Rabbula Gospels
The Rabbula Gospels, or Rabula Gospels (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, cod. Plut. I, 56) is a 6th-century illuminated Syriac Gospel Book. One of the finest Byzantine works produced in West Asia, and one of the earliest Christian manuscripts with large miniatures, it is distinguished by the miniaturist's predilection for bright colours, movement, drama, and expressionism. Coming from a period from in which little art survived, and which saw great development in Christian iconography, the manuscript has a significant place in art history, and is very often referred to.
| Rabbula Gospels | |
|---|---|
| Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Plut. I, 56 | |
Folios 9v and 10r of the Rabbula Gospels, canon tables with portraits of the Four Evangelists, from left to right: John, Matthew, Luke, and Mark. | |
| Type | Gospel Book |
| Date | 586 |
| Place of origin | Monastery of St. John of Zagba, Northern Mesopotamia or Syria |
| Language(s) | Syriac |
| Scribe(s) | Rabbula |
| Size | 34 cm × 27 cm |
| Script | Syriac |
| Contents | Four Canonical Gospels (Peshitta version) |
Recent scholarship has suggested that the manuscript completed in 586 was later partly overpainted by restorers and bound together with miniatures from other sources in the 15th or 16th century.