Genealogy of Christ

A manuscript on a vellum scroll that was intended to serve as a learning aid in biblical instruction arose during the Gothic Middle Ages. Peter of Poitiers, the chancellor of the University of Paris, composed this manuscript, which was to be used as a study aid on the walls of classrooms. The scroll arranges the most important biblical people in the form of family trees in connection with one another and in doing so makes the story of the Old Testament more easily understood. The work is furnished with a variety of various color accents in order to differentiate the contents. Around 50 handwritten copies of the genealogy from the time period of the 13th to the 15th centuries still exist today.

A Free Educational Aid

The Genealogy of Christ was used as a didactic aid on classroom walls. Poor schoolchildren and clerics who were not in the financial position to buy books for themselves had a free synopsis of the most important biblical people and events. The story of the Old Testament could be analyzed at a glance and was easily imprinted through the compact depictions.

Theological Tradition

Peter of Poitiers was an educated theologian from France. He lived in Paris ca. 1130 to 1205. He studied at the University of Paris and was later named chancellor of this very university. He published several orthodox teachings and lectures in numerous handwritten codices. The Genealogy of Christ is his most attractive work. The scroll is divided into the six different ages of humanity, according to the tradition of which, the Sixth Age was begun with the birth of Christ and was ended with his crucifixion. The most important people were summarized bearing the complexity of the stories in mind. Thus the content of the Bible was clearly articulated.

Various Color Accents

The people and individual aspects of the biblical passages of the genealogy were furnished with a variety of different colors. The gender and status of people in the society could be easily distinguished from one another. Women’s names, for example, were surrounded by fresh green frames. Kings were consigned with a luminous red color and prophets were set in a deep blue color base. The various temporal epochs were also made easily discernable through the use of different colors. These noteworthy learning aids of the Middle Ages were so beloved, that they were frequently copied from the 13th to the 15th centuries. Today the original edition of the scroll is found in the Biblioteca Casantense in Rome.