Gospel Book

The Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels (Greek: Εὐαγγέλιον, Evangélion) is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament — normally all four. The term is also used of the liturgical book, also called the Evangeliary, from which are read the portions of the Gospels used in the Mass and other services, arranged according to the order of the liturgical calendar.

Liturgical use in churches of a distinct Gospel book remains normal, often compulsory, in Eastern Christianity, and very common in Roman Catholicism and some parts of Anglicanism. Protestant churches normally just use a complete bible.

History

In the early Middle Ages, the production of copies of the Bible in its entirety was rare, if only because of the huge expense of the parchment required. Individual books or collections of books were produced for specific purposes. From the 4th century Gospel Books were produced for liturgical use, as well as private study and as "display books" for ceremonial and ornamental purposes. The Codex Washingtonianus (Freer gospels) is an early example of a book containing only the four gospels, in Greek, written in the 4th or 5th century. By the 7th century particular gospel texts were allocated to days in the liturgical calendar; previously gospel readings had often worked through the books in sequence. Many of these volumes were elaborate; the Gospel Book was the most common form of heavily illuminated manuscript until about the 11th century, when the Romanesque Bible and Psalter largely superseded it in the West. In the East they remained a significant subject for illumination until the arrival of printing. The Evangelist portrait was a particular feature of their decoration. Most of the masterpieces of both Insular and Ottonian illumination are Gospel Books, and there are very many Byzantine and Carolingian examples.

Gospel Book (British Library, MS Egerton 768)

London, British Library, Egerton 768 is an illuminated Gospel Book in Latin produced in Northern France during the mid-9th century. It contains the Gospels of Luke and John. The manuscript 's decoration includes lavish two page incipits which are decorated with interlace patterns for each Gospel. It was purchased by the British Library by means of the Egerton Fund established by Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater and forms part of the Egerton Collection.

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Minuscule 585

Mimuscule 585 (in the numbering Gregory-Aland) ε 125 (von Soden) is an illuminated Byzantine Gospel Book. It is dated paleographically to the late 10th-century.

Description

The manuscript contains the four Christian Gospels. Originally there were Evangelist portraits at the beginning of each Gospel, but the portrait of Luke is lost. The text is written on 300 parchment leaves, in one column per page, 20 lines per page.

The tables of the κεφαλαια (tables of contents) are placed before every Gospel, numerals of the κεφαλαια (chapters) are given at the margin, and their τιτλοι (titles) at the top of the pages. There is also a division according to the Ammonian Sections (in Mark 233 Sections, the last in 16:8), with a references to the Eusebian Canons (written below Ammonian Section numbers). It contains liturgical books (Synaxarion, Menologion) and portraits of the Evangelists.

The manuscript is an example of the art during the Macedonian Renaissance.

Text

The Greek text of the codex is a representative of the Byzantine text-type. Aland placed it in Category V.Hermann von Soden classified it to the textual family Family K^x. It was examined by the Claremont Profile Method.