{"product_id":"a-complete-illuminated-paris-bible-on-vellum-c-1250","title":"A Complete Illuminated Paris Bible, c.1250","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eA complete and well preserved Paris Bible, written during the lifetime of Thomas Aquinas, of notably compact format yet containing the entirety of the Scriptures, and with a refined programme of illumination, including an extremely rare contemporary historiated initial of Beelzebub, the “Prince of Demons.”\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBiblia Latina\u003c\/em\u003e, illuminated manuscript on vellum. Paris, c.1250.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eProduced in Paris in the middle decades of the thirteenth century, this manuscript belongs to the period in which the Bible assumed the standardised form that would define its transmission through the later Middle Ages and into print. Before c.1220, the Scriptures commonly circulated in differing textual arrangements and most often in multiple volumes. The Paris Bible represents their consolidation into a single, portable codex with a largely fixed sequence of books, standardised chapter divisions, the established corpus of Saint Jerome-derived prologues, and the appended \u003cem\u003eInterpretationes nominum Hebraicorum\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThe present manuscript reflects this structure in its mature form. Its canon includes the Deuterocanonical books while excluding apocryphal texts omitted from the mainstream university tradition, such as the Epistle to the Laodiceans and 4 Ezra. In both textual organisation and physical execution, it represents the Bible of the medieval schools and the principal vehicle through which Scripture was studied, taught, preached, and transmitted within the scholastic world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eWritten in a fine and highly compact Gothic bookhand in double columns of 51 lines, the manuscript compresses the entirety of the biblical text into a remarkably small format (107 × 154 mm), characteristic of the Paris ateliers responsible for the emergence of the portable university Bible. Such manuscripts were designed above all for practical use: for theologians, students, mendicants, and preachers requiring a complete biblical text in a transportable form. While the term “Paris Bible” properly denotes a textual family rather than a physical format, the two are closely associated, as in the present example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAlthough Paris Bibles were produced in considerable numbers during the thirteenth century, comparatively few survive complete and in fresh condition owing to the intensity of their use. The present manuscript retains its full complement of 508 leaves, including the complete\u003cem\u003e Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum\u003c\/em\u003e, and preserves the canonical sequence in its entirety. The vellum remains generally clean and supple, the script largely clear and legible throughout, and the manuscript retains substantial evidence of contemporary scholarly readership in the form of marginal annotations in several early hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eDecoration is executed throughout in red and blue with controlled Parisian pen-flourishing extending into scrolling and occasionally zoomorphic terminals. The opening initial of Genesis is of particular quality, incorporating extended ornamental flourishing embedded within the design. The 'I' of 'In principio...' forms an architectural border. This entrance decoration is a wonderful example of visual theology, creating a parallel between Genesis 1 and John 1, presenting Christ as the Incarnate Word of God, here represented as the fish (from the Greek ἰχθύς, \"Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour\"), from which the text of the Bible flows and the life of all creation. Elsewhere, the decorative programme remains lively and confident, entirely characteristic of the sophisticated visual economy of the Paris book trade, as well as rightly presenting Scripture as the living, breathing Word of God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eOf exceptional interest is a contemporary historiated initial depicting Beelzebub accompanying the text “\u003cem\u003econsulite Beelzebub deum Accaron...\u003c\/em\u003e” (\u003cem\u003e4 Regum \u003c\/em\u003e1, f.137r). Representations of named demons in thirteenth-century biblical manuscripts are of notable rarity, particularly within portable scholastic Bibles intended primarily for academic use. The survival of such an image within a manuscript otherwise marked by functional elegance considerably distinguishes the present volume within the broader corpus of Paris Bible production and is a most curious example of the visual culture of evil at the very beginning of the high scholastic period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eParis Bibles occupy a central position in the intellectual and material history of the medieval book, standing at the intersection of the university, the mendicant orders, and the rapidly developing commercial book trade of thirteenth-century Paris. The present manuscript, complete, compact, and preserving both its scholarly apparatus and evidence of sustained contemporary use, represents an especially attractive example of the type.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eProduced in a Parisian workshop for scholastic use, as evidenced by contemporary and near-contemporary marginal annotations in several distinct hands, probably at the University of Paris. Manuscripts of this type belonged to the intellectual milieu of the University of Paris, in which Thomas Aquinas and, somewhat later, John Duns Scotus were active.