Breton Gospel Book (British Library, MS Egerton 609) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Egerton MS 609
Breton Gospel Book
Language	Latin
Date	9th century
Genre	Gospel Book

The British Library, Egerton MS 609 is a very old and beautiful book from Brittany, a region in France. It's known as a Gospel Book, which means it contains the four Gospels from the Bible. This special book was made a long, long time ago, around the 800s.

Even though it was created in France, its artwork is a cool mix of different styles. The big, fancy letters at the start of each Gospel look like art from Carolingian manuscripts (books made during Charlemagne's time). But the decorations on these letters are more like the art you'd see in Insular manuscripts, such as the famous Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. However, the art in the Breton Gospel Book is a bit simpler and uses more geometric shapes.

This manuscript is written in Latin. It includes a letter from St. Jerome to Pope Damasus, St. Jerome's thoughts on Matthew, and the four Gospels themselves. It also has an introduction and "canon tables," which are like an index for old books. Today, you can find this amazing book in the British Library as part of the Egerton Collection.

Where Did This Old Book Come From?

The Breton Gospel Book was made in France, probably in Brittany or a city called Tours. We know that in the 1400s, a Benedictine Abbey (a type of monastery) in Tours owned the book. There's even a note on the last page (called "folio 102v") that says, "This book belongs to the Church of St. Martin of Tours."

Later, in the 1700s, another abbey in Tours, the Abbey of Marmoutiers, got the book. This is shown by a note on the very first page ("folio 1r").

In 1836, the British Museum bought the book. They used money left to them by Francis Henry Egerton. When Francis Henry Egerton passed away in 1829, he gave £12,000 and 67 manuscripts to the British Museum. This gift created the Egerton Collection and a special fund to buy even more old books.

Before 1973, the British Library was actually part of the British Museum. But then, a law in 1972 separated them. So, the Breton Gospel Book now lives at the British Library and is still a treasured part of the Egerton Collection.

What Does the Book Look Like?

This manuscript is thought to be part of a group called 'Irish-Northumbrian' books. Other famous books in this group include the Book of Armagh and the Book of Kells. For a long time, there have been artistic connections between the British Isles and Brittany. This is especially clear in medieval manuscripts because these places are close to each other across the English Channel.

Breton manuscripts often look like British and Irish books. They feature animal designs, interlace patterns (like woven ribbons), and other decorations. But they also use writing styles and older art from mainland Europe.

What's Inside the Book?

The Breton Gospels Book contains a letter from St. Jerome to Pope Damasus. It also has St. Jerome's introduction to his thoughts on St. Matthew, and the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Plus, there's an introduction and "canon tables," which act like an index for the book.

The book has 102 main pages, called "folios," and two extra blank paper pages. The book itself is about 310 by 210 millimeters (about 12.2 by 8.3 inches). The space where the text is written is about 230 by 145 millimeters (about 9.1 by 5.7 inches). Each page has a different number of lines of text.

The Breton Gospels Book is written in Latin using a script called Caroline minuscule. Experts believe an Insular scribe (a person who copied books, likely from Ireland or Britain) wrote it. The book is a codex made of parchment (animal skin), with ink and colorful paints. It was bound after the year 1600 with red leather, gold designs, and marbled end papers.

Caroline minuscule writing started in the 700s under Charlemagne and became very popular in the 800s. It developed from an older script called half-uncial. Insular script also came from half-uncial and began in Ireland before spreading. When we talk about "majuscule" in script, it means the letters are capitalized, not lowercase.

This manuscript has many small notes and drawings in the margins (the blank spaces around the main text). Most of these are writing, but some are tiny designs.

The Amazing Decorations

St. Jerome's letter to Pope Damasus was usually placed before the Gospels in old manuscripts. It's called 'Novum Opus' because those are its first words. In the letter, the letter 'O' in the word 'Beato' has a face drawn inside it. This was a common decoration in early medieval books. The face in this book is simple, just lines forming a basic outline.

Folio 4r. A canon table with a decorative frame and bird-like heads.

The canon tables in the book are Eusebian Canon tables. These tables were used to help people find specific parts of the Gospels, like a table of contents. The canon tables from page 3v to 7r are surrounded by frames in brown and yellow. The design of these tables changes as you flip through the pages. Some have animal heads at the ends, while others have more natural, flowing designs.

For example, the canon tables on pages 3v and 4r have animal heads at the top of the outer columns. On page 3v, both animal heads look like birds. But on page 4r, they are different: the one on the left looks like a bird, while the one on the right is another animal. These canon tables are also inside a decorative frame that looks like tiny architecture. As you move to pages 4v and 5r, the frames become simpler, with only one animal head on each page. On pages 5v and 6r, they are just simple lined frames. Pages 6v and 7r are almost the same, but they have small swirls or curved designs at the corners of the columns.

