A BOOK FOR THE AGES
The book provides scholars and students with a physical connection to a cultural object 800 years old.
Quill in hand, a medieval scribe toiled at his workbench in a scriptorium. Every day, he made a little progress in his task: copying letters in Latin onto thinly stretched sheets of calfskin. It would have been impossible for him to imagine a library halfway around the world where a 21st-century college professor would display his work to young men and women taking a class in something called Medieval Literature.
Fortunately, his work is now preserved at Saint Anselm College, a treasured part of Geisel Library’s Special Collections. Professor Emeritus James O’Rourke, Ph.D., donated the volume last spring after a period on loan. Although small (slightly larger than a paperback), it holds a unique place in the collection. While the library contains individual manuscript leaves of illuminated texts, this is a complete bound and decorated manuscript on vellum. It is the oldest bible, and oldest book, owned by the college.
Because the special collections department is a teaching collection, the bible is not just sitting on a shelf behind glass. It is finding a place in courses on history, literature, theology, and art. When Keith Chevalier, college archivist and head of special collections, learned of the donation, one of the first things he did was to take it to Fr. Augustine Kelly O.S.B. ’83, who teaches the upper-level humanities class on the Benedictines.
“The students were really interested in seeing a book that old, especially as it’s quite beautiful and colorful,” Chevalier says. “A couple of leaves have significant decorations, and most pages have drop caps with ornamentation in blue and red.” The letters are squeezed into two columns and there are tiny notes in the margins—an astonishing accomplishment before magnifying glasses or eyeglasses were common.
O’Rourke’s contribution came about as a result of a three-day sale of rare books and manuscripts from the library of William Foyle.
“After seeing a notice in the New York Times, my wife and I on the spur of the moment flew to London,” he says. “The attraction was the medieval manuscript. Our family had attended Mass for five years in a 13-century Gothic cathedral in Switzerland and we became lovers of medieval culture. We decided to attend our first book auction.”
The Institute for Saint Anselm Studies is the right place for this manuscript, due to the fundamental importance of Scripture for the whole medieval period, according to O’Rourke, who taught philosophy during his time at the college. “The book provides scholars and students with a physical connection to a cultural object 800 years old. Digitized texts don’t connect with the same realism. It is a fitting companion to the institute’s copy of St. Anselm’s Cur deus homo, one of the earliest printed books by our patron saint.”
Among those intrigued by the bible is Georgia Henley, Ph.D., associate professor and medieval literature specialist. “It’s really special to have a complete book like this, and it’s wonderful that Professor O’Rourke decided to donate it to the college,” she says.
The bible’s complete history is unknown. It originated in England or France and was used as a devotional at a Cistercian abbey in northern France. Discoloration on the lower page corners indicates daily use, probably at table readings. Its leather binding was added in the 18th century, and it became part of the collection of the Duke of Sussex.
Most fascinating to Henley is an inserted set of prayers to Saint Severinus. “That random leaf holds a clue about how the book was used for that monastic community,” she says.
Much about the book remains a mystery—such as how long it took to make and who inserted the prayers. One thing is for sure, though: “This book is handmade using fine materials and it’s well cared for. It will definitely outlast anything in our library,” says Chevalier. “It’s a survivor.”
For more information on this bible, and the Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis Archives and Special Collections, call 603-656- 6197, or visit www.anselm.edu/special-collections.