The St Cuthbert Gospel of St John - A Complete Anglo-Saxon Book
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2024
- #stcuthbert #durhamcathedral #anglo-saxon #books #bookbinding
The St Cuthbert Gospel of St John, is the earliest complete book in western Europe. Made in the early 8th century in the Venerable Bede's monastery at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow, it spent many years in the coffin of St Cuthbert. It was discovered in 1104 in his coffin and was venerated as a relic of him. At the Reformation it disappeared form Durham, only to reappear again. A remarkable survivor, this volume and its binding tell us so much about the production of books in Anglo-Saxon England. Join me as I explore its rich history.
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I pulled out my 1962 Missal and compared its Latin text of the relevant passages to the text shown in the video... The St Cuthbert Gospel text uses a few abbreviations ("ihs" and "ihm" for Jesus, "Do" for "Deo", and "Dne" for "Domine", for example), but the text is word for word exactly the same. The part marked "de mortuori" ("of the dead") in the margin of the Cuthbert text at 12:57 in the video is, at least in the 1962 Missal, still identical to the beginning of the Gospel reading for the "Mass and Absolution on the Day of the Death or on the Day of the Burial of One of the Faithful" (aka the funeral or Requiem). Gave me a bit of a shiver, to think of the ancient age of the tradition and the many, many generations of our ancestors who were laid to rest with these exact words read over them.
In an odd way, it gives me a feeling of belonging to the continuity of humanity over the centuries, somewhat similar to the sensation I had when standing in an historic cathedral in Germany, and sort of feeling traces of the presence of so many generations of people who had stood in the same exact spot. It wasn't eerie at all - it was actually very comforting and beautiful.
As a calligrapher and lover of books this totally blew my mind! Thank you so very much for the fabulous images of this amazing book and the writing within! The historical timeline was fascinating too but now my head is full of that fabulous uncial text and the cover (along with the Codex images offered in support of its origins). Thank you!
Some thirty years ago I spent two wonderful years at Durham and from there visited all the places associated with St.Cuthbert on my push bike. Though reproductions of the Lindisfarne Gospels were around, the existence of this contemporary gospel was new to me or it slipped from my memory. The St. Cuthbert gospel is so different and at the same time so elegant in its unostentious way that it strikes me as perhaps one of the most influential manuscripts of its time, because it was there to be read, to be read by The Venerable Bede and other great men.
What a beautiful, little book with such charisma and to be so old. I love anything about St Cuthbert. The fact the monks moved his coffin around with them is a story of its own. What a safe place to hide this glorious treasure of a book. Thanks for sharing.
What beautiful work monks have left behind. Monks were very intelligent and also educated. They could write and read and make beautiful things. It’s a shame that so much has been lost. Thank you Martha
Many people outside of the monastaries could also read and write. The idea that medieval people, and more specifically peasants were illiterate has already been debunked and exposed by historians as a myth.
I know that but often the people of the nobility and high nobility were the ones who could write and read.
@@marthavanbeek-putters So did lots of peasants. as overwhelming evidence proofs. Literacy was not just something reserved for rich people. That is simply a myth.
@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Well if you say so.
Thank you so much for another excellent video. Just imagine holding in your hands a book that the Venerable Bede had (might have) handled. Gives me the goosebumps!
Thank you, Allan. A truly inspiring tale of this Gospel book!
Hi Allan! I watched the earlier video associated with this one about ten months ago. Nevertheless, I went back and watched it again before watching this one. This is something I would very much recommend to anyone watching. Watching both will give one the "whole story." The latest addition of the Antiquary arrived to me digitally yesterday. I tell you, Allan, that magazine is a marvel indeed. God bless the memory of Saint Cuthbert. Blessings to you and yours.
I have so enjoyed watching you grow and also how professional you have become! Excellent episode as ALWAYS. ❤❤
Thanks for your attention to this volume. As a book historian, I commend your details and references. I think even the great Michelle Brown would approve. My only request would be an assessment of its restoration, for clearly it has has the British Library's conservation laboratory at work on it.
