Rossano Gospels

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Uncial 042
Diocesan Museum, Rossano Cathedral
Size188 folios; 31 x 26 cm; 20 lines; 2 col.
TypeByzantine text-type
CategoryV
Noteclose to N (022)

The Rossano Gospels, designated by 042 or Σ (in the

Italian peninsula by the Byzantine Empire. Also known as Codex purpureus Rossanensis due to the reddish-purple (purpureus in Latin) appearance of its pages, the codex is one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament. The manuscript is famous for its prefatory cycle of miniatures of subjects from the Life of Christ, arranged in two tiers on the page, sometimes with small Old Testament
prophet portraits below, prefiguring and pointing up to events described in the New Testament scene above.


History

The manuscript is dated by the

INTF to the 6th century.[1]

The codex was discovered in 1879 in the sacristy of

Adolf Harnack.[2]

On 9 October 2015 in Abu Dhabi, the international UNESCO Committee, inscribed the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis in its register of the memory of the world.[3]

Origin

Discovered in 1846 in Rossano Cathedral, the Rossano Gospels is the oldest extant illuminated manuscript of the New Testament Gospels. The exact time and place of its creation are still uncertain.

The manuscript is dated by the

INTF to the sixth century.[1] The Gospels were written after the Ostrogoths of the Byzantine Empire recaptured the Italian peninsula
after the war (from 535 to 553).

Rediscovery

The codex was discovered in 1879 in the sacristy of

Adolf Harnack.[2]

On October 9, 2015, in Abu Dhabi, the international UNESCO Committee inscribed the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis in its register of the memory of the world.[4]

The Rossano Gospels presents its text in a liturgical order like some other restored manuscripts. Chapters in this manuscript are arranged according to the church year. In this particular case, the readings followed the Lenten seasonal order, telling the story of Jesus' last few weeks on earth and about his death.

Although it is no longer used in Christian ceremonies, this particular Gospels are important for dissecting art and symbolism, and researching the pages sheds light on early Christian beliefs.[5]

Description

Contents

Presenting nearly all of its miniatures in an architecture-like setting, the Rossano Gospels is one of the few illuminated manuscripts that perfectly fits with its definitions. It helps the reader take a spiritual insight into history, politics, religion, and people, and using bright colors on purple vellum with gold and silver lettering, and brightly-painted illustrations.[6] Due to the lavish materials and high quality of the illumination, Byzantine art historians, such as Kathleen Maxwell, have posited that it was created in an imperial scriptorium in Constantinople.[7]

In the

church calendar, which begins at Advent and ends with Pentecost. The illustrations of the Rossano Gospels are separate from the text of the Gospels and are arranged according to the liturgical calendar during the season of Lent.[8]

The now incomplete

Ammonian Sections, and references to the Eusebian Canons.[2]

The text of the Codex agrees generally with the Byzantine text-type in close relationship to the Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus. The Rossano Gospels, along with the manuscripts N, O, and Φ, belong to the group of the Purple Uncials (or purple codices). Aland placed all four manuscripts of the group (the Purple Uncials) in Category V.[9]

In

1216 1230 1354 1604 Lectionary 54 syrh geo.[10]

In

Coptic version.[11]


Materials

Rossano Gospels

The Rossano Gospels is one of the oldest

reddish brown.[12] The Vienna Genesis and the Sinope Gospels are also written in silver ink on purple-dyed parchment.[13] In the Middle Ages, purple was believed to be a symbol of royalty or holiness, and because Christianity considered Jesus Christ to be the embodiment of God, he is worthy of the rare purple dye.[14]

Rossano Gospel's paper are vellum parchment, made from the skin of a calf; the thinner parchment is, the higher its value.

The large (300 mm by 250 mm) book has text written in a 215 mm square block with two columns of twenty lines each. The prefatory cycle of illustrations is also on purple dyed parchment.

Rossano Codex is fully gilded on valuable

God.[15]

Decoration

In the Christ before Pilate illumination, the trial of Christ before

early Christian and medieval art. Another distinctive mark of these miniatures is the moment selected for the representation. In the first scene, this is the beginning of the trial when Christ is led to Pilate by the high priests, one of whom supports the charges. The second scene represents the choice between Christ and Barabbas offered by Pilate to the Jews. These two scenes show that the formal opening of the trial and the central moment of it when the critical issue was posed. Almost all other representations are content to present the famous hand-washing scene, the last act of the trial, in which Pilate disclaimed responsibility for the decision taken. In the Rossano Gospel's Trial of Christ, there are three acts and three interludes. The inscription on the rector at the top (Matt 27:2) announced the opening of trial in which Christ's silence and refusal to answer charges is the focal point, interpolated with the fate of Judas (27:3-5). The second event of the trial, the choice between Christ and Barabbas (Luke 23:18 or Matt 27:21), has an interluding scene featuring Herod
(Luke 23:6-12). The third act of trial is the Washing of Pilate's Hands (Matt 27:23-25) with the interlude of the Message of Pilate's Wife (Matt.27:19).

In the illustration of

Saint Mark writing the Gospels, there are two figures; Saint Mark is seated in a throne-like chair with his muse, Mary, as Divine wisdom. There is definitely a sense of space within. The robes of the two figures are also lined with complexity with many strokes of the pen showing the folds of cloth. Thus, it is surprising that the surrounding architecture, which consists of two columns and what appears to be an apse or other such archway, is devoid of all but the simplest details. Even the top of the arch with its seashell-like pattern is rigid and sharp, which further proves the theory that the miniatures on the pages of this Gospels were derived from existing structures. [18]

Other significant images include Jesus giving the last supper to his disciples and of Jesus washing Peter's feet. Jesus and the disciple on the right end of the table are reclining; they are twisted in a way that is not proportional according to the strange dual perspective. The floor actually seems to be part of the table at first glance, as there is no distinction between where the table ends and the floor begins. The floor, too, is miraculously upended, and upon it are drawings of pheasants or peacocks. The disciples that gather around the semi-circular table form an arch. Perhaps an original of this piece was once situated in such a way. Eyes of the disciples are slightly unfocused as they look at Jesus, suggesting that their forms may have been situated along the structure of an apse's shell-like shape.[19]

See also

Gallery

  • Christ before Pilate
    Christ before Pilate
  • Evangelist Mark
    Evangelist Mark
  • The Proverb
    The Proverb
  • The last Supper
    The last Supper
  • Good Samaritan
    Good Samaritan
  • Triumphal entry of Jesus
    Triumphal entry of Jesus

References

  1. ^ a b "Liste Handschriften". Münster: Institute for New Testament Textual Research. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Gregory, Caspar René (1900). Textkritik des Neuen Testaments, Vol. 1. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung. p. 92.
  3. ^ "Codex Purpureus Rossanensis | Iter UNESCO". Codex Purpureus Rossanensis.
  4. ^ "Codex Purpureus Rossanensis | Iter UNESCO". Codex Purpureus Rossanensis.
  5. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  6. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  7. ^ Maxwell, Kathleen (2021). "Illuminated Gospels Books" in A Smarthistory Guide to Byzantine Art. Smarthistory.
  8. ^ "Rossano Gospels". The Byzantine Legacy. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  9. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1
    .
  10. ^ UBS3, p. 2.
  11. ^ UBS3, p. 66.
  12. JSTOR 3047954
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-19-516122-9
    .
  14. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  15. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  16. ^ "Trial of Jesus Christ before Pilate". churchmotherofgod.org. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  17. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  18. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  19. ^ "The Rossano Gosples". www.worldsaga.net. Retrieved 2020-04-22.

Further reading

External links

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