Invitation to Syriac Christianity by Michael Philip Penn

Author:Michael Philip Penn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780520299191
Publisher: University of California Press

FIGURE 9. An illustrated Syriac gospel lectionary (British Library Additional 7170, fol. 6a). There are many Syriac manuscripts containing an entire biblical text or a collection of entire biblical texts. But the most common Syriac biblical manuscript was a lectionary. Lectionaries contain short biblical passages meant to be read aloud during a church service. This page of a Syriac lectionary dated to between 1216 and 1240 depicts the evangelists John and Luke writing their gospels. Syriac text near each evangelist identifies them. For each evangelist, a hand comes from a partially visible orb to aid them, symbolizing God’s inspiration and assistance in writing the gospels. The platforms on which the evangelists are working are architecturally simple but feature highly elaborate geometric decoration, as does the border of the illustration. It is worthwhile to compare the style of this illustration to the depiction of the crucifixion and resurrection in the “Rabbula Gospels” (Figure 7). Both illustrations incorporate vibrant colors, geometric motifs, and plants in the background. This image features more elaborate brushwork and more crisp facial details. The plant life is also given a more fantastic appearance. As a lectionary, this manuscript played a prominent role in liturgical practice, and this image served to emphasize one of the central events of the Christian narrative and liturgical calendar. © Trustees of the British Library.

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