Clare College : Gospel lectionary (Saturdays and Sundays)

Clare College

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This <i>Gospel lectionary</i> manuscript, copied in the years around 1500, belongs to the briefer of the two main types, the "Saturday-Sunday" lectionary, giving the lections for Saturdays and Sundays only, except for Holy Week and the period from Easter to Pentecost, for which weekdays are also included.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>It retains an early binding, perhaps the original one, which combines features of the traditional Greek style of binding, such as protruding endbands, with the western European method of supported sewing. The blind-tooled ornament on the front cover includes abstract designs made with a small rectangular stamp, which has also been used to mark crude letters forming the names of the four Evangelists and the customary inscription "Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νίκα" surrounding the image of the Cross in the centre of the board. That symbol has itself been tooled in the same way, but there are holes implying the former presence of pins attaching a small metal cross which would have covered the tooled design, perhaps an embellishment added at a later date.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr Christopher Wright</p>