Medieval Bible Finds Home At USC Library
University of South Carolina English professor Scott Gwara has peeked inside thousands of beautiful ancient books.
But when the medieval scholar examined a 13th century, leather-bound pocket Bible at a London auction house this summer, he knew this was the volume that would round out the university's medieval book collection.
"I really like this one because it is incredibly rare," Gwara said. Written in Latin sometime around 1240 and decorated in rich blue and red letters to mark chapter prefaces, the 1,000-page volume is a window to several centuries because of handwritten liner notations -- what Gwara called "little scribblings in a medieval hand" -- throughout.
The different style of notes indicates that English religious thinkers were examining the biblical text and commenting on it from the 13th century onward.
The Bible acquired by the USC, the only English pocket Bible in the Southeast, likely was written by a professional scribe in Oxford, England. Gwara said the book, which measures 7 by 51/2 inches -- small enough to be carried by monks and friars -- likely stayed in England the entire time.
University of South Carolina English professor Scott Gwara has peeked inside thousands of beautiful ancient books.
But when the medieval scholar examined a 13th century, leather-bound pocket Bible at a London auction house this summer, he knew this was the volume that would round out the university's medieval book collection.
"I really like this one because it is incredibly rare," Gwara said. Written in Latin sometime around 1240 and decorated in rich blue and red letters to mark chapter prefaces, the 1,000-page volume is a window to several centuries because of handwritten liner notations -- what Gwara called "little scribblings in a medieval hand" -- throughout.
The different style of notes indicates that English religious thinkers were examining the biblical text and commenting on it from the 13th century onward.
The Bible acquired by the USC, the only English pocket Bible in the Southeast, likely was written by a professional scribe in Oxford, England. Gwara said the book, which measures 7 by 51/2 inches -- small enough to be carried by monks and friars -- likely stayed in England the entire time.
The book is housed at the new Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library inside the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. –The Sun News
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