Jen and I went to the exhibition of The Lindisfarne Gospels at the Laing Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne. Its usual home is the British Library, London; however it has been on loan for display in Durham in 1987 and 2013 and in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1996, 2000 and this year.
This book about the ancient tome was published 2022 by the British Library, written by Eleanor Jackson, Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts, and comprises 96 full-colour pages, relating the history of The Lindisfarne Gospels, and, for any book-lover, is a minor treasure in itself.
The Lindisfarne Gospels was hand-written and decorated over 1,300 years ago. Considering its age, it is in remarkably good condition.
As you’d expect it comprises the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, inscribed in Latin. In the tenth century an Old English translation was added between the lines, which is in fact the earliest surviving translation of the Gospels into the English language.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, the lands formerly under Roman control fragmented into a series of kingdoms. Although there were small groups of Christian Romano-British people in the far reaches of the north of the British Isles, they were mostly displaced by Germanic-speaking settlers who brought with them their pantheon of pagan gods – among them, Tiw, Woden, Thunor and Frig, from which we derived certain days of the week.
In Northumberland – the lands north of the River Humber – the pagan people here did not possess books. The arrival of Christianity – a religion of the book – stimulated book production, ‘culminating in the period of heightened artistic and literary achievement sometimes known as the Golden Age of Northumbria’ (p16).
In the British Isles there were several centres where books were produced, and the monastery of Lindisfarne was but one. Others were in Durham and Ireland. The monastery’s first bishop was Aidan (died: 651AD), who effectively established Christianity in Northumbria with the help of his missionaries. However, it was not until the new bishop of Lindisfarne, Eadfrith (died: 722) took up the post that The Lindisfarne Gospels were written (taking him from five to ten years). It has 518 pages each measuring 34x25cm; the parchment pages are probably calfskin (velum). ‘All inks were handmade from natural sources – animal, vegetable or mineral. Some of the pigments include red lead (orange), indigo or woad (blue), orpiment (yellow), verdigris (green), carbon (black), white lead (white), and chalk (beige)’ (p35). And, noticeable in small quantities, gold was also used. There are also highly decorated pages of the evangelists, and so-called carpet pages – exquisite full-colour block patterns in the Islamic style, though creatures are inserted in amidst the tangle of interlaced designs. Then there are the incipit pages, opposite the carpet pages, which are effectively the opening words of the text, beautifully illuminated.
The early months of 793 featured a series of alarming omens: lightning, whirlwinds and fiery dragons flying in the air. Famine followed and then, on 8 June, heathen men landed their ships on Lindisfarne and raided the monastery. They destroyed the church, stole many treasures and killed many of the island’s inhabitants. This was only the beginning of the invasion of the Northmen. Remarkably, certain artefacts escaped the marauders’ notice – including the body of St Cuthbert, the revered remains of others, and The Lindisfarne Gospels. The surviving monks fled inland with whatever they could carry. And, amazingly, The Lindisfarne Gospels have endured to this day – though its original binding was lost and only replaced through the efforts of the Bishop of Durham in the 1800s.
You can visit The Lindisfarne Gospels online at:
www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Cotton_MS_Nero_D_IV
(An explanation for this numbering is
contained in the book).
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