The Book of Kells: The Greatest Treasure of Ireland

Folio 202v Christ in the desert. The Book of Kells

In the heart of Dublin lies one of Ireland's greatest treasures, the Book of Kells. A book which, despite being more frequented by American and Spanish tourists than the Irish themselves, holds a special meaning for the Irish as it connects them to a forgotten Golden Age of “Saints and Scholars”.

The name “Book of Kells” was bestowed upon the manuscript due to its relationship with the monastic settlement of Kells in Co Meath, where the book (while still in the process of being completed) was relocated to from the Isle of Iona due to real danger of ongoing Viking raids around the year 800AD.

For continental Europe the turn of the 9th century was an age of tribulation, strife and impending doom. All seemed to be lost in the eyes of many. The Roman Empire was all but a distant memory, Vikings and barbarians were raping and pillaging defenseless communities and civilisation held on a knife edge.

Yet on the most peripheral edge of the known world a small light of civilisation continued to burn. Ireland, unconquered by the Romans, had ironically become the bastion of intellectual preservation.

Small isolated monasteries distributed throughout the main and adjacent islands were copying ancient Roman and Greek philosophical texts, preserving the legacy of antiquity for future generations. The Emerald Isle became, almost overnight, the center of European learning and intellectual life, all aimed at the future re-evangelisation of the troubled continent.

The early Middle Ages saw Ireland launch a missionary campaign to the British mainland and the continent itself. The fruits of a deep intellectual tradition manifested themselves in success that these missionaries had in returning vast European realms back to the Church.

Such legacies can be seen throughout Europe today in the names of historic monasteries founded by Irish saints like St Columba and his followers for example St. Gallen in Switzerland, Altomünster & Weltenburg in Bavaria, Luxeuil & Corbie in France, Nivelles in Belgium and Schottenstift in Austria.

The book belongs to a category of manuscript from the Irish Golden Age called Insular art, the term denoting its Island origin. One can also call this style Hiberno-Saxon as there is a mutual influence between the Celtic and Saxon script and interlacing patterns. The Book of Kells is the example par excellence of Insular art.

The complexity of Insular artwork increases over time from the 6th to 9th century, from the Book of Durrow to the Lindisfarne Gospels to the Lichfield Gospels. The Book of Kells is the culmination of over three centuries of this artist innovention.

One can trace how monastic scriptoria built upon previous Gospel books, looking to them for inspiration for the next. This slow thought out development manifests itself in the outstanding continuity between the books, each one different from the next but intrinsically linked nonetheless.

Unlike other Insular manuscripts like the Lindisfarne Gospels, we know relatively little about the origins of the Book of Kells. We know not who were it’s scribes or even when exactly it was completed. However this does not prevent academics from making well reasoned educated assumptions such as that the book was completed by approximately four scribes in around the year 800 AD. This places the book at 1,200 old, thus one of the oldest and best preserved complete Gospel books which survived to this day.

We can know this from the four various writing styles, and independent records describing the book (such as it being stolen and recovered at one point) and the subsequent relocation of the monks to Kells after an 806 Viking raid.

What set the Book of Kells apart is the complexity of its pattern and the bright colours of its pages. A 2009 micro-Raman spectroscopy identified the various materials used to make the ink required to write the manuscript. This study showed that the monks used whatever they happened to have on hand in their local surroundings.

The Roccella Tinctoria fungus was used to make the purple colour (traditionally the colour of Imperial status), the green came from the verdigris encrustation, the mineral orpiment for the bright yellow colour, bassanite for the white, lead oxide for the red and orange and finally the deep black was derived from a mixture of carbon and iron gall.

The material for the pages was sourced from the highest quality calf vellum. This material is well disposed to the damp Irish climate and is durable to withstand tearing. This largely explains its remarkable well preserved condition to this day.

In fact the book (or rather the four separate re-bounded volumes comprising the book) is in such a good condition that it is still to this day totally legible. Recently I had access to 1:1 scale partial facsimile of the text and one can indeed easily trace the Gospel passage word for word in the Latin vulgate and with a simultaneous English Douay–Rheims Bible translation, the entire experience is most rewarding.

However one can also view the entire book online for themselves thanks to a 2015 digitalisation project by Trinity College Dublin. However I would still recommend seeing the book for one’s self after its conservation is completed in approx. end of March 2020.

The Book of Kells was an outpouring of creative devotional energy. It served a functional purpose, the transmission of the Good News in a pre printing pre internet era.

The book of Kells features the earliest known depiction of the Our Lady and the Child Jesus in Western Art (folio 7v below). In this way the book breaks from previous Insular texts and acts as a transition to the manuscripts of the High Middle ages where such depictions are much more common in Western Art.

