff. 151-182)
  • Quire 86-1 (ff. 183-187: 6th leaf, f. '188', missing)
  • Quire 92-1 (f. 189: 2nd leaf, f. '190', missing)
  • Quire 108-1 (ff. 192-198: 1st leaf, f. '191', missing)
  • Quires 11-158 (ff. 199-238)

No leaf signatures. Two possible, later, leaf signatures in Quire 15 (ff. 231-238), comprising 'a' and 'c', written in ink the centre of the lower margin of the recto side.

No quire signatures.

No catchwords.

Layout

250 × 180-185 mm. Ruled in hardpoint, frame and line. Single columns, 21-22 lines to the page, written above top line.

Hand(s)

Written in half uncial.

Decoration

Plain initials, in the same ink as the text, outlined by dots of red. At chapter divisions, these occupy the blank space above and below the written line (e.g. ff. 131v, 169v, 174r, 177r, 179r) . At verse divisions, they are slightly larger than the written line.

Binding

Full alum-tawed goatskin, Cambridge University Library, 1997. See Custodial History for further information.

17th-century binding of blind-tooled calfskin over pasteboards. This former binding has been retained and is stored with the manuscript.

History

Origin: 8th century. ; Northumbria.

Provenance and Acquisition

Perhaps owned by Ely Cathedral by the 10th century, remaining there until the Dissolution in 1539, as suggested by Neil Ker in 1964. London, British Library, Cotton MS Tiberius B.v, f. 76 and London, British Library, Sloane MS 1044, f. 2, are both leaves that were formerly part of this manuscript, and the former (according to Ker) contained documents relating to Ely cathedral priory. However, this was later rejected in 1987 by Andrew Watson, who observed that these texts related not to Ely but to nearby Ramsey Abbey (though he did not, in turn, place the manuscript in Ramsey's possession in the relevant section of the catalogue).

Ker (1964), p. 78
Ker and Watson (1987), p. 35 and n. 2

Probably came to Cambridge University Library via or through the agency of Andrew Perne (?1519-1589) , Vice-Chancellor and Master of Peterhouse, either in 1584-85 or after his death. The manuscript is not recorded in the list of books compiled in 1583, but appears as no. 119 in Thomas James's Ecloga Oxonio-Cantabrigiensis (1600), suggesting its arrival between those two dates (see Early catalogues of manuscripts, up to c. 1600 for further details).

Additional Information

Record Sources

This catalogue entry draws on an unpublished description of the manuscript composed between 1926 and 1930 by M.R. James , now held in the University Archives (UA ULIB 7/3/74).

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card. For information on eligibility and admissions procedures, see Joining the Library). For further enquiries, and to confirm the availability of the manuscript, please contact the Special Collections Reading Room.

Custodial History

Bibliography

    Editions:

    Die lateinischen Evangelien bis zum 10. Jahrhundert Vetus Latina. Aus der Geschichte der lateinischen Bibel, Fischer, Bonifatius (Freiburg, Herder, 1988)

Bibliography

    Manuscript descriptions:

