The Joshua Roll
The Joshua Roll is an illuminated manuscript, probably created in the tenth century, containing the first half of the Old Testament book of Joshua. What makes the Joshua Roll unusual is that it is a continuous scroll about 33 feet long. It may be incomplete. The primary interest is the pictures of Joshua's military successes, ending with conquered kings paying him homage. The text is an abbreviated version of the Greek Septuagint of the first half of Joshua.
The Joshua Roll is in the Vatican Library and on the Library website. A description of each of the 36 scenes on the Vatican website is in German. I cannot find it in English, but Google can translate it. Click on “Browse” to view the entire scroll. |