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Folio 7v: Our Lady as Our Seat of Wisdom with the Child Jesus. The Book of Kells

This type of image is much more common in Byzantine early Christian Icon Art, some of which found its way to Rome in the 6th century such as “Salus Populi Romani”. As is often found in Christian iconography, Our Lady wears a purple tunic. Purple was the traditional colour only to be worn by the Emperor himself and this colour choice would not have gone unnoticed by the people of the day.

In fact, it would've been considered by the Roman authorities as a sign of the treasonous intent of the early Christians as it sends a strong message that not all authority lies with the Emperor. While the Roman Empire was overrun by the 9th century this symbolism carries on and a purple silk tunic would have been totally unseen anywhere else in early 9th Century Ireland.

In the 5th Century the First Council of Ephesus formalised Mary’s role as the Mother of God and this developed to her being depicted as “Regina Caeli” (Queen of Heaven) in Christian art. Such high regard for Our Lady is very evident throughout the Book of Kells and is further reinforced by the surrounding four Archangels, hinting at another traditional title, that of “Regina Angelorum” (“Queen of Angels”).

Above her head is a trinitarian halo. This conveys her role in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. That she is deeply connected to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Monks who drew Folio 7v above, no doubt wanted to make clear that the incarnation would not have been possible without her divine Yes to God's will.

Luke 1:38: “Dixit autem Maria: Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.” (“And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.”) This humility and humble life of service of Mary is contrasted with her esteemed position in heaven, seen in Catholic theology as the Mediatrix of all graces.

Another title of the Virgin Mary in Catholic tradition is that of “Sedes Sapientiae” (“Seat of Wisdom”). This imagery can also be seen here in Folio 7v. She is seated on a throne featuring precious jewels and a lion (found on the head rest).

This recalls the throne of King Solomon from the Old Testament, a figure associated with his wisdom and good judgement. Hence folio 7r conveys Mary’s noble heritage in the House of Israel and how she bridges the Old and New Testaments, fulfilling the divine prophecy.

These symbolic representations, while subtly displayed, are one of great important to understanding the devotion that the monk scribes had for Our Lady looking to her as an example of radical service and wisdom.

These monks unlike other Columba order monks who transcribed manuscripts like that of the Lindisfarne Gospels, go totally unnamed. There project was not one for personal glory but rather an overflow of their interior life, using their human talents within the context of their divine vocation.

Nor was it a personal project of an individual but a multigenerational project involving the entire community. We know this as we can observe how one monk (having his own slightly varying calligraphy style) stops and another continues. Interestingly this happen in several paces rather abruptly, mid paragraph in fact. This leads us to believe that for some it was a life’s work, continuing the slow, attention intensive, process of transcribing, up until their death.

On folio 51v one can read along with the Latin vulgate with the English (Douay-Rheims Bible) translation provided below. The text stays close to the Latin Vulgate translation which was given to the Church by St Jerome in the 4th Century. The exchange of ideas at this time was done almost exclusively through Latin. In this way the language is emblematic of the wider catholicity of the Church in an age of significant intellectual mobility and transnationalism.

Matthew 8:19

“Magister, sequar te, quocumque ieris.”

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you will go.”

Mathew 8: 20

“Et dicit ei Iesus: Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres cæli nidos: Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet.”

“And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to rest his head.””

Matthew 8:21

”Alius autem de discipulis eius ait illi: Domine, permitte me primum ire, et sepelire patream meum.”

”Then another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”

Matthew 8:22

“Iesus autem ait illi: Sequere me, et dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos suos.”

“But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and allow the dead to bury their dead.”

Matthew 8:23

“Et ascendente eo in naviculam, secuti sunt eum discipuli eius:”

“And climbing into a boat, his disciples followed him.”

Matthew 8:24

“et ecce motus magnus factus est in mari ita ut navicula operiretur fluctibus, ipse vero dormiebat.”

“And behold, a great tempest occurred in the sea, so much so that the boat was covered with waves; yet truly, he was sleeping.”

By reading the above page you might well be wondering why the text deviates in several places from the Latin vulgate. The immense time and effort involved in transcribing the book does not however mean that the monks were flawless in their work. Grammatical and spelling errors can be found throughout the Gospels. Some passages even repeat themselves and other times a different Latin wording from the Vulgate was used. This is common for early medieval manuscripts.

One can also observe that there are many abbreviations. This has a dual purpose, aesthetic and reverence. The monks aimed to preserve a clean cut margin. No words stick out past this margin and thus many of the more commonly used words where shortened to a standardised form and spacing between words omitted.

Most often abbreviations would be used for Holy Names. Jesus, “Iesus” in Latin, was always transcribed as IHS. This comes from the Greek word for Jesus, “ΙΗΣΟΥΣ”. “Jesus the Son” of God was likewise shortened from “Iesu Fili Dei” to “Ihufiliidi”.

These letter based representation of Jesus are known as Christograms. Another example of a Christogram in the book of Kells is the “Chi Rho” page (34r below). The full page illustration features the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P). Together these two letters make up the first two letters of “ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ” (Christos) meaning Christ.

