The Lindisfarne Gospels (London, British Library Cotton MS Nero D.IV) is an illuminated manuscript manuscript book probably produced around 715-720 at the monastery in Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland, which is now in British Library in London. The manuscript is one of the best works in the unique style of Hiberno-Saxon or Insular art, combining elements of Mediterranean, Anglo-Saxon and Celtic.
The Lindisfarne Gospels is considered the work of a monk named Eadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 698 and died in 721. The current scholarship dates around 715, and it is believed they were produced in honor of St. Cuthbert. However, some parts of the manuscript were not finished so the possibility of Eadfrith still working on it at the time of his death. It was also possible that he produced it before the year 698, to commemorate the relics of Cuthbert's remains that year, which was also regarded as an occasion in which St. Cuthbert Gospel (also the British Library) was produced. The gospels are very illustrated in a niggling style and were initially wrapped in the bonding of leather treasures coated with gems and metal made by Billfrith the Anchorite in the 8th century. During the Viking attack on Lindisfarne, this gem's cover was lost and his successor was made in 1852. It was written in an insular script, and was the best and most complete documented manuscript of the period.
In the 10th century the Old English translation of the Gospels was made: a word-for-word gloss from the Latin Vulgate text, inserted among the lines by Aldred, Provost of Chester-le-Street. This is the oldest translation of the Gospel into English. The gospel may have been taken from Durham Cathedral during the Dissemination of the Convent ordered by Henry VIII and acquired in the early 17th century by Sir Robert Cotton of Robert Bowyer, the Parliamentary Registrar. The Cotton Library came to the British Museum in the 18th century and went to the British Library in London when it was separated from the British Museum.
Video Lindisfarne Gospels
Historical context
Lindisfarne, also known as "Holy Island", is located off the coast of Northumberland in northern England (Chilvers 2004). Around 635 AD, the Irish missionary Aidan founded the Lindisfarne monastery on a "small outcrop of land" in Lindisfarne. King Oswald of Northumbria sent Aidan from Iona to preach and baptize the pagan Anglo-Saxons, after conversion to Christianity from the Northumbrian monarchy in 627. At the time of Aidan's death in 651, the Christian faith became established in the region. The Gospel of Lindisfarne is associated with the Cult of St. Cuthbert. Cuthbert was a ascetic member of the monastic community at Lindisfarne, prior to his death in 687. This book was made as part of the preparation to translate the Cuthbert relics to a temple in 698. Lindisfarne has a reputation as a place of origin that may be compatible with the Lindisfarne Gospel. Around 705 anonymous monks from Lindisfarne wrote The life of St. Cuthbert . His bishop, Eadfrith, swiftly commissioned the most famous scholar of the age, Bede, to help mold the heresy to a new destination.
In the 10th century, some 250 years after the production of the book, Aldred, a monastic priest in Chester-le-Street, added an Ancient English translation among Latin texts. In his colophon he listed the names of four men who produced the Gospel of Lindisfarne: Eadfrith, Bishop Lindisfarne, credited with writing manuscripts; Ethelwald, Bishop of Lindisfarne Island, is credited with binding it; Billfrith, anchorite, is credited with decorating the manuscript; and finally Aldred listed himself as the one who polished it in Anglo-Saxon (Old English).
Some scholars argue that Eadfrith and Ethelwald did not produce the manuscripts but assigned others to do so. However, Janet Backhouse argues for the validity of the statement by pointing out that "there is no reason to doubt [Aldred's] statement" because he "records an established tradition". Eadfrith and Ethelwald were both bishops at the Lindisfarne monastery where the manuscript was produced. As Alan Thacker notes, the Gospel of Lindisfarne "is undoubtedly a one-handed work", and Eadfrith is still regarded as "the author and painter of the Lindisfarne Gospel".
Commission
The Gospel of Lindisfarne is a Christian manuscript, containing four Gospels that tell the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The manuscript was used for ceremonial purposes to promote and celebrate Christianity and the word of God. Since Cuthbert's body is buried there, Lindisfarne became an important pilgrimage destination in the 7th and 8th centuries, and the Gospel of Lindisfarne would contribute to the worship of St. Cuthbert. The Gospels use techniques that are reminiscent of elite metal works to impress Northumbrian audiences, most of whom can not read, and certainly do not understand the Latin text.
