Old Testament Miniatures with Latin, Persian, and Judeo-Persian inscriptions
France, Paris, 1240s

Scholars believe that the Picture Bible was commissioned by Louis IX of France, the Capetian monarch who built the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris to house the crown of thorns before leaving for the first of his two crusades in 1248. The Bible later passed to the cardinal of Cracow, who then offered it as a diplomatic gift to the great Persian Muslim shah 'Abbas in the early seventeenth century. The manuscript eventually fell into the hands of Jewish owners, probably during the eighteenth century. These various owners left Latin, Persian, and Judeo-Persian inscriptions around the images. With these inscriptions, the keepers of the manuscript used their languages to assert their ownership of the book, appropriating its narrative contents and assimilating it into their own cultures.

The Latin captions are the earliest. They can be labeled as "early fourteenth-century," and were possibly made by a scribe trained in Bologna. The Persian captions come next. They were added in 1608 or shortly after, when the manuscript was presented to Shah Abbas in Isfahan. The Judeo-Persians are last, and according to the translator, they were probably made in 1722 or shortly after, as that year Isfahan was sacked by the Afghans. She supposes that at that time the book was looted by an Afghan soldier and was possibly exchanged with an Iranian Jew.

The Picture Bible is illustrated with saturated colors and exquisite detail. In order to make its lessons relevant to readers, the creators of this Bible set Old Testament stories in contemporaneous environments. For example, depictions of architecture evoke the castles and houses of thirteenth-century French towns and battle scenes are illustrated with thirteenth-century armor, weapons, and battle insignia.

MS M.638 (fol. 17r)

Wives for the Benjamites
Before the war, the gathered tribes took an oath, swearing that none among them would ever again provide a wife to a Benjamite. Now, however, the tribes lament the loss of their brethren and ponder how they might find wives for those few hundred Benjamite men that survive. A remedy is devised by the tribal elders. The Benjamites are directed to Shiloh, where a festival is underway. Maidens in trailing skirts dance as minstrels play the viol, pipe, and tabor. The Benjamites, hidden in the vineyards, spring forth and take the young women. As they depart, they encourage the men of Shiloh not to fear for the integrity of their oath, for indeed they never gave their daughters willingly. (Judges 21: 20–23)

Ruth, a Loyal Daughter
Naomi, a widow, bids farewell to her daughters-in-law, who have also lost their husbands. One daughter-in-law, Ruth, refuses to remain in her native Moab and insists upon accompanying Naomi to Bethlehem. At the gates of Bethlehem, three women advance and joyously welcome Naomi home. "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara," she tells them. 'Mara' is Hebrew for "the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me." (Ruth 1:14–20)

Image courtesy of Faksimile Verlag Luzern, www.faksimile.ch.
Content consultant: Richard Leson