Folio 34r The Chi Rho Page. The Book of Kells

Folio 113v Chapter 26 of the Gospel of Matthew. The Book of Kells

On folio 113v we can see Matthew’s account the Last Supper. It is possible to read along with the text provided below. It is also possible to see the faded text from the overleaf page.

Matthew 26:26

“cenantibus autem eis accepit Iesus panem et benedixit ac fregit deditque discipulis suis et ait accipite et comedite hoc est corpus meum”

“And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke and gave to his disciples and said: Take ye and eat. This is my body.”

Matthew 26:27

“et accipiens calicem gratias egit et dedit illis dicens bibite ex hoc omnes”

“And taking the chalice, he gave thanks and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this.”

Matthew 26:28

“hic est enim sanguis meus novi testamenti qui pro multis effunditur in remissionem peccatorum”

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.”

Folio 5r Angel, representation of St. Luke’s Gospel from the Eusebian Canons. The Book of Kells

The book is an uniquely Celtic portrayal of the Gospel epic. The monks had an outside perspective depicting through their art, their unique perception of the Romans, the Jews and Christ. Nearly all figures in the manuscript have pale white skin, blue eyes and either red or blonde hair.

The cover page artwork is also very Christocentric. Christ is continually the direct focus, the readers eye being drawn to him first. The only exception to this is folio 7v, where the Virgin Mary is given equal prominence to the Christ Child and folio 291v where the portrait of John the Evangelist is enveloped by the hands, arms and face of Christ. This makes reference to the love that Christ had for St. John and the role of Christ as the Word incarnate.

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Folio 29r Excerpt from Cover page Gospel of Matthew. The Book of Kells

Folio 29r provides a good example of the complex Celtic interlacing patterns that the monks used throughout the Book. One can see from the above excerpt, the amazing attention to detail required to produce such artwork. This design was exported by earlier monks to the Saxons on the British mainland and had a decisive influence on the future development of Gothic Art.

Interestingly there is no clear depiction of the crucifixion itself. Many scholars presume that folio 2v (found below) could be a representation of the death of Christ but it only appears as a small top margin image in an introductory page and not where one might expect to find it within one of the relevant Gospel passages.

The image is unmistakingly Christ (as demonstrated by his trinitarian halo) and his outstretched arms could well be symbolic of his death on the cross. Supporting this theory are the two lions wrapping their tongues around his arms, perhaps representing the two thieves who were crucified as either side of Him at Calgary.

The opening letter of every verse is richly decorated. These letters are referred to as “illuminated initials”. Often they feature animals or other symbols. They vary in design throughout the text both between scribes and by the same scribes themselves.

Matthew 16:18

Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, [folio 78r begins] et super hanc petram ædificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portæ inferi non prævalebunt adversus eam.

And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:19

Et tibi dabo claves regni cælorum. Et quodcumque ligaveris super terram, erit ligatum et in cælis: et quodcumque solveris super terram, erit solutum et in cælis.

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.”

Matthew 16:20

Tunc præcepit discipulis suis ut nemini dicerent quia ipse esset Iesus Christus.

Then he instructed his disciples that they should tell no one that he is Jesus the Christ.

Matthew 16:21

Exinde cœpit Iesus ostendere discipulis suis, quia oporteret eum ire Ierosolymam, et multa pati a senioribus, et Scribis, et principibus sacerdotum, et occidi, et tertia die resurgere.

From that time, Jesus began to reveal to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and to suffer much from the elders and the scribes and the leaders of the priests, and to be killed, and to rise again on the third day.

Matthew 16:22

Et assumens eum Petrus, cœpit…. [folio 78r ends]

And Peter, taking him aside, began….

Island monasteries that like of Lindisfarne, Iona, Skellig Michael and other mainland ones like Ardfert and Kells provided the necessary peace and isolation that early Catholic monks required for their prayer and work. Their charism was one marked by detachment from all things worldly, viewing themselves separate from the world that they inhabited. This radical calling and corresponding vocational commitment can be seen in their work, producing Gospel manuscripts of the quality of the Book of Kells.

Today the Book is not found in one of these monastic refuges, but rather in the middle of the World. Not brought out for study and liturgical worship but viewed by thousands of people everyday. In fact, 2018 saw the Book of Kells breaking the 1,000,000 annual visitors mark for the first time. The Trinity College Dublin “Long Room Library” where the book is displayed even has plans underway to expand and modernise the visitor reception centre.

The book found its way to Trinity College Dublin admit the campaigns of religious persecution led by Oliver Cromwell and his successors, kept in College’s library for safe keeping to prevent it from being swept up in the ongoing iconoclasm being inflicted upon the Island. Thankfully the book survived and with it, a little piece of what it means to be Irish.

Niall Buckley

January 2019

Folio 114r The taking of Christ in the Garden. Book of Kells