According to Aldred's colophon, the Gospel of Lindisfarne was made in honor of God and Saint Cuthbert, a bishop of the Lindisfarne monastery who became the most popular "Northern English Saints". Scholars think that the manuscript was written sometime between Cuthbert's death in 687 and Eadfrith's death in 721. There is a great amount of information known about Cuthbert thanks to two stories of his life written shortly after his death, first by an anonymous monk from Lindisfarne, and the second by Bede, a famous monk, historian, and theologian.
Cuthbert entered the Melrose monastery, now in the Scottish lowlands but later in Northumbria, at the end of the 7th century, and after being ordained a priest he began traveling throughout Northumbria, "quickly gaining a reputation for holiness and for the power of miracles.". The Whitby synod of 664 pitted the Hiberno-Celtic church against the Roman church in connection with the date of the Passover. The dispute was decided by King Oswiu of Northumbria who supported the Roman church, but many of the leading monks in Lindisfarne then returned to Iona and Ireland, leaving only the remains of the monks affiliated with the Roman church at Lindisfarne. Due to the increasingly slow religious practices at Lindisfarne, Cuthbert was sent to Lindisfarne to reform the religious community. In Lindisfarne Cuthbert began to adopt a solitary lifestyle, eventually moving to Inner Farne Island, where he built a hermitage. Cuthbert agreed to be bishop at the request of King Ecgfrith in 684, but in about two years he returned to his hermitage in Farne when he felt death drawing near. Cuthbert died on March 20, 687, and was buried in Lindisfarne. As a respected saint, his grave attracts many pilgrims to Lindisfarne.
Technique
The Lindisfarne Gospels manuscript was produced in a scriptorium at the Lindisfarne monastery. It took about 10 years to make it. The page is vellum, and evidence from the manuscript reveals that vellum is made using about 150 calf skins. This book is 516 pages long. The writing is written "in dense dark brown ink, often almost black, containing carbon particles from soot or black light". The pens used for manuscripts can be cut from thorns or reeds, and there is also evidence to suggest that traces (seen under oblique light) are made by the early equivalents of modern pencils. Through the work of artists two new tools are made. Lamps and main pencils. Fancy jewelry, now lost, was added to the binding of later manuscripts in the 8th century. Eadfrith produces 90 of its own colors with "only six local minerals and vegetable extract"
There are various kinds of individual pigments used in manuscripts. The colors come from animal, vegetable and mineral sources. While some colors are obtained from local sources, others are imported from the Mediterranean, and rare pigments such as lapis lazuli will come from the Himalayas. Gold is only used in a few small details. Media used to bind colors especially egg whites, with fish glue that may be used in some places. Backhouse stressed that "all Eadfrith colors are applied with great skill and accuracy, but... we do not have the tools to know exactly what tools he uses". Professor Brown added that Eadfrith "knew about the lapis lazuli [the semi-precious stone in blue] of the Himalayas but could not hold it, so made it on its own."
The pages were arranged in the eighth meeting. After the sheets are folded together, the highest numbered page is marked with a stabus or a small knife. The holes were stabbed through every eight-leaf encounter, and then each page was separately ordered to write with a sharp, dry, and wise point.
The Lindisfarne Gospels are flawlessly designed, and as Backhouse points out, vellum would be too expensive for "walking practice" for the yard, and early designs may have been done on wax tablets (hollowed wood or bone with wax lining). This will be a cheap medium for the first concept; once the sketch has been transferred to the manuscript, the candle can be overhauled and the new design or outline is written.
Maps Lindisfarne Gospels
History
Because of the Viking attack, the monastic community left Lindisfarne around 875, carrying Cuthbert's body, heritage, and books, including the Lindisfarne Gospel and St Cuthbert's Gospel. It is estimated that after about seven years, the Lindisfarne community settled in the Literary Priory at Chester-le-Street in Durham, where they lived until 995 (and where Aldred would translate the texts interlinearly). After Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monastery in 1539, the manuscript was separated from the monastery. At the beginning of the seventeenth century the Bible was owned by Sir Robert Cotton (1571-1631), and in 1753 they became part of the founding collection of the British Museum.
Condition
The Gospel of Lindisfarne is in great shape and the text is complete and undamaged. However, the original binding of the manuscript was destroyed. In March 1852, a new binding was commissioned by bishop Edward Maltby; Smith, Nicholson and Co. (silver) makes a bond with the intention of reinventing the motif in Eadfrith's work.
Formal elements and style of manuscript
In The Illuminated Manuscript , Backhouse states that "The Lindisfarne Gospels is one of the first and greatest masterpieces of medieval European book painting". The Gospel of Lindisfarne is described as the art of Insular or Hiberno-Saxon, a general term referring to manuscripts produced in the British Isles between 500-900 AD.