    A catalogue of the manuscripts preserved in the library of the University of Cambridge, (Cambridge, 3: Gg-Kk, Cambridge University Press, 1858) Nouum Testamentum Domini nostri Iesu Christi latine: secundum editionem Sancti Hieronymi, (Oxonii, 1, E Typographeo Clarendoniano, 1889) Studies in early Roman liturgy Alcuin Club collections, Frere, W.H. (London, Oxford University Press, 1930) Codices Latini antiquiores, Lowe, E.A. (Oxford, 2: Great Britain and Ireland: a palaeographical guide to Latin manuscripts prior to the 9th century, Clarendon Press, 1935) Libri Sancti Kyliani: die Würzburger Schreibschule und die Dombibliothek im VIII. und IX. Jahrhundert Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte des Bistums und Hochstifts Würzburg, Bischoff, BernhardHofmann, Josef (Würzburg, F. Schöningh, 1952) Catalogue of manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon, Ker, N.R. (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1957) Latin Gospel books from A.D. 400 to A.D.800 Les Publications de Scriptorium, McGurk, P. (Amsterdam, Standaard-Boekhandel, 1961) An Anglo-Saxon Bible Fragment of the Late Eighth Century. Royal 1 E. VI Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, McGurk, Patrick (25, 1/2, 18-34, 1962, http://www.jstor.org/stable/750539) Medieval libraries of Great Britain: a list of surviving books Royal Historical Society guides and handbooks, Ker, N.R. (London, Offices of the Royal Historical Society, 1964) Losses and lacunae in early insular art: the third G.N. Garmonsway Memorial Lecture delivered on 9 May 1975 in the University of York University of York medieval monograph series, Henderson, George (York, Published for the Centre for Medieval Studies by William Sessions Ltd at the Ebor Press, 1982) Manuscripts from Anglo-Saxon England: an exhibition in the University Library Cambridge to mark the conference of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists, August 1985, (Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, 1985) Medieval libraries of Great Britain: a list of surviving books. Supplement to the second edition Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, (London, Offices of the Royal Historical Society, 1987) Liturgy and the ecclesiastical history of late Anglo-Saxon England: four studies Studies in Anglo-Saxon history, Dumville, David N. (Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 1992) The text of the Old Testament in Anglo-Saxon England Cambridge studies in Anglo-Saxon England, Marsden, Richard (Cambridge, University Press, 1995) Some Anglo-Saxon Cuthbert Liturgica: The Manuscript Evidence Revue Bénédictine, Sole, Laura M. (108, 1-2, 104-144, 1998, https://www-brepolsonline-net.ezp.lib.cam.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1484/J.RB.4.00368) The making of English law: King Alfred to the twelfth century, Wormald, Patrick (Oxford, 1. Legislation and its limits, Blackwell, 1999) Anglo-Saxon manuscripts in microfiche facsimile Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, Doane, A. N.Grade, Tiffany J. (Tempe (AZ), 9: Deluxe and illustrated manuscripts containing technical and literary texts, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2001) Ely Abbey, 672-1109 The history of Ely Cathedral, Keynes, Simon (Woodbridge, 3-58, Boydell, 2003) Writing in the Insular world Cambridge history of the book in Britain, Brown, Michelle P. (Cambridge, 1: c. 400-1100, 121-166, Cambridge University Press, 2011, https://doi-org.ezp.lib.cam.ac.uk/10.1017/CHOL9780521583459.005) The material fabric of early British books The Cambridge history of the book in Britain, Gameson, Richard (Cambridge, 1: c. 400-1100, 13-93, Cambridge University Press, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521583459.003) A conspectus of scribal hands writing English, 960-1100 Publications of the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon studies, Scragg, D.G. (Cambridge, D.S. Brewer, 2012)

Bibliography

    Secondary studies:

    The letters of Humfrey Wanley: palaeographer, Anglo-Saxonist, librarian, 1672-1726: with an appendix of documents, (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1989) Die Westsächsische Evangelienversion und die Perikopenordnungen im angelsächsischen England Texte und Untersuchungen zur englischen Philologie, Lenker, Ursula (München, W. Fink, 1997) Introduction: on making medieval illuminated manuscripts accessible The Cambridge illuminations: the conference papers, Henderson, George (London, 13-19, Harvey Miller, 2007) Cues and clues: palaeographical aspects of Anglo-Saxon scholarship Form and content of instruction in Anglo-Saxon England in the light of contemporary manuscript evidence: papers presented at the international conference, Udine, 6-8 April 2006 Textes et études du moyen âge, Rumble, Alexander R. (Turnhout, 115-130, Brepols, 2007) Reconstructing Burnt Anglo-Saxon Fragments in the Cotton Collection at the British Library Fragmentology: A Journal for the Study of Medieval Manuscript Fragments, Dunning, AndrewHudson, AlisonDuffy, Christina (1, 7-37, 2018)

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