Vorau Picture Bible

Vorau Picture Bible

The end of the Middle Ages was marked by major intellectual, social, and economic upheavals. These are also reflected in the manuscripts of that time, which are outstanding documents of cultural development.
In this context, popular Bibles – also known as historiated or story Bibles – occupy a special place. In these, the biblical narratives were expanded through profane historical and philosophical excursions into a kind of medieval universal history, which could range from the Creation to the Last Judgment. Where the biblical narrative had historical gaps, these were filled in with the help of apocryphal writings, legends, and secular historical works. They were also written in the language of the people and thus fulfilled the requirement for religious and educational edification, while at the same time serving as the only accessible “history book” for large sections of the population.

Outstanding Illumination

Among the approximately 100 surviving German-language popular Bibles, the Vorau Picture Bible is an undisputed artistic highlight. No fewer than 559 pen-and-ink drawings colored in bright watercolors accompany the text, written in a Bavarian-Austrian dialect, and once again demonstrate the exceptional enjoyment of images in the Late Middle Ages. They were inserted into the text columns by a single hand with great artistic skill, each as close as possible to the relevant passage. Their unmistakable charm comes above all from their extraordinary expressiveness. The figures, captured in moments of inner and outer turmoil, already show the first signs of characterization and individualization – some figures even appear caricatured.

Cultural History and Children's Humor

While the miniatures originally served primarily to interpret and illustrate the texts, they fulfill another function for today's viewer: they document medieval life in a variety of ways. The pen-and-ink drawings also make the Vorau Picture Bible an almost inexhaustible source of information about the costumes and everyday life of its time of creation.
In addition, some preserved and quite detailed instructions for the illuminator provide a good insight into the process of creating a medieval manuscript. It is striking that the instructions were often not followed to the letter and that the illuminator added his or her own ideas to the images.
Last but not least, the Vorau Picture Bible on fol. 190r–203r also becomes a wonderful testimony to the humorous treatment of such a valuable manuscript in its earlier history. Thus, in the 16th century, presumably a child added mustaches to some of the figures.

From the Creation of the World to Charlemagne

Compared to other German-language popular Bibles, the text of the Vorau Picture Bible is quite extensive, especially in terms of its New Testament part. This goes far beyond the biblical stories of the life of Christ and concludes by focusing on the history of the popes and emperors, up to Charlemagne. Overall, the prose text is based on the German translation of Petrus Comestor's Historia Scholastica and Heinrich von München's Weltchronik (World Chronicle). The Old Testament part of the Vorau manuscript was supplemented by the Hiob (Job) of an Austrian Bible translator and the so-called Prophetenauszug (Excerpt from the Prophets). In addition to the Chronicle of Popes and Emperors, the New Testament section is supplemented primarily by texts on the life and Passion of Christ in the form of gospel pericopes and the German translation of Heinrich von St. Gallen's *treatise on the Passion of Christ – a late medieval bestseller of Passion literature. The book closes with the ***Epistel des Rabbi Samuel an Rabbi Isaak*** (Epistle of Rabbi Samuel to Rabbi Isaac) by Irmhart Öser, which provides readers with arguments for the Christian interpretation of Scripture.

Dated to the Day

It is extremely rare that the Vorau Picture Bible can be dated to the day. On fol. 447v there is a respective entry by the scribe: “Also hat ein endt dy wibel dy alt ee vnd ein tail der newen ee vnd ist geendt waren in vigilia omnium sanctorum anno domini M °CCCC °67”. The date of completion was therefore October 31, 1467. The name of the scribe has not been handed down to us. It is most likely that he was a clergyman well versed in religious matters.
How the manuscript found its way to Vorau also remains unclear to this day. Its first mention there dates back to 1733. Since then at the latest, it has been in the possession of the monastery and is one of its greatest treasures.