What is the Book of Kells about?
We recently visited the Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin. The book contains the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It was written in the early 9th century, came to Dublin in 1653, and ended up at Trinity in 1661. It is sometimes called the Book of Columb for Saint Columba, who is also called Saint Columcille. He founded monasteries in Kells, Derry, Swords, and most importantly Iona. There are 5 theories of origin for the Book of Kells:
We recently visited the Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin. The book contains the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It was written in the early 9th century, came to Dublin in 1653, and ended up at Trinity in 1661. It is sometimes called the Book of Columb for Saint Columba, who is also called Saint Columcille. He founded monasteries in Kells, Derry, Swords, and most importantly Iona. There are 5 theories of origin for the Book of Kells:
1) The book was
created at Iona and then brought to Kells where the illuminations (also known as illustrations) were added.
2) The work was
produced entirely at Iona.
3) The book was
produced entirely in Kells.
4) The fourth is
that it was produced in Northern England, brought to Iona, and eventually ended up in Kells.
5) The book was
produced at an unknown monastery in Pictish, Scotland; however, there is no evidence for this theory.
Regardless of
the theories, the book eventually came to Kells before it eventually relocated
to its current location in Dublin. Since 1953, it has been bound into four
volumes, two of which are on display for public viewing.
(This sign is outside of the Trinity College bookstore courtesy of Kelly. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.)
As stated above, the Book of Kells contains the four gospels: Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John in 680 pages. The text is based on the Vulgate, which is a
late fourth-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Book of Kells is a beautiful
work of art produced on vellum, which comes from calfskin. Four scribes wrote
the book in majuscule, which is a fancy way of saying “all capital letters.” A goldsmith,
an illustrator, and a portrait painter worked together to create the
illustrations in the book. The illustrations include humans, animals, mystical
beasts, Celtic knots, and interlacing patterns. Some specific examples include
the peacock, which symbolizes incorruptibility of Christ and rebirth; and the
ichthus fish to represent conversion. In between the lines of text, the scribes
drew pictures to make the text double-spaced. Some words may have been repeated,
but the designs are never repeated. The designers even used crystals as
magnifying glasses to capture details. There are many ways to worship the Lord,
and these monks worshipped God with their intellect and creativity. People
today continue to use their artistic gifts and talents to worship God, and all
people can appreciate the Book of Kells and the work it must have taken to
create it.
(This picture shows the majuscule text and the details of the illustrations in the book.)
What does the Book of Kells mean to Ireland in the past and present?
The Book of Kells is one of the greatest examples of the treasured works that we have left copied down in the scriptoriums of the early monastic societies. It represents how the early monasteries were places of learning and dedication to the Word of God. After seeing the Book of Kells, we further realized that monasteries were not only places of spirituality but also places of scholarship. The intricate details of the illustrations testify to the monks’ passion and conviction for the Word of God. The decorations in the Book of Kells are not so much for aesthetic purposes, but rather for showing the care that went into putting the manuscript together. Today, we have lost this care and take our copies of the Word for granted. When we have four or five Bibles in our homes that are massed-produced, we don’t appreciate them as much as those in the early monastic time period. We go to the Book of Kells to remind ourselves of the appreciation of the Word and the beauty it inspires.
(This page is famously known as the Chi-Rho page for it's elaborate illumination of the Greek letters chi and rho.)
Where is it?
The Book of Kells is housed at Trinity College in Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
What stood out to our group?
We were struck by the sheer beauty and attention to detail that the monks gave to creating the Book of Kells. It would not have been possible for the monks to create the book as they did if they did not believe in what the book stood for. They were extremely creative with their illustrations and illuminations. The amount of time it took to create this work was inspiring to all.
(An illuminated 'M' from the Book of Kells for the Monaster-boyz of Greystones)
Websites for the pictures:
Majuscule Text/Illustration: http://carrigdownirishcrafts.com/irish-interest/book-of-kells/
Chi Rho page: http://godsbigshow.blogspot.ie/2012/12/awesome-video-ceelo-green-mary-did-you.html
Illuminated 'M': http://www.art-imagery.com/cat.php?id=m&b=kells
No comments:
Post a Comment