| Popis: |
In manuscript 8 two texts pertaining to liturgy are bound together. The first four folia (ff. 1r-4v) contain an incomplete liturgical calendar, with a full month on each page (thus, two per leaf). The first and fourth leaf, corresponding to the months January, February, July and August, are missing. Each of the pages has a miniature showing labour appropriate for the respective month. The second text, and by far the bulk of the manuscript (ff. 5r-149v) is a psalter with liturgical canticles. Canticles are songs, often hymns or Bible texts, sung during offices. The psalter has been executed carefully and abundantly. Seven historiated and gilded initials are present, most of them show King David, traditionally considered the author of most of the Psalms. The first letter of each psalm and canticle is decorated and placed on a golden background; the first letter of each verse is written alternately in red and blue ink. Finally, the last three pages (ff. 148v-149v) contain part of the Athanasian Creed, also known by its incipit 'Quicunque vult'. The text, falsely attributed in the Middle Ages to Athanasius of Alexandria (d. 373), was being sung in Western Christianity at the Sunday office of Prime. The text focuses in detail on the Trinitarian doctrine and the nature of Christ. Since the liturgical alterations of the Second Vatican Council, the text has been removed from the offices, and is only rarely sung on Trinity Sunday. This copy is incomplete, as it ends after the declaration of the Trinity. The manuscript, currently dated to the 1220s-1240s, is believed to have been copied in Ghent for use within the city. [Summary by Dr. Mark Vermeer] |