There are four large, decorated letters in the manuscript. They are mostly colored brown, orange, yellow, and some blue. They all show elements of interlace (like woven patterns) and zoomorphism (using animal shapes). These special letters appear on page 1r (for Jerome's letter), 8r (for the Gospel of Matthew), 46r (for the Gospel of Mark), and 79r (for the Gospel of John). Interestingly, Luke's Gospel is the only one that doesn't have a big, decorated letter at its start.

Other letters on pages 1r, 2v, 7v, 44v, and 77v are also decorated, but they are not as big or fancy as the main four. It was common in the Middle Ages to have an introduction (called a "preface") for each Gospel. The prefaces in the Egerton manuscript are known as Monarchian Prologues. Again, Luke is the only saint without a preface or a decorated beginning. These smaller decorated letters use the same colors, interlace, and animal designs. Many of the starting letters are highlighted or filled with orange, brown, and yellow, sometimes with more than one color. It's thought that the monastery that made this book might not have been very rich because the manuscript was made simply, with only a few colors.

Matthew's Gospel

The beginning of Matthew's Gospel is similar to Mark's. The animal heads and interlace on the letters 'LI' are like styles that were simplified from early medieval art in northern and western France. These designs are more geometric than the very curvy letters found in Anglo-Saxon and Irish manuscripts. They have more in common with the classic letters from Charlemagne's court.

Mark's Gospel

In the introduction to Mark's Gospel, the design in the first letter of 'Marcus' is a special variation found in Anglo-Saxon England and Ireland Gospel books from the 700s and 800s. For this letter, the shape and interlace have been changed into connected geometric patterns. Usually, these designs would use spirals and curves.

The start of Mark's Gospel looks like decorations in Gospel books from Britain and Ireland from the 700s and 800s. The title is written at the top of the page (f. 8r) in capital letters with added color. The first letters of the Gospel are almost the size of the page and slowly get smaller until they become regular writing. The larger letters also have color, but the normal writing does not. The first two letters, 'IN', at the start of the Gospel, are decorated with animal heads and interlace. These two letters are also joined together, a style that first appeared in Irish manuscripts in the late 600s. The animal heads and interlace show how the Breton tradition copied Irish and similar art in manuscripts.

Folio 79r. The beginning of John's Gospel has a word with animal-like initials 'IN' featuring bird heads and interlace.

John's Gospel

The beginning of John's Gospel is similar to the beginnings of Mark and Matthew. The first two letters are 'IN', just like Mark's, but they have different artistic styles and are not exact copies. The simpler interlace designs show a change from the very detailed designs found in books like the Lichfield Gospels.

The manuscript has two full-page pictures of Mark (on page 45v) and John (on page 78v). Another way to show the evangelists was to use their symbols. These symbols appeared in a vision Ezekiel had and also in the Book of Revelation. Early Christian writers thought the four creatures were signs of the Gospels. By the 800s, pictures that mixed animal heads with human bodies were rarely made anymore. However, in remote areas like Brittany, which were not big centers, older traditions could continue more easily.

In the symbol for John, there are snakes in the bottom parts of the frame. This shows the Breton style of animal interlace. Many different ways of showing these symbols developed early on, combining an animal head with a human body, just like in this manuscript. According to Jerome, and the most common belief, Matthew is shown as a man, Mark as a lion, Luke as an ox, and John as an eagle. This is how they are shown in the miniature portrait. Even though these interpretations were widely accepted, some writers still paired different animals with the saints. In the picture of Mark, this manuscript shows him as an eagle (both Mark and John are shown as eagles), while others believed he should be a lion.

Gallery

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  Folio 1. The start of Jerome's letter to Pope Damasus, with decorated letters 'B' and 'N' and interlace patterns.

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  Folio 2v. A decorated letter 'P' with an animal head and a fancy tail.

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  Folio 3v. A canon table with a frame that looks like tiny architecture and bird-like heads.

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  Folio 4r. A canon table in a frame that looks like tiny architecture and bird-like heads.

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  Folio 8r. An animal-like letter 'L' at the start of Matthew, with animal heads and interlace.

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  Folio 44v. At the start of Mark's introduction, the word 'Marcus' is decorated with geometric interlace.

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  Folio 45v. A small picture at the start of Mark, showing a stylized man with an eagle head inside an interlace border.

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  Folio 46r. A decorated letter 'I' at the start of Mark, with animal heads and interlace.

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  Folio 77v. The start of John's introduction, with a decorated letter 'H' and colored letters.

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  Folio 78v. A small picture before the start of John, showing a standing winged figure with a bird head inside an interlace border.

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  Folio 79r. The start of John's Gospel has an animal-like word with the letters 'IN' featuring bird heads and interlace.

See also

• List of Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts
• List of illuminated later Anglo-Saxon manuscripts