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly to mid 19th century Italian binding (the Italian 'Bibbia' on spine)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecent French private collection; exported to the United Kingdom with license.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStructure and Organisation:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eDouble column, 51 lines plus headline, written in a compact Gothic bookhand in black ink on fine vellum. Chapter divisions rubricated throughout; prologues and incipits in red. Decoration in red and blue with extensive pen-flourishing. Occasional contemporary marginal annotations and corrections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eComplete in 508 leaves, including a blank divisional leaf following the Apocalypse and the complete 37-leaf Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003ef1r: Prologue; f4r Genesis; f.23v Exodus; f.39r Leviticus; f.50r Numbers; f.65v Deuteronomy; f.79r Joshua; f.89r Judges; f.98v Ruth; f.100v 1 Kings; f.113v 2 Kings; f.124v 3 Kings; f.137r 4 Kings; f.149r 1 Chronicles; f.160r 2 Chronicles; f.174v 1 Esdras; f.178r Nehemiah; f.183v 2 Esdras (Ezra); f.189r Tobit; f.193r Judith; f.198r Esther; f.203r Job; f.213v Psalms; f.237r Proverbs; f.245v Ecclesiastes; f.248v Song of Songs; f.250r Wisdom; f.256r Ecclesiasticus; f.271v Isaiah; f.290r Jeremiah; f.311v Lamentations; f.313v Baruch; f.316r Ezekiel; f.334r Daniel; f.341v Hosea; f.344v Joel; f.345v Amos; f.348r Obadiah; f.348v Jonah; f.349r Micah; f.351r Nahum; f.351v Habakkuk; f.353r Zephaniah; f.354r Haggai; f.354v Zechariah; f.358r Malachi; f.359r 1 Maccabees; f.369v 2 Maccabees; f.378r Matthew; f.389r Mark; f.395v Luke; f.408r John; f.417r Romans; f.421v 1 Corinthians; f.426r 2 Corinthians; f.429v Galatians; f.431r Ephesians; f.432v Philippians; f.433r Colossians; f.434r 1 Thessalonians; f.436v 2 Thessalonians; f.437r 1 Timothy; f.438r 2 Timothy; f.439r Titus; f.440r Philemon; f.440r Hebrews; f.444r Acts; f.457r James; f.458v 1 Peter; f.459v 2 Peter; f.460v 1 John; f.462r 2 John; f.462r 3 John; f.462v Jude; f.463r Apocalypse; f.470r\/v blank; f.471 Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum; f.508v explicit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eEach book is preceded by its incipit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 107 x 154 mm (approx.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ebinding size: 117 x 162 mm (approx.)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eNineteenth-century brown morocco, richly gilt and blind-stamped, spine with raised bands; preserved in a green morocco book box which is rubbed, some scuffs, and its spine sunned. Binding with minor external wear but structurally sound and attractive in appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe manuscript collates as complete, including the full \u003cem\u003eInterpretationes nominum Hebraicorum\u003c\/em\u003e. Vellum generally fresh and well preserved. Some leaves show localised thinning and occasional ink corrosion, with limited associated text loss in isolated areas. Overall, the manuscript remains highly legible and presents exceptionally well for a Paris Bible of this period and format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ef.1 with leaf repair to upper corner not affecting the main text. f.75 with natural blemish to outer edge of vellum not affecting text or decoration, a few other leaves similar. f.170 with more substantial ink corrosion. Small hole to f.383 with loss to text (34x15mm). The vellum is fine; ink corrosion causes thinning of the vellum to several leaves, some text loss is present. However, the significant majority of the text is very well preserved, bright, fresh, and eminently legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eThis manuscript represents a refined and well-preserved example of the Paris Bible at the height of its production, retaining with clarity the features that defined its use within the thirteenth-century schools. Its compact format, clarity of script, and evidence of sustained use place it firmly within the scholarly culture that shaped medieval theology.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBibliography\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDerolez, Albert. \u003cem\u003eThe Palaeography of Gothic Manuscript Books: From the Twelfth to the Early Sixteenth Century\u003c\/em\u003e. Cambridge, 2003.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGuéville, Estelle and Wrisley, David Joseph. (15 June 2021). \u003cem\u003eWhat is a Paris Bible?\u003c\/em\u003e Paris Bible Project.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLight, Laura. French Bibles c.1200-30: A New Look at the Origin of the Paris Bible. In R. Gameson (Ed.). \u003cem\u003eThe Early Medieval Bible: Its Production, Decoration and Use\u003c\/em\u003e. Cambridge University Press, 1994.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLight, Laura.\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThe Thirteenth-Century Bible: The Paris Bible and Beyond. In R. Marsden and E. A. Matter (eds). \u003cem\u003eThe New Cambridge History of the Bible\u003c\/em\u003e. Volume Two, c.600-1450. Cambridge University Press, 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ede Hamel, Christopher. \u003cem\u003eGlossed Books of the Bible and the Origins of the Paris Book Trade\u003c\/em\u003e. Cambridge, 1984.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoodPaz Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56625998168388,"sku":null,"price":80000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0783\/1725\/7028\/files\/DD56D8D1-20E9-43FA-86BC-7D6151AF9C8F.jpg?v=1778603230","url":"https:\/\/woodpaz.com\/products\/a-complete-illuminated-paris-bible-on-vellum-c-1250","provider":"WoodPaz Books Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}