The Temptation of Christ Exhibiting the Book of Kells
The Temptation of Christ
103 comments
According to three of the gospels, after Jesus had been baptised he went into the desert to fast for forty days and forty nights. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and three times tried to tempt him. A scene usually interpreted as the third temptation of Jesus is depicted on fol. 202v. It appears to illustrate the passage, a few pages later (fol. 204r), from the Gospel of Luke 4:9-12:
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Fig 1. Folio 202v, the Temptation of Christ. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
This is a unique depiction of the scene and is puzzling.
- It is not clear why this passage was selected for illustration over many other more theologically significant ones.
- It contains a number of features that do not relate directly to the biblical passage.
Jesus Christ is shown looming large both on top and behind a highly decorated building, presumed to represent the Old Testament Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6.6). The Book of Kells artist chose to illustrate this in the form of an early Irish timber church – characterised by its small rectangular shape and steep pitched roof. The colours used in its decoration – blue, red and purple – reflect the colours that decorated another Old Testament building, Moses’ Tabernacle, which was adorned with cloth hangings in these colours (Exodus 25-27).
Fig 2. Detail showing the Temple © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 3. Temple MacDara, Co. Galway showing the distinctive form of early Irish churches. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
In the context of Western art, the figure of the Devil is a very early representation of the form with which we are now familiar – inky black (although originally with more reds and browns), with cloven feet and a twisting tongue. His importance with respect to Jesus Christ is clearly shown by his smaller size, and the fact that he is below the Christ figure. Nonetheless either the artist, or an early reader, wished to emphasise the point, and microscopic analysis has revealed that the figure was stabbed multiple times.
Fig 4. The Devil © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 5. Close up image showing the stab marks © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
While the features above appear to reflect the story in the Bible, other features do not fit in with it. A haloed figure standing in the doorway of the Temple is holding crossed rods. This stance is usually interpreted as Christ the Judge or the Triumphant Christ, and is found on some slightly later high crosses.
Fig 6. Figure in the doorway of the Temple © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 7. Figure of Jesus Christ as Judge/Triumphant Christ on the tenth-century high cross at Termonfechin, Co. Louth. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Crowds of figures surround the building. This contradicts the Bible, which speaks of Christ’s isolation during the temptations. The artist has gone to some trouble to make the faces appear different. Perhaps this a reference to the second temptation, during which Jesus Christ was led to a high place, shown all of the kingdoms of the world and promised that they would be his if he worshipped the Devil (Luke 4:5-8).
Fig 8. and Fig 9. Faces in the crowd, fol. 202v. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Some scholars suggest that together with recalling the temptation(s), the illustration was intended to hold a more metaphorical meaning. Using the evidence of contemporary biblical commentaries, they suggest that the Temple is literally the body of the Church, with Jesus Christ as the head. The figure at the doorway might represent a common metaphor of the time – the idea of a saint or holy figure as a ‘column’ or support of the Church, while the people below are the ‘living stones’ of the Church.
© Trinity College Dublin
103 comments
According to three of the gospels, after Jesus had been baptised he went into the desert to fast for forty days and forty nights. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and three times tried to tempt him. A scene usually interpreted as the third temptation of Jesus is depicted on fol. 202v. It appears to illustrate the passage, a few pages later (fol. 204r), from the Gospel of Luke 4:9-12:
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Fig 1. Folio 202v, the Temptation of Christ. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
This is a unique depiction of the scene and is puzzling.
- It is not clear why this passage was selected for illustration over many other more theologically significant ones.
- It contains a number of features that do not relate directly to the biblical passage.
Jesus Christ is shown looming large both on top and behind a highly decorated building, presumed to represent the Old Testament Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6.6). The Book of Kells artist chose to illustrate this in the form of an early Irish timber church – characterised by its small rectangular shape and steep pitched roof. The colours used in its decoration – blue, red and purple – reflect the colours that decorated another Old Testament building, Moses’ Tabernacle, which was adorned with cloth hangings in these colours (Exodus 25-27).
