<p>The Old English Hexateuch is a manuscript of the earliest vernacular translation of the Old Testament books of Genesis through Joshua. The texts belong, in part, to the Anglo-Saxon monk Aelfric (950?-1010?) and to several anonymous translators and at least one artist who compiled these translations and illustrated them with nearly four hundred narrative images, which are carefully integrated into the manuscript. </p>
<p>The Hexateuch testifies to the creativity and innovation of Anglo-Saxon bookmakers and stands as an important, if little known, witness to the relationship between early book-making technology and the history of literacy. Benjamin C. Withers examines codicological features of the manuscript, focusing on the working processes of the artist and scribes and seeking to understand how they integrated newly translated text with newly developed imagery so deftly. Grounded in art history and literary theory, this work considers the narrative relationships created by the careful design and seeks to place the Hexateuch within the broader social and cultural development of vernacular literacy in the eleventh century.</p>

The Illustrated Old English Hexateuch, Cotton Ms. Claudius B.iv: The Frontier of Seeing and Reading in Anglo-Saxon England (Studies in Book and Print Culture)

WITHERS, BENJAMIN C.

Literature & Fiction

University of Toronto Press

At different times and in different places, the human form has been regarded in different ways. The Ancient Greeks thought it was the most admirable subject for art, whereas early Christians often viewed it as lascivious in our post-lapsarian state. With illustrations taken from manuscripts, statuary and literary, this is a fascinating collection of essays with much that will be new to scholars and general readers alike.

NAKED BEFORE GOD: UNCOVERING THE BODY IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND (WV MEDIEVEAL EUROPEAN STUDIES)

Arts & Photography

WILCOX, JONATHAN

History & Criticism

West Virginia University Press

The Old English Hexateuch: Aspects and Approaches (Publications of the Richard Rawlinson Center)

Ten papers which reflect a wide range of research interests into the Old English Hexateuch, an 11th-century manuscript (Claudius Biv) in the British Library which contains one of the earliest extended vernacular translations of the Bible accompanied by 400 illustrations. Subjects include the contribution of Aelfric, once considered the sole translator, the dating evidence, the composition of the Old English text including the personalities and motivations of the anonymous translators, the illustrations, male and female readers and the manuscript's place in Anglo-Saxon literature and art.

Barnhouse, Rebecca

Medieval Institute Publications

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