Saint Cuthbert's Gospel
St Cuthbert
The 7th Century St Cuthbert’s Bible is the oldest European book.
The manuscript, a copy of the Gospel of St John, was produced in the north of England in the late seventh-century and was buried alongside St Cuthbert, an early English Christian leader, on the island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland around 698AD.
The coffin was moved off the island to escape Viking raiders and taken to Durham, where the book was found when the coffin was opened at the cathedral in 1104.
St Cuthbert’s Bible can be seen at the British Library, but not for much longer. It is on loan from the Jesuits and the Jesuits want it back, but they have given the British Library the option of buying it. Price tag £9 million!
The British Library has launched an appeal to raise the £9 million.
– Campaign to buy St Cuthbert’s Bible
– The St Cuthbert Gospel
– The Price of a Gospel: Saint Cuthbert’s Gospel
– Whose Bible is it anyway?
Tags: Bible, books, British Library, Christianity, Jesuits, St Cuthbert Gospel, St Cuthbert’s Bible, St Cuthbert’s Gospel
Keithpp's Blog 
July 21, 2011 at 2:49 am |
…would love to see this book… I have been researching Joseph of Arimathea.
April 17, 2012 at 11:12 pm |
When I was in the British Library in February, it was there on display!
April 17, 2012 at 11:14 pm |
St Cuthbert’s Bible saved! British Library has raised £9 million!
UK library pays $14m for seventh-century Latin Gospel
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/uk-library-pays-14m-for-seventh-century-latin-gospel/story-e6frg6so-1226329928949
British Library buys St Cuthbert Gospel for £9m
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/17/british-library-buys-gospel
British Library St. Cuthbert Gospel: Manuscript Copy Of The Gospel Of John Sold for $14.3 Million
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/british-library-st-cuthbert-gospel_n_1430254.html
Europe’s oldest book: St Cuthbert’s gospel which survived pillaging Vikings and lay in his coffin for centuries is sold for £9m
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130885/Europes-oldest-book-British-Library-raises-9million-buy-ancient-gospel-survived-pillaging-Vikings-lay-saints-coffin-centuries.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
April 18, 2012 at 11:55 am |
Such an important piece of history, why is it seen to be handled without gloves?
April 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm |
Less damage is caused by handling with bare hands, you get better tactile feedback.
April 18, 2012 at 1:29 pm
I’m not sure I agree about ‘damage’ . We have important books in Carlisle Library which must not be handled with bare hands as the natural sweat even on clean hands contains acids which can be very detrimental to any fabric.
As for ‘tactile feedback’, that’s all very nice but a price might need to be paid later.
April 18, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Backward thinking.
Down in the vaults in the British Library are very ancient illuminated manuscripts that rarely see the light of day.
These are not handled with gloves.
https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/royal-manuscripts-the-genius-of-illumination/