St Augustine Gospels (Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, MS 286)

Twelve scenes from the Passion, f. 125r.

Colloquial name(s): St Augustine Gospels, referred to by the Church of England as the Canterbury Gospels (not to be confused with BL Royal I E VI which is sometimes also referred to as the Canterbury Gospels)

Official name(s): Great Britain, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, MS 286)

Date: 6th or 7th Century (source)

Origin: Italy (source)

Online facsimile available via: Parker Library on the web (click on the 'Images' link)

This manuscript is the oldest surviving Latin illustrated Gospel book and one of the oldest European books in existence (source). It was brought to England by the late 7th or early 8th Century and was certainly at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury in the 11th Century as indicated by the various documents associated with the Abbey which have been copied into it (source). It was given to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1575 following the dissolution of the monasteries (source). 

The manuscript contains the following (source):

• ff. 1r-74r: Gospel of Matthew
• f. 74v: Grant of renders from land at Brabourne, Kent by Ealhburg to St Augustine's Abbey, c. A.D. 850
• ff. 75r-77r: Prologue and Capitula to Mark
• f. 77v: Agreement between Wulfric, abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury, and Ealdred, son of Lyfing, about land at Clife, Kent, c. A.D. 990 x 1005
• ff. 77r-265v: Gospels of Mark, Luke and John
• f. ir: Agreement about land at Wicham
• f. ir: Agreement between Osbern de Ripla and St Augustine's Abbey
• ff. iv-iir: List of relics
• f. iiv: Agreement about a hill near Sakenhethe
• f. iiv: Agreement about seven acres in Batleshangre
• f. iiv: Agreement about the messuage of Colombine the cleric
• f. iiv: Agreement about the messuage of Benedict son of Radulph
• f. iiir: Agreement about ten and a half acres at Estbotleshangre
• f. iiir: Confirmation of the previous agreement about ten and a half acres at Estbotleshangre
• ff. iiir-viv: Agreement about the garden of William son of John of Fenglesham 

The manuscript once contained portraits of all four Evangelists and at least three further pages of narrative scenes (source). Now, there are only two illustrations, both of which are full-page and in colour (source and source). However, due to the age of the book these are incredibly valuable. The to main illustrations have been added to with four tiny pen sketches, drawn later (the head on f. iir is suggested to be 10th or 11th C (source)).

List of illustrations (source and source):

75r	Top: two little heads of dogs(?) sketched in pen.
78r	Centre top: half-length figure of a being with lion's claws and ears and a human face; it is winged and holding a book.
125r	Full page: twelve scenes from the Passion which are from top left to bottom right: Christ's entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, Raising of Lazarus, Washing of feet, Betrayal of Christ, Arrest of Jesus, Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, Mocking of Christ, Pontius Pilot washing his hands, Crist led from Pilate and Simon of Cyrene helping Christ carry the Cross.
129v	Full page: St Luke, surrounded by scenes from the Ministry. Those on the left, from top to bottom, are: The Annunciation to Zechariah (Luke 1:8-20), Christ among the Doctors (Luke 2:43-50), Christ preaching from the boat (Luke 5:3), the Calling of Peter (Luke 5:8), the Miracle of the son of the widow of Naim (Luke 7:12-16) and the Calling of Matthew (Luke 5:27-32). Those on the right, from top to bottom, are: "...And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him and saying, Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?" (Luke 10:25), "...a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him..." (Luke 11:27-28), the Miracle of the Bent Woman (Luke 13:10-17), possibly the one leper out of the ten (Luke 17:12-19), the Healing of the Man with Dropsy (Luke 14:2-5) and the Calling of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).
265r	Centre right: a gesticulating man wearing a pointed cap (a Jew?) sketched in pen.
iir	Top left corner: the head of a man sketched in pen.