As part of the Anglo-Saxon art, the manuscript reveals the love of riddles and surprises, shown through patterns and intertwined in carefully designed pages. Many of the patterns used for the Lindisfarne Gospel date back before the Christian period. There is a strong presence of Celtic, German, and Irish art styles. Spiral style and "knot work" is evident in the formation of a page designed to be influenced by Celtic art.
One of the most distinctive styles in the manuscript is the zoomorphic style (adopted from German art) and is revealed through the extensive use of animal and bird patterns linked throughout the book. The birds that appear in the manuscript may also come from Eadfrith's observations of wildlife in Lindisfarne. Geometric design motifs are also German influences, and appear throughout the manuscript.
The carpet page (pure decoration page) shows the use of Eadfrith's geometric ornament. Another important aspect of the Gospel is the small droplet of red lead, which creates backgrounds, outlines, and patterns, but never appears on the carpet page. The red dots appeared early in the Irish manuscript, revealing their influence in the design of the Lindisfarne Gospel. Thacker points out that Eadfrith gained knowledge of, and was influenced by, other artistic styles, showing that he had "eclectic tastes". Although there are many non-Christian artistic influences in the text, this pattern is used to produce religious motives and ideas.
Scripts
Eadfrith is a highly trained calligrapher and he uses an insular majuscule script in the script.
Other insular artwork
The Lindisfarne Gospel is not an example of "an isolated genius... in the dark ages": there are other Gospel books produced in the same period of time and geographical areas of similar quality to the Lindisfarne gospel. The Lindisfarne Monastery not only produces the Lindisfarne Gospel, but also the Gael Gospels and the Echternach Gospels. These Gospel books are credited to "the 'Durnham-Echternach Calligrapher', considered the oldest member of the Lindisfarne Scriptorium". The Echternach Gospels may have been created during the creation of the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Durham Gospels appear thereafter, but in the ancient style. The St. Chad Gospels (Lichfield Cathedral, Chapter Library) use a style very similar to the Lindisfarne Gospels, and even speculate that the artist is trying to imitate Eadfrith's work. Surviving the pages of the Gospel of St. Chad also has a cross-carpet and animal and interlace bird pages, but the design does not achieve the same perfection, and is seen as looser and heavier than Eadfrith. Lindisfarne's Gospel design is also linked to Tara Brooch (National Museum of Ireland, Dublin), featuring intertwined animals, arch patterns, and border birds, but unfortunately the origin and place of the brooch are unknown. The Durham Gospels (Durham Cathedral Library) are suspected to have been made a little earlier than the Lindisfarne Gospel, and while they have intertwined birds, birds are less natural and tangible than the Eadfrith birds in the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Durrow book (Trinity College, Dublin) is also considered an earlier insular script, since its manuscript style is simpler and less developed than the Lindisfarne Gospel. The Book of Kells (Trinity College, Dublin, MS A. I.6 (58)) uses decorative patterns similar to other insular artworks of that period, but is thought to have been produced much later than Lindisfarne's Gospel.
Iconography
The Gospel of Lindisfarne is a manuscript containing the Gospels of the four Gospel writers, Mark, John, Luke, and Matthew. The Gospel of Lindisfarne begins with a carpet page in the form of a cross and a great starting page, introducing St. Jerome and Pope Damasus I. There are sixteen pages of arcaded canon tables, in which a parallel portion of the four evangelists is placed outside. An appropriate portrait of the Evangelist, the carpeted yard and the decorated start page precede each gospel. There are major early additions to Matthew's Christmas narrative.
The Evangelists
Bede explains how each of the four evangelists are represented by their own symbols: Matthew is a human, representing the human Christ; Mark is a lion, symbolizing Christ's triumph of the Resurrection; Luke is a calf, representing the victims of the Crucifixion; and John is the eagle, symbolizing the second coming of Christ. The collective term for the Evangelists' fourth symbol is Tetramorf. Each of the four Evangelists is accompanied by their respective symbols in their miniature portraits in the manuscript. In these portraits, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are shown writing, while John looks straight ahead at the reader holding the scroll. The Evangelists also represent the dual nature of Christ. Mark and John are shown as young men, symbolizing the divine nature of Christ, and Matthew and Luke looking older and bearded, representing the mortal nature of Christ.
