Weekly #8

Having an understanding of a topic itself is very important when trying to learn about a culture.  Just memorizing information for one test is not enough understanding to truly get the different cultures and time periods.  When trying to understand a topic, memorizing the textbook will not help anyone learn anything.  While learning about the manuscripts and the art in the manuscripts, people learn about the culture of that time period.

One way learning about manuscripts teaches about the culture was in the language it was written in.  "Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts are divided into a number of shelf classifications, including language and subject classifications MSS Dutch, Eng(lish), Fr(ench), Ger(man), Gr(eek), Ital(ian), Judaica, Lat(in), Port(uguese), Span(ish) and Syriac" (Digital Medieval Manuscripts at Houghton Library).  The codex manuscript was used all over the world in more than ten different languages.  Each culture had its own interpretation of the writings.  The manuscripts were known worldwide from all different languages, races, and cultures.   The cultures that used the manuscript were very diverse, and that is seen in the writing style as well.

One of the ways learning about codex manuscripts teaches about the culture was in the writing style.  "We ordain that slaves, or tributaries, or inquilini shall remain with their lords. For, when, dismayed by a fear of Ioss, each landowner begins to drive away those who are unknown to him, the will to flight will not be with the slaves; for no one deserts his lord knowing that there is nowhere a refuge for him as a fugitive” (Codex Justinianus).  Compared to language today, codex sounds much more sophisticated.  The people must have been intelligent if they were going to write the manuscripts, and reading the language used they were.  The writing of the books was very beautiful and neat.  The writers must have been very literate to write in such amazing handwriting.  The culture at the time was intelligent, and many people must have been well educated to be writing such incredible manuscripts.

The most obvious cultural connection is in the paintings and illumination in the book.  When each culture created the manuscript, they depicted their own opinions of the writings (figure 1 &2).  The differences in these depictions are based on the culture.  The painters focused on what their people looked like and based the characters they painted on their own people.  The people, the horses, and the decoration on the page looked different.  Each culture depicted their own culture in the most creative ways.

Learning about the topic of codex manuscript communicates an understanding of the culture as well.  The writing, language, and the pictures show how different each culture was.  Each manuscript may have had the same writing, but their interpretations of them were very different.  Without these manuscripts, we would have no way of knowing a large part of our history, the Gospels were even written in codex manuscript.  Learning about the codex manuscript not only teaches about the manuscript, but it also has a much deeper meaning by teaching about the culture.

Appendix

Figure 1: Alwan Codex 2 Ethiopian Biblical Manuscript. (n.d.).Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A

Figure 2: Miniatura dei Carmina. (n.d.).Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File

Works Cited

Houghton Library MSS Widener - Digital Medieval Manuscripts at Houghton Library - Harvard College Library. (n.d.).Harvard College Library. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/early_manuscripts/about.cfm#collection

Medieval Sourcebook: Codex Justinianus: Return of Fugitive Slaves & Coloni, c. 530 [Xl.48.xii.]. (n.d.).FORDHAM.EDU. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/codexXl-48-xii.html