Fig 2. Detail showing the Temple © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 3. Temple MacDara, Co. Galway showing the distinctive form of early Irish churches. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
In the context of Western art, the figure of the Devil is a very early representation of the form with which we are now familiar – inky black (although originally with more reds and browns), with cloven feet and a twisting tongue. His importance with respect to Jesus Christ is clearly shown by his smaller size, and the fact that he is below the Christ figure. Nonetheless either the artist, or an early reader, wished to emphasise the point, and microscopic analysis has revealed that the figure was stabbed multiple times.
Fig 4. The Devil © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 5. Close up image showing the stab marks © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
While the features above appear to reflect the story in the Bible, other features do not fit in with it. A haloed figure standing in the doorway of the Temple is holding crossed rods. This stance is usually interpreted as Christ the Judge or the Triumphant Christ, and is found on some slightly later high crosses.
Fig 6. Figure in the doorway of the Temple © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin. Fig 7. Figure of Jesus Christ as Judge/Triumphant Christ on the tenth-century high cross at Termonfechin, Co. Louth. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Crowds of figures surround the building. This contradicts the Bible, which speaks of Christ’s isolation during the temptations. The artist has gone to some trouble to make the faces appear different. Perhaps this a reference to the second temptation, during which Jesus Christ was led to a high place, shown all of the kingdoms of the world and promised that they would be his if he worshipped the Devil (Luke 4:5-8).
Fig 8. and Fig 9. Faces in the crowd, fol. 202v. © The Board of Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Some scholars suggest that together with recalling the temptation(s), the illustration was intended to hold a more metaphorical meaning. Using the evidence of contemporary biblical commentaries, they suggest that the Temple is literally the body of the Church, with Jesus Christ as the head. The figure at the doorway might represent a common metaphor of the time – the idea of a saint or holy figure as a ‘column’ or support of the Church, while the people below are the ‘living stones’ of the Church.
© Trinity College Dublin
Felicity O'Mahony is assistant librarian in the Manuscripts and Research Library here at Trinity College. Among other things, her work includes the curation and presentation of the Book of Kells to the wider public. Working with the Book of Kells has been probably the greatest privilege of my career working here in the library. It's been, in a way, like serving an apprenticeship, a lifelong apprenticeship, because every day, you're learning something new about the manuscript, everything from its historical background to the imagery behind the decoration. It's an ongoing, lifelong learning process. The story of Kells never really stops. Part of my earliest training with the Book of Kells was learning how to handle it properly.
When I was first given the responsibility of turning the page in the Book of Kells, I can remember the absolute thrill of touching the manuscript for the first time. My heart was literally pounding in my chest, and I really had to focus on just keeping my hands steady while I very slowly and very carefully turned the page. And really that sense of awe never goes away. Well, the Book of Kells is made from calfskin, which we call vellum. And that material, it really doesn't always behave the way you want it to or expect it to. It can react very quickly to the environment it's in.
So every time we prepare to turn the page in the Book of Kells, we have to work in a pre-conditioned, very controlled environment. So what we're looking for is a constant humidity, constant temperature, very low light level, so there's no light damage. We're looking for as relaxed a state for the pages in the Book of Kells, so they're absolutely in their optimum condition. Contrary to urban myth, the page of the Book of Kells is not turned every day nor every week. In fact, we change the page about eight times every year. And this limits the physical handling of this precious manuscript, which is much better for its long-term preservation.
Because the Book Of Kells is so ancient and really quite fragile, scholars have had very limited access to the manuscript over the years. And one of the most important developments in recent times was the production of the first complete full-colour copy of the Book of Kells. And this work was carried out by a Swiss publishing house called Faksimile Verlag Luzern in 1990. And it took over two years for the Swiss team to complete the work of imaging every single one of the 680 pages and then comparing those images to the original in the Book of Kells.
