Like many medieval manuscripts, the Gospels were written in Latin on vellum (prepared from animal skin) by Italian monks in the late sixth century. In 601, they were sent from Rome by Pope Gregory the Great to help Augustine, who had been dispatched from his monastery five years earlier to convert the pagan English to Christianity.
Augustine landed in Thanet, Kent in 597, subsequently settled in Canterbury and with the permission of King Ethelbert of Kent, began preaching to the local populace. Within a few years Augustine was successful in his mission when Ethelbert became the first English king to convert to Christianity. Augustine himself became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Philippa Hoskin, Director of the Parker Library and Donnelley Fellow Librarian said: “This book is a key formative moment in British history. Books were fundamental to the success of Augustine’s mission. Without this volume we would lack a tangible connection to the point in British history where the influence of the Roman Church began through the teaching of the Gospels.”
Unlike more lavishly illuminated Gospels, this volume appears to have been primarily intended as a teaching aide, as evidenced by the size of the book itself (quite portable), the generous height of the text (readable whilst being held) and the presence of the illustrations, of which only two survive. These are the frontispiece for the Gospel of Luke and a further page of twelve framed vignettes depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ.
These illustrations have been studied by Professor George van Kooten, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He notes that “It’s very easy to follow Christ through the succession of scenes from the Gospels, from his arrival at Jerusalem to the carrying of the cross to the crucifixion.”
The Augustine Gospels will be carried in the Coronation Procession by the Master of Corpus Christi College, Professor Christopher Kelly. The Master will be wearing full academic dress. Later in the service, prior to the Anointing, the Master will stand holding the Gospels for the reading of the New Testament lesson.
Established in 1352, Corpus Christi College is the sixth oldest College in the University of Cambridge. It does not have a founder. Corpus is the only college in either Oxford or Cambridge to have been founded collectively by townspeople.
