This manuscript consists of a 9th-century Gospel book produced
perhaps in Tours in the Franco-Saxon style. It was copied by the
same scribe who wrote Paris, BnF, MS lat. 267 from the school of
Tours (see Rand, 'Franco-Saxon Ornamentation in a Book of Tours'
(1929), 214-215). The manuscript includes the Four Gospels preceded
by the prologues to the Gospels: St Jerome's Epistle to Pope
Damasus; Pseudo-Jerome's epistle to Pope Damasus; and St Jerome's
prologue on the Four Gospels from his commentary on St Matthew's,
followed by the Eusebian Canon tables. Originally, the manuscript
ended with a Capitula Evangelii per Circulum Anni (The Chapters of
the Gospel for the Entire Year) , which summarized contents of the
Four Gospels according to the liturgical year: 'Incipiunt capitula
evangelii per circulum anni' (f. 183v). Only the title-page of this
work survives due to quires lacking after f. 183. This part was
probably already lacking in the 15th century, because short
summaries of the Four Gospels have been written and interpolated in
ff. 14v-16v in a late hand. ff. 1r-3r: Epistula Hieronymi ad
Damasum papam (St Jerome's Epistle to Pope Damasus), beginning:
'Beatissimo papae Damaso Hieronimus. Novum opus me facere cogis ex
vetere'. ff. 3v-4v: Pseudo - Epistula Hieronymi ad Damasum papam
Pseudo-Jerome's epistle to Pope Damasus, beginning: 'Sciendum etiam
que ignarum ex similitudine numerorum error involvat'. ff. 5r-7v:
Hieronymus, Prologus Quattuor Evangeliorum ex Commentario Hieronymi
in Matthei Evangelium ( St Jerome's Prologue on the Four Gospels
from his Commentary on St Matthew's Gospel), beginning (ff. 5r-v):
'Incipit prologus secundum Mattheum quattuor evangeliorum. Plures
fuisse qui evangelia scripserunt'. ff. 8r-9r: Eusebius, Epistula ad
Carpianum (Eusebius's Epistle to Carpianus), beginning: 'Eusebius
Carpiano fratri in domino salute. Ammonius quidem Alexandrinus
magno studio atque industria unum nobis pro quattuor evangeliis
dereliquit'. ff. 9v-16v: Prologus et Capitula in Evangelium
Secundum Mattheum ( The Gospel of St Matthew), preceded by the
prologue (ff. 10r-v), and capitula (ff. 11r-14r). Short summaries
of the Four Gospels have been added in a 15th-century hand on ff.
14v-16v. ff. 18r-25v: The Eusebian Canon tables. ff. 26v-68v-:
Evangelium Secundum Mattheum (The Gospel of St Matthew), including
lections written in a contemporary hand, beginning: 'Incipit
evangelium secundum Mattheum. Liber generationis Ihesu Christi
filii David, filii Abraham. Abraham genuit Isaac'. ff. 69r-71v:
Prologus et Capitula in Evangelium Secundum Marcum ( The Gospel of
St Mark), preceded by a prologue (ff. 69v-70r) and capitula (ff.
70v-71v). ff. 72r-98v: Evangelium Secundum Marcum (The Gospel of St
Mark), including lections, beginning: 'Incipit evangelium secundum
Marcum. Initium evangelii Ihesu Christi filii Dei sicut scriptum
est in Isaia propheta'. ff. 99v-102r: Prologus et Capitula in
Evangelium Secundum Lucam (The Gospel of St Luke), preceded by a
prologue (ff. 99v-100r) and capitula (ff. 100v-102r). ff.
102v-148v: Evangelium Secundum Lucam (The Gospel of St Luke),
including lections, beginning: 'Incipit Evangelium secundum Lucam.
Quoniam quidem multi conati sunt ordinare narrationem quae in nobis
conpletae sunt rerum'. ff. 149r-150r: Prologus et Capitula in
Evangelium Secundum Iohannem (The Gospel of St John), preceded by a
prologue (ff. 149r-150r) and capitula (ff. 150v-151r). ff.
150v-183r: Evangelium Secundum Iohannem (The Gospel of St John),
including lections, beginning: 'In principio erat verbum et verbum
erat apud Deum, et Deus erat verbum, hoc erat in principio apud
Deum'. Decoration:6 full page borders with foliate and geometrical
decoration in colours and gold, with display capitals in gold, some
on purple grounds, at the beginnings of the prologues and Gospels
(ff. 3v, 26v, 72r, 102v, 149r, 151v). Large initials in colours and
gold with foliate, interlace and geometric decoration (ff. 1r, 4r,
5v, 27r, 72v, 103r, 149v, 152r). Decorated canon tables in red,
blue and white with gold and silver arches and columns, including
lamps, animals and birds (ff. 18r-27v). Small initials and rubrics
in red. Added decoration red and blue foliate initials (14v-16v).
The decoration of this manuscript is similar to that of
contemporary manuscripts designed in Tours or in its surroundings.
In the second half of the 9th century some manuscripts produced in
Tours, or by scribes trained in Tours, included Franco-Saxon
ornamentation. On the resurgence of the Franco-Saxon style at Tours
in the 9th century (see: Charlotte Denoël, 'De Saint-Martin de
Tours à Fleury', in Trésors carolingiens: Livres Manuscrits de
Charlemagne à Charles le Chauve, ed. by Charlotte Denoël and
Marie-Pierre Laffitte (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France,
2007), pp. 151-53).