And one of the greatest challenges for the Swiss team was capturing the colour of the vellum because that varies quite considerably, really, from one opening to another in the manuscript, particularly the more famous pages in the Book of Kells that would have been exposed to light over several centuries. These are considerably darker than the pages of text that have very little decoration and wouldn't have been exposed to light quite as often. Following on from their production of the facsimile, in 2013, the images that were used were rescanned within the library by our own photographers.
And these are now freely available online on the college website, so that everyone can spend time looking at the pages in the Book of Kells and poring over the detail. And this resource allows you to magnify details, to zoom in, to zoom out, to move easily from one page to another. And it really leaves you with a greater appreciation of what these monks achieved back in the ninth century.
Felicity O'Mahony is assistant librarian in the Manuscripts and Research Library here at Trinity College. Among other things, her work includes the curation and presentation of the Book of Kells to the wider public. Working with the Book of Kells has been probably the greatest privilege of my career working here in the library. It's been, in a way, like serving an apprenticeship, a lifelong apprenticeship, because every day, you're learning something new about the manuscript, everything from its historical background to the imagery behind the decoration. It's an ongoing, lifelong learning process. The story of Kells never really stops. Part of my earliest training with the Book of Kells was learning how to handle it properly.
When I was first given the responsibility of turning the page in the Book of Kells, I can remember the absolute thrill of touching the manuscript for the first time. My heart was literally pounding in my chest, and I really had to focus on just keeping my hands steady while I very slowly and very carefully turned the page. And really that sense of awe never goes away. Well, the Book of Kells is made from calfskin, which we call vellum. And that material, it really doesn't always behave the way you want it to or expect it to. It can react very quickly to the environment it's in.
So every time we prepare to turn the page in the Book of Kells, we have to work in a pre-conditioned, very controlled environment. So what we're looking for is a constant humidity, constant temperature, very low light level, so there's no light damage. We're looking for as relaxed a state for the pages in the Book of Kells, so they're absolutely in their optimum condition. Contrary to urban myth, the page of the Book of Kells is not turned every day nor every week. In fact, we change the page about eight times every year. And this limits the physical handling of this precious manuscript, which is much better for its long-term preservation.
Because the Book Of Kells is so ancient and really quite fragile, scholars have had very limited access to the manuscript over the years. And one of the most important developments in recent times was the production of the first complete full-colour copy of the Book of Kells. And this work was carried out by a Swiss publishing house called Faksimile Verlag Luzern in 1990. And it took over two years for the Swiss team to complete the work of imaging every single one of the 680 pages and then comparing those images to the original in the Book of Kells.
And one of the greatest challenges for the Swiss team was capturing the colour of the vellum because that varies quite considerably, really, from one opening to another in the manuscript, particularly the more famous pages in the Book of Kells that would have been exposed to light over several centuries. These are considerably darker than the pages of text that have very little decoration and wouldn't have been exposed to light quite as often. Following on from their production of the facsimile, in 2013, the images that were used were rescanned within the library by our own photographers.
And these are now freely available online on the college website, so that everyone can spend time looking at the pages in the Book of Kells and poring over the detail. And this resource allows you to magnify details, to zoom in, to zoom out, to move easily from one page to another. And it really leaves you with a greater appreciation of what these monks achieved back in the ninth century.
Exhibiting the Book of Kells
We look at the privilege of curating the Book of Kells. Looking after a manuscript of this age and fragility presents its own challenges, particularly in relation to the conditions under which it needs to be displayed.
In the past this has meant very limited access to the manuscripts for scholars. This changed in 1990 with the production of a new facsimile of the manuscript. In more recent years photography of the manuscript has been digitized and published online, allowing all to look at the details in the book.
© Trinity College Dublin
We look at the privilege of curating the Book of Kells. Looking after a manuscript of this age and fragility presents its own challenges, particularly in relation to the conditions under which it needs to be displayed.
In the past this has meant very limited access to the manuscripts for scholars. This changed in 1990 with the production of a new facsimile of the manuscript. In more recent years photography of the manuscript has been digitized and published online, allowing all to look at the details in the book.
© Trinity College Dublin
postado por professorpier @ dezembro 15, 2019
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