The St Cuthbert Gospel Studies on the Insular Manuscript of the Gospel of John

The St Cuthbert Gospel (formerly known as the Stonyhurst Gospel) is the earliest intact European book and a landmark in the cultural history of western Europe. Now dated to the early eighth century, the manuscript contains a beautifully written copy of the Gospel of John in Latin and is famous for the craftsmanship and condition of its contemporary decorated leather binding. Found in Cuthbert's coffin when it was opened in Durham Cathedral in 1104, the Gospel was acquired for the national collection in 2012 after a major fundraising campaign. This new collection of essays is the most substantial study of the book since the 1960s. It includes detailed commentary on Cuthbert in his historical context; the codicology, text, script, and medieval history of the manuscript; the structure and decoration of the binding; the other relics found in Cuthbert's coffin; and the post-medieval ownership of the book.This book significantly revises the existing scholarship on one of the British Library's most recent acquisitions which is now one of its greatest treasures.

Claire Breay is Lead Curator, Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts at the British Library. She is the author of Magna Carta: Manuscripts and Myths and the co-editor of a major exhibition catalogue, Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy. Bernard Meehan is Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College, Dublin. His publications include The Book of Kells.