New Testament

The New Testament of the Bible forms, along with the Old Testament, the Word of God and the foundation of the Christian faith. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is proclaimed to be the son of god and the messiah come for the salvation of Israel and the cosmos. The scripts of the New Testament were recorded initially in Greek and later in Latin. An outstanding illuminated Latin version of the Testament can be found today in the Vatican Library. This codex stands out among all the treasures of the Vatican Library and still astounds the beholder.

Incomprehensible Richness of Design

The New Testament of the Vatican Library originates from the first half of the 13th century. It is a manuscript in lavish Gothic style. The Latin text was illustrated with nearly 100 vivid miniatures. The colored pictures, ornamented with gold and silver visualize the dramatic events of the life of Jesus Christ and completed the handwritten text in a most outstanding way. Every page of the text contains color and gold decorations. Where no prominent miniature fills the page, text passages are ennobled with richly decorated initials of gold and silver. This is an unimaginably valuable codex.