British Library: Sacred
World Faiths Brought to Book - Exhbition Running From April-Sept
An exhibition of lavishly illustrated, exceptionally rare Muslim, Christian and Jewish manuscripts is on at London's British Library and runs from 27 April - 23 Sept 2007
On 27 April, the British Library opened its exhibition entitled “Sacred – World Faiths brought to Book”. Rare and beautiful examples of sacred texts from the British Library’s collection are on display, some for the first time in the United Kingdom, or even for the first time ever.
The exhibition has been designed to appeal to members of every faith as well as visitors with no particular religious beliefs.
The manuscripts, including rare examples of the Qur’an, the New Testament and the Torah are displayed side-by-side rather than separated into different sections. The exhibition aims to show how the religions have influenced each other by looking at the differences and similarities between the three religions.
Graham Shaw, Head of the British Library’s Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections said: "At a time when religion and inter-faith relations feature prominently in the public agenda, we hope this exhibition will contribute to a greater understanding of these three faiths in the world today."
The exhibition includes some of the oldest surviving manuscripts from each religion. For example, the Syriac Pentateuch is the earliest known dated copy of the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It was written in 463 in Syriac, the language of the Syrian Church in the fifth century, by deacon John at Amida (modern Diyarbakir in south eastern Turkey).
The Lisbon Hebrew Bible
The Lisbon Hebrew Bible is a beautifully illuminated Bible written in three volumes. It was created in 1482 just fifteen years before the Jews were expelled from Portugal. The very strong influence of Islamic art is reflected in the floral and arabesque designs.
Book of Psalms in Arabic
Another very impressive manuscript book, known as “Book of Psalms in Arabic”, was created for the Coptic Christian community resident in Egypt in the early 16th century. First impressions suggest that it is a Qur’an from the Mamluk period but it is in fact a Christian manuscript. Its decoration, text and layout have been strongly influenced by Islam, the dominant religion of the area
Sultan Baybars Qur'an
One of the most beautiful and important of the Qur’an manuscripts is Sultan Baybars Qur’an. It is written in seven volumes and took three years to complete. The front page of every volume shows off the artist’s skills in the intricate Islamic geometric designs. The bold calligraphy is heavily overlaid with gold. This manuscript is absolutely beautiful.
Codex Sinaiticus
Also on display is the rare and very beautiful manuscript Codex Sinaiticus. It is named after the Monastery of St Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt, where it was preserved for several centuries. It is believed to be the oldest complete manuscript of the New Testament. The manuscript was written in Greek around 350 AD.
Nothing can explain the emotions aroused at the sight of the gold illuminations of these magnificently decorated manuscripts glistening in the subdued lighting. Some of the manuscripts are so well preserved that they might have been painted only yesterday!
The exhibition runs until September 2007 and admission is free. Once this exhibition ends the Pearson Gallery will be refitted for "Breaking the Rules", an exhibition exploring the Avant Garde opening on 9th November 2007.
Exhibition hours are: Monday, Wednesday- Friday 09.30-18.00, Tuesday 09.30-20.00, Saturday 09.30-17.00, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 11.00-17.00.
All galleries are accessible by wheel chair.
The British Library, 00 44 20 7412 7332, St Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