The cover is beautiful, so much work went into it. Let alone the contents.
Stunning. Never heard of it, although I had the good fortune to visit Stonyhurst in 1992.
I greatly appreciated the construction details of the book. Thank you, Allan!
This sent me down so many interesting rabbit holes while I was watching, it took me an hour to watch for all my pausing. I have to go back and watch it again now without pause.
A very enjoyable episode with a very interesting historical trail, excellent.
Beautiful little book, and a treasure.
I was just reading about this in a marvellous book Hidden hands: The lives of manuscripts and their makers by Mary Wellesley. Highly recommended!
The leather tooling of the cover is simply astonishing ❤
I am a simple man. I see a video of this channel; I immediately open and press the like button.
Glad you're enjoying my channel!
Excellent as usual ... Thanks!
I've been studying St. Cuthbert trying to break apart some of the legend from the truth and this video has really helped me get a handle on where to start. I have a feeling that St. Cuthbert was a very good man who has been obscured by legends and I hope to get a better glimpse into that history.
Marvelous.
I'd heard about this book before; such a survivor! Sad to think how much has likely been lost though.
Thank you Allan
Didn't know about this book, truly a treasure. Thank You.
This was quite fascinating. I did not know about this book and am quite surprised that it survives in such great condition. Thanks Allan.
Enjoyed this one.
Very interesting indeed! I adore that bit of recursion where we see the books being made by the people who were making the books! We call that the 'Mandelbrot Effect'. And it's not even 9AM yet! Thank you Dr Allan.
Thank you. Most illuminating.
Fascinating! Great Lesson in History of this Gospel copy. Thanks Ever So Much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I loved your original video about St Cuthbert and have repeated/outlined the story to many people.
This book surviving, it's a bit of a miracle as well.
One of the most remarkable Orthodox Gospels/relics in Britain.
It is so easy as we all know for a book to get damaged. It is indeed remarkable that this is in fine condition. When we think the monks were on the move with the coffin for a century and more. As for the binding - those bookbinders made it to last. They were true to their word.
Fascinating
So fascinating ! Many thanks to you😊
Great video, Allan!
Very interesting. Thank you, Allan.
Wow. I was unaware of this book. Very interesting provenance and very well presented.
Very very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Allan. Your studies that you bring to us are wonderful. This is great!
Glad you appreciated this!
Happy St Cuthbert's Day!
And to you too Ben!
Very well researched. Thanks.
Thank you!❤
Great video, Allan
Wonderful video about my favourite saint.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very well-made. Thanks, Allan!
Thank you for this video; inspiring and informative. Is the book on display at the British Library?
Remarkable survival.
Another riveting, erudite, subject expertly articulated - thank you so much. One contextually irelevant nitpick - why on earth is the hand shown holding the book not wearing conservation standard gloves!?
Thank you for your kind words. I understand from my conservator friends that gloves are no longer the conservation standard for the handling of rare books, more damage is done from loss of sensation in the fingertips to rare books than from clean hands.
@@allanbartonFascinating - I thought gloves were to prevent any acidic transference from skin, but I take the point about loss of sensation. Thank you again.
This is the latest advice from the National Archives. A complete about face on where things were twenty years ago. blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/handling-historic-collections-the-gloves-are-still-off/
@@allanbarton Quite so; I regret showing my years!
@@allanbarton When I was a curator, I can attest to accidentally breaking off corners of pages when turning pages with gloved hands (although I was never lucky enough to examine such a historic artifact). A very good wash and complete drying of the hands is all that is needed. Regarding the video, when I saw the first photos of the book, my first thought was it was such a lovely rebinding. Simply amazing it has survived in it's original form and thank you for the superb video!
Thanks! Have a coffee or cup of tea on me. Thanks for all of the interesring and insightful presentations. CP/Sanfrancisco-CA
Thanks for your support of my work! I'm thrilled you're enjoying it 😊.
excellent work thankyou
Thanks so much Allan. Is there not a slim chance that it was deliberately placed in the saint's coffin as a votive offering? Otherwise they would have remembered to take it back out, no...?
