La Cava Bible facts for kids
The La Cava Bible, also known as the Codex Cavensis, is a very old and special book. It's a Bible written in Latin during the 800s, in the 9th century. This amazing book was made in Spain, most likely in a kingdom called Asturias, when King Alfonso II was in charge.
Today, the La Cava Bible is kept safe in an abbey called La Trinità della Cava in Italy. It has 330 pages, called folios, made from animal skin. Each page is about the size of a large school textbook, measuring 320 by 260 millimeters.
Contents
Where Did the La Cava Bible Come From?
A scribe, or writer, named Danila signed his name on one of the pages (folio 166v). We don't know exactly where Danila worked, but experts believe the Bible was made in Spain. This is because of the way it was written and the words used.
It was probably made in the early 800s. At that time, much of Spain was controlled by Muslims. It would have been very hard to create such a fancy Christian book there. This makes Asturias the most likely place. Asturias was the biggest Christian kingdom in Spain back then.
The art in the Bible also points to Asturias. The Cross is shown four times in the book. This was the only clear Christian symbol used. Even though these crosses look a bit different from other art from Asturias, the cross was a very important symbol there. For example, kings like Alfonso II and Alfonso III ordered beautiful gold crosses to be made, like the Victory Cross.
What Does the La Cava Bible Look Like?
The La Cava Bible doesn't have many pictures. Its decorations are mostly the four crosses we mentioned, special borders around titles, and fancy first letters of paragraphs.
Two of the crosses are simple, drawn with a compass. One is at the very beginning of the book. Another is at the start of the books of the prophets. One title page for the Psalms is shaped like a cross. Also, a page with introductions to the New Testament is written in the shape of a cross. This special page uses red, white, and yellow ink on a blue page. There is one other blue page and three purple pages in the Bible.
The borders around titles look like those in very old medieval books. But Danila used bright, strong colors that were new for the time. The fancy first letters are similar to those found in other old manuscripts from Europe.
It's thought that Danila copied this Bible from an even older book that is now lost. The way he used colored inks was new and showed how Spanish manuscripts would look later on.
The Text of the La Cava Bible
The La Cava Bible is very important for studying the Vulgate Bible text. The Vulgate is a Latin version of the Bible. This Bible, along with another one called the Codex Amiatinus, helps experts understand the original text of the Old Testament. The text of the Gospels in this Bible seems to be a changed version, mixed with older Latin writings.
See also
In Spanish: Biblia de Danila para niños
- List of New Testament Latin manuscripts
