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| The Golden Gospels of Echternach: The Rich Man and Lazarus |
The community of monks at Benedictine Abbey of Echternach
(in modern Luxemborg) produced some of the finest illuminated manuscripts ever
created. The most important of these manuscripts is known as the Golden Gospels
of Echternach (Codex Aureus Epternacensis),
because of the 23½ karat gold lettering that makes up most of the text. The metalwork
and ivory on the front cover, which includes precious stones and pearls set
into gold, come from an earlier manuscript and the 135 pages of the manuscript
were apparently trimmed so they would fit into the current binding (Dodwell
1993:144).
This manuscript is distinctive for its use of color and
comparatively rare depictions of the parables. The representations of the
parables and other narrative illuminations appear on full pages in three
panels, explanations of which are written in narrow gold strips. Each Gospel is
preceded by such illuminated pages, with three scenes on each page, but the
images are not connected to specific Gospels (e.g., unique scenes from the Gospels
of Luke and John are included in the pages before the Gospel of Mark), which
accents the idea that the four Gospels present a unified vision.
Four pages that precede the Gospel of Luke depict four parables
from the Gospels (for details, see Metz 1957: plates 67, 68, 69, and 70): The Workers in the Vineyard; The Wicked Tenants; The Great Supper; The Rich
Man and Lazarus:
The depiction of the rich man and Lazarus parable, like in
other representations, consists of three panels. The top panel shows the rich
man (dives) wearing red/purple clothes and feasting at a table, with a servant
bringing more food. Just outside the door crouches Lazarus, with his arm raised
in supplication. Sores cover his entire body, and two dogs lick his wounds. The
second panel on the left shows Lazarus lying dead. His body lies alone and
abandoned, but two angels are taking his soul, which comes out of the corpse’s
mouth, and are wrapping the soul with a white cloth. The right side of the
panel shows Lazarus sitting on Abraham’s lap, and twelve other souls—six on
each side—look at them with their hands raised in a prayer-like fashion.
The left side of the lowest panel shows the rich man having
died. His body lies in his expensive house, with friends/family looking on.
This scene shows two demons—their bodies are black, their wings red, and they
have fearsome claws—taking his soul out of his mouth. One demon in the middle
of the panel carries him away. The right side of the panel shows the rich man
in the “inferno,” looking up at Abraham and Lazarus, with both arms raised,
begging Abraham to help him, but to no avail. Both Abraham and Lazarus look
down at the rich man; their arms are raised, signifying that it was too late for
anyone to help him. Luke’s allusion to Jesus’ resurrection might also be
reflected in the twelve souls (symbolizing the apostles?) that flank Abraham
and Lazarus in heaven.
All of the demons in hell are dark brown, with purple hair
and fire coming out of their mouths. Four demons face the rich man with their
arms and menacing claws stretched out toward him. A fifth demon, larger than
all the rest, lies helplessly bound with a rope around his neck, hands, and
feet, perhaps signifying the day when the angels will bind Satan (Rev. 20:2?). The
faces of two other demons appear on the other side of the rich man, and they
are flanked by seven other human figures—three on the left and four on the
right—who also appear in supplication. The illumination thus offers a concise
and terrifying portrait of what awaits those who act as the rich man did and
the future comfort offered to the Lazaruses of the world.
Next up: Bonaventure's interpretation of the parable.
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