As usual Mr. @allanbarton is on spot on some of the best historical research. I didn't knew that this Gospel had such an amazing story of many times being near total loss only to be saved by dedicated monks, popists and secret english catholics, bibliophiles etc. I already had the notion that this bookbinding was a treasure on itself (I am a conservator-restorer of historical documents, book and photographs) but that the text body and uncial letter was as ancient as Bede that was the best fact that I learned this week. For those who might like seeing this book under the light of scientific imaging, the British Library as on their RUclips channel the tomographic (CT scan) images of the St. Cuthbert Gospel...
Here:
ruclips.net/video/x4utcRZr0MI/видео.html
I find it astonishing that the book is allowed to be handled without gloves.
Gloves are no longer recommended for handling rare books. They cause more damage than bare hands.
@@allanbarton so the oils in our hands is less damaging than a gloved hand? Interesting. What is it about a glove that makes it more damaging?
I am not a conservator, if you Google it you will find the rationale behind present conservation thinking.
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Has this book been translated to English?
That truly is a beautiful book.
Just a few times...
💖👍❤💞
PLEASE remake that first video on the incorrupt body of St Cuthbert! I was going to share it on my blog, but since I can't hear a word you're saying, it's pointless.
Very nice
How did this survive the mindless greed and ravages of Henry VIII’s ‘dissolution’ ???
Was Cuthbert an incorrupt please
I address that subject in the other video, it seems he was.
I question whether any of these people or institutions ever had the legal right to own or sell the book? It should be returned to Durham Cathedral. There is no reason that they couldn't care for it all well as the library.
Another fascinating talk.
When the book was purchased from the Jesuits it was in a formal partnership between the British Library, Durham University and Durham Cathedral and an agreement that the book will be displayed to the public equally in London and the North East, which is what happens.
@geoffreypiltz271 There have been many items stolen from churches over time. No one ever had the legal right to remove the book from Durham Cathedral in the first place. Just because there were others that weren't aware if it's original theft does not give them clean hands. Whoever removed the book from Durham in the first place had no legal right to do so.
@@kevinchambers1101 Durham Cathedral has agreed to the present arrangement. Argue with them.
@@geoffreypiltz271 and how do you know that?
@@kevinchambers1101 Have you heard of Wikipedia?
Medieval monks making an unsubstantiated, impossible claim about the provenance of something supposedly a relic of a saint? Perish the thought. They never do that.
Its connection to Jarrow & Saint Bede is amazing enough... this new claim is still unsubstantiated, more likely, but still very much worthy of our veneration
Why assume the goatskin was from Africa? Because of the way it has been tanned? There have been goats in Britain since Neolithic times.
No assumption really, we didn’t make quality goatskin for binding in Britain. We generally bound books in oak tanned calf. In this case the leather is tanned with sumac, which indicates sub-Saharan Africa.
Why is it being held in a bare hand? Should not white cotton gloves be used to touch such a valuable ancient object?
No, that’s not the modern conservation practice. Gloves are now believed by conservators to do more damage to books and are only used for handling certain archival materials such as photographic prints.
It should be returned to it's original owner
There aren't any monks of Lindisfarne anymore and of course the Catholic Church, if that is what you mean, sold it to the British Library!!!!
When the book was purchased from the Jesuits it was in a formal partnership between the British Library, Durham University and Durham Cathedral and an agreement that the book will be displayed to the public equally in London and the North East, which is what happens.
The Bible never said saints should be venerated. This idolatry.
Groan.
The Holy Spirit didn't go to sleep when the canon of scripture was closed, and saints are not idols.
Idolatry is the worship of idols. Saints are not worshipped, and veneration is not worship. Veneration is respect for a saint's holy life and the intention to follow his or her example. Biblical literalism strikes again.
Never said they shouldn't. Silent on the matter.
Does the Bible say to celebrate Christmas or Easter?