The Ada Gospels (

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, Stadtbibliothek, Codex 22) is a late eighth century or early ninth century

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

gospel book in the Stadtbibliothek,

, Germany. The manuscript contains a dedication to Charlemagne's sister Ada, from where it gets its name. The manuscript is written on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anim ...

Carolingian minuscule Carolingian minuscule or Caroline minuscule is a script which developed as a calligraphic standard in the medieval European period so that the Latin alphabet of Jerome's Vulgate Bible could be easily recognized by the literate class from one reg ...

. It measures 14.5 by 9.625 inches. The ''Ada Gospels'' are one of a group of manuscript illuminations by a circle of scriptoria that represent what modern scholars call the "

Ada School Carolingian art comes from the Frankish Empire in the period of roughly 120 years from about 780 to 900—during the reign of Charlemagne and his immediate heirs—popularly known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The art was produced by and for the ...

". Other products of the Ada School include the Soissons Gospels, Harley Golden Gospels, Godescalc Evangelistary and the

Lorsch Gospels The ''Codex Aureus of Lorsch'' or Lorsch Gospels (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 50, and Alba Iulia, Biblioteca Documenta Batthyaneum, s.n.) is an illuminated Gospel Book written in Latin between 778 and 820, roughly coinciding with th ...

; ten manuscripts in total are usually recognised. The manuscript is illuminated. Its illuminations include an elaborate initial page for the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

and portraits of

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

and Luke. The illuminations show Insular, Italian and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

influences. The Evangelist portraits show a firm grasp of Classical style typical of the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the Christian Roman Empire of t ...

. In 1499 the

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

was given a rich sculpted gold binding that includes the Late Antique Eagle Cameo displaying the family of Emperor Constantine.The Eagle Cameo is interpreted in the context of Constantine's career by Paul Stephenson, ''Constantine, Roman Emperor, Christian Victor'', 2010:126f and bibliography.

Notes

External links

Portrait of Matthew from the ''Ada Gospels''

More information at Earlier Latin Manuscripts
Gospel Books 9th-century biblical manuscripts Carolingian illuminated manuscripts {{manuscript-art-stub