Page from a Book with Biblical Texts
Armenian
Description
Subject Matter:
The Armenian Christian Church placed an early emphasis on God's word in their worship. Hand-written books, typically in Bolorgir script, became some of the most important artworks to come from medieval and early modern Armenia. This page includes two columns of text on the front and back from the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
The page gives a clue as to how it was designed. Before writing, scribes would “rule” or create grid lines on the page to ensure they wrote straight and consistent lines of text. We can see vertical ruled lines that created the columns on this page. Next, scribes would write the text. Red texts were used to guide the reader, signaling the beginning of an important passage. Here, the red text is accompanied by an illustration of a fanciful bird drawn by an illuminator after the scribe finished the text.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.