Liturgy and narrative in the Exodus cycle of the Ashburnham Pentateuch.

The Ashburnham Pentateuch contains the largest, most important Exodus cycle in the early medieval period, bridging the crucial period between late antique and Carolingian book illumination. Although a late sixth-century to early seventh-century date is generally agreed upon by scholars, the provenance of the manuscript and its model has been a major source of debate. Recently, scholars focused on the possibility of the Ashburnham Pentateuch as a credible witness to the existence of narrative, illuminated Jewish manuscripts from the late antique period. A chronological summation of Ashburnham Pentateuch studies demonstrates the questions and hypotheses surrounding the manuscript as well as the lack of consensus among scholars. An evaluation of the evidence for various provenances discusses the inherent problems in the art historical methodologies applied to the illuminations. The examination of the scenes concludes that the Ashburnham Pentateuch relies on a fully illustrated narrative model to which the Bible of San Paoli fuori le mura and the Rovigo Bible are also connected. On the basis of iconographic, stylistic, and codicological evidence, an Italian provenance is the conclusion of this study.The primary focus of this study is a new understanding of the manuscript's pictorial content by examining each Exodus scene in the context of other pictorial cycles, by recognizing those pictorial devices which are unique to the Ashburnham Pentateuch, and by offering an interpretation of these signs which fundamentally change the meaning of each scene and the cycle as a whole. In the Crossing of the Red Sea the substitution of the Paschal Candle for the Pillar of Fire, for example, fundamentally changes this scene from an Old Testament narrative into a New Testament liturgy. Throughout the Exodus cycle a consistent pictorial typology parallels the typology found in sermons and catechetical instructions of the Church Fathers. The typological program and the Lenten liturgical content in cycle suggest that the manuscript was created for a contemporary Christian audience, possibly as a tool for catechesis.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick, 1992.School code: 0190