Codex Amiatinus
The earlest complete Latin Vulgate Bible, Codex Amiatinus was made before A.D. 716 in northern Engalnd. It's huge - 13-1/4" x 19-1/2" and weighs 75 pounds.
The story of how this beautiful book - some consider it the finest book in the world - made its way to Italy is a fascinating one. After 1,300 years, the codex returned to England in 2018 for a four-month exhibit at the British Library. The history of what some consider to be the finest book in the world can be found at the British Library’s Medieval manuscripts blog. And a video with Dr. Claire Breay and Dr. Beth Harris talking about Amiatinus can be seen here. You can also see the complete Codex Amiatinus (yes, all 2,060 pages – it’s amazing!) on the website of Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (the Laurentian Library) in Florence, Italy. Genesis begins on "Carta 11r" and Matthew begins on "Carta 805r." |