Decorative manuscripts
A manuscript decorated with great luxury reveals that the Gospel of Lindisfarne not only has the use of a practical ceremony, but also seeks to symbolize the Word of God in missionary expeditions. Backhouse shows that pastors are unaware of the profound impression of books such as the Lindisfarne Gospel made at other assemblies. The opening words of the Gospel (the newly-born) are greatly decorated, revealing the Roman capital, Greek and German letters, filled with birds and animals transmitted, representing the splendor of God's creation. On a single page, there are 10,600 decorative red dots. Different types of pigments are used throughout the manuscript. Red and gold coloring is also used for decoration.
Carpet page
The carpet pages are influenced by early Coptic (Egyptian Christian) copies in resemblance to the Islamic prayer rugs, which are probably known all along in Northumbria. Just as carpets help pilgrims prepare prayers, carpet pages can represent readers' preparation before the gospel message. Each page of the carpet contains a different cross image (called a cross-carpet page), emphasizing the importance of Christianity and the ecumenical relationship between churches. The ornamentation pages have an intimate motif of metal and jewelry that blends with the decoration of birds and animals
Campaign to relocate
There is a campaign to place the gospel in Northeast England. Supporters include the Bishop of Durham, the creator of Viz Simon Donald, and the Northumbrian Association. This move was strongly opposed by the British Library. Some locations may have been debated, including Durham Cathedral, Lindisfarne itself or one of the museums in Newcastle on Tyne or Sunderland. In 1971, professor Suzanne Kaufman of Rockford, Illinois, presented a copy of the facsimile of the gospel to the clergy of the Island.
Exhibited at Durham in 2013
From July to September 2013, the Lindisfarne Gospel is shown for three months at the Palace Green Library, Durham. Nearly 100,000 visitors saw the exhibit. The manuscript exhibit also includes items from Staffordshire Hoard, Yates Thompson 26 Life of Cuthbert , and a gold Taplow belt buckle. Also included is the closely related Gospel of St. Cuthbert, purchased by the British Library in 2012. It returns to Durham in 2014 (March 1 through December 31) for bookbindings exhibitions in the library. Next to Lindisfarne Gospels Exhibition is a festival consisting of over 500 shows, exhibitions and performances throughout the Northeast and Cumbria.
See also
- Hiberno-Saxon display script list
- Old English Bible Translation
Note
References
- Backhouse, Janet. "The Gospel of Lindisfarne." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- Backhouse, Janet. Illuminated Manuscripts. Oxford: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1979.
- Backhouse, Janet. The Gospel of Lindisfarne. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1981.
- BBC Tyne. "The Gospel of Lindisfarne." BBC Online, 2012. Accessed March 10, 2012.
- Calkins, Robert G. Medieval Illuminated Book . Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1983.
- Chilvers, Ian. ed. "Lindisfarne Gospels", Oxford Art Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2004. Oxford Online Reference. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- De Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts . Boston: David R. Godine, 1986.
- Thacker, Alan. "Eadfrith (w. 721?)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2012, [1]
- Walther, Ingo F. and Norbert Wolf. Codices Illustres: World's most famous manuscripts, 400 to 1600 . KÃÆ'¶ln, TASCHEN, 2005.
- "Lindisfarne Gospels." The British Library, The British Library, January 16, 2015, www.bl.uk/collection-items/lindisfarne-gospels .
- Brown, Michelle P., The Lindisfarne Gospels: Society, Spirituality & amp; Scribe. London: The British Library, 2003.
- Consiglio, Flavia Di. "Lindisfarne Gospels: Why Is This Book Special?" BBC News, BBC, March 20, 2013.
Further reading
- Brown, Michelle P., The Lindisfarne Gospels: Society, Spirituality and the Scribe . London: The British Library, 2003
- Brown, Michelle P., The Gospel of Lindisfarne and the Early Middle Ages . London: The British Library, 2010
External links
- British Library Digitized Manuscripts Digital facsimile of the entire script
- Transition Leaves via the Lindisfarne Gospel online using the Switch to Page device in the UK (requires Shockwave plugin)
- The Lindisfarne Gospels, a free online seminar from the British Library.
- Lindisfarne Gospels: information, images that can be enlarged the Library of England website
- The British Digital Library catalog of the signed manuscript
- More information in Latin Manuscript Previous
- Sacred Text: The Gospel of Lindisfarne
- "The Lindisfarne Gospels", discussion BBC Radio 4 with Michelle Brown, Richard Gameson & amp; Clare Lees ( In Our Time
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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