Illuminating the liturgical word: text and image in a decorated lectionary (Mount Athos, Dionysiou Monastery, cod