Arnstein Bible

The Arnstein Bible takes its name from the abbey where it was made (in the northwest of Germany), and whose history dates back to the second half of the 11th century.

In 1139, Louis of Arnstein (Ludwig), last count of Arnstein, had his castle transformed into a monastery of Premonstratensians and joins the order.

This Bible consists of two volumes. In the first, we note on a fragment of the annals of the abbey (1172) the name of one of the scribes who participated in the creation of the manuscript: a monk named Lunandus.

Hoc anno scriptus is liber iste un quodam fratre nostro nomine Lunandus…

There are also five entrances added in the 17th century; three relating to the Swedish wars, an obituary of Abbot Johannes Bingen and a note on the coronation of Leopold I (Holy Roman Emperor) in Frankfurt in 1658.

Both volumes of Arnstein's Bible contain a large number of initials, and in the second, four miniatures open the gospels of Mark, Matthew, John and Luke. You will find a selection of the most remarkable achievements in the gallery below.

Arnstein's Bible is now housed in the British Museum in London.