Concerning the Harmony of the Gospels by St Augustine of Hippo, c. 1103

De Consensu Evangelistarum Libri Quatuor is the oldest manuscript remaining in the Chapter Library of Rochester Cathedral. At first glance it is not eye-catching, but its history, aesthetics and survival in Rochester beg attention. It dates to early 12th century (as early as c.1103) and is essentially as it was when made by the Benedictine monks in the Priory scriptorium.

The writings of St. Augustine of Hippo number many hundreds, two of his best known being The City of God and Confessions[1]. Aurelius Augustinus was born in AD354 in Tagaste, Roman Africa (now Annaba, Algeria). Converted to Christianity aged 33, baptised by Ambrose in AD387 in Milan, Italy, Augustine subsequently returned to Africa. Within a decade he became Bishop of Hippo. He is a Patristic Father of the Christian church, with Ss. Ambrose, Eusebious of Caecarea, Jerome (translator of the Vulgate Bible), Pope Gregory the Great and others. He is considered one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time! His prolific theological works greatly influenced and guided formation of Roman Christianity[2].

The monks in Rochester’s Priory would have attended eight services each day in the Quire, also private devotions in small chapels in the crypt. The core of their lives was the worship and service of God, of the Priory Community, care for the sick and poor. Reading was of great importance. During mealtimes in refectory a single monk would read aloud. Chapters of the Rule of St. Benedict were also read in the Chapter Room each day, giving the room its name. No doubt De Consensu would also have been read, shows physical evidence of study with small annotations, but has survived relatively unscathed with few glosses/annotations or internal man-made blemishes.

900 years old, the manuscript is the earlier of 2 manuscripts remaining in Rochester. The second, Textus Roffensis (c.1123-The Rochester Book) contains a catalogue of books in the Cathedral at that time. Folio 224r records the manuscript De Consensu Evangelistarum which deserves physical description, owing to its age, but also remarkable condition.

The binding boards are oak 1cm thick square edged covered in cream sheepskin suede side (flesh side) outermost. Unsurprisingly it is discoloured, dirty with dark patches result of the passage of time. The dimensions are 22cm x 29.5cm. The spine has been re-backed in smooth cream leather and all four corners have been skilfully repaired. Tabs at either end of the spine are still in tact to facilitate removal from the book press (cupboards used for storage). A four thong leather book marker (originally 5, one detached) marking different leaves is in place. It is considered to have been bound by c.1150 [3]. Some re-binding at a future date has narrowed the gutter making the manuscript difficult to open, but otherwise the ‘white space’ margins indicate that text was once placed evenly on the high quality velum.

It contains 193 folios and 2 fly-leaves in good condition. There are minor small tears, skilful repairs with both fine paper and silk, some corrosive damage from coloured initials and blemishes from insects. A note at the bottom of leaf 3r reads: Liber de Claustro Roffens ꝧ Iacob de Oxon (p(er) Iacob de Oxon). He is assumed to be the scribe; his style of script being ‘Rochester Prickly’ (modern term) shows the influence of Carolingian Minuscule, the hand most likely to have been used when copying religious Latin[4]. The pricking and ruling with awl and stylus (tools still used today) is very clear on many of the leaves. Hair follicles show visible evidence of Curriers’ skills soaking/stretching/scraping the velum during the lengthy preparation for use. Written by a single scribe, with iron gall black ink which has leached into the velum, it is exceptionally clean and crisp. On leaf 2r he lists four of Augustine’s works; in hoc libro co(n)tinentur hee scripture:- Harmony of the Gospels, Sermon on the Mount, Blasphemy and Ten Plagues of Egypt. De Consensu Evangelistarum, the major content, is not the best known of Augustine’s works. It is one that demanded great attention, comparison and, no doubt, help from others in its production.

Augustine was not the first to attempt a Harmony–one of the earliest being Tatian between AD153-170 titled Diatessaron, showing importance of comparison of the four Gospels. Eusebius of Caesarea, prior to his death in AD340, devised ‘Canons’, tables of 4 columns of Roman numerals titled Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, in order to make comparisons[5]. Canon Tables can be seen in many early manuscripts including The Lindisfarne Gospels. There were other theologians, both before Augustine and afterwards, who worked on Harmonies. Like Augustine, his predecessors used the established New Testament order, i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in their work, though it is believed that Mark was the first to record Christ’s ministry. It is tempting to wonder if Augustine was able to refer to his predecessors’ works!

Above A large letter ‘P’, simply described, coloured magenta/green opens the manuscript stating in red: Sententia de Libro Retrac(ta)tionum Beati Augustini. A large letter ‘I’[6] coloured mainly green/blue, decorated with a zoomorphic dragon at the foot, opens De Consensu Evangelistarum Libri Quatuor. There are numerous much smaller coloured capital letters throughout the work marking paragraphs and sections of text. The three subsequent works are clearly marked as follows: Capital ‘S’ green/decorated opens The Sermon on the Mount. Capital ‘C’ mainly red/green continues this work. Capital ‘T’ in red/green opens The Blasphemy. Capital ‘N’ in deep red/green opens the Ten Plagues of Egypt.

The complete work is in Latin and would have been copied from an earlier manuscript, no acknowledgement of which appears in the book. A manuscript of Consensu Evangelistarum is held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, known to have come initially from Normandy thence to Exeter. Comparison with the volume in Rochester shows differences indicating that this was not likely to be that used by (J)Iacob de Oxon as an exemplar[7]. As the monks of Rochester and Canterbury are known to have borrowed manuscripts from one another, it would seem possible that Canterbury was the origin of an earlier work. Perhaps future study of an ancient library catalogue will provide a candidate for further historical research.

Beverley Dee Jacobs

Footnotes

1 Works in English language of St. Augustine: https://www.agustinus.it/links/inglese/opere.htm

2 Synoptic Gospels Primer – Glossary: http://virtualreligion.net/primer/august.html

3 Two Binder’s Notes, Cockerell Bindery, May 1983, Rochester Cathedral Library.

4 Bernhardt Bischcoff, Latin Palaeography, Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Cambridge, 1990, shows Beneventan script c.1099-1118 Pl.13 & Transitional Pl.14 similar to Rochester’s hand. N.Ker, undated Library Note, describes this as Protogothic Bookhand.

5 Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf106.html. Also contains English translation by The Rev.S.D.F.Salmond, D.D. on this link.

6 I believe this to be a letter ‘I’ not as it appears to be a letter ‘J’, as the latter was not introduced to the Latin alphabet until considerably after this manuscript was written and compiled.

7 Information kindly provided by Professor Richard Gameson, Professor, History of the Book, Durham University.

Further reading

Richard Gameson, The Manuscripts of Early Norman England (c.1066-1130)

(Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 1999).

P.J.M.Marks, Beautiful Bookbindings, A Thousand Years of the Bookbinders Art,

The British Library, 2011.

Acknowledgements

Access to De Consensu Evangelistarum Libri Quatuor by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter, Rochester Cathedral. Photographs by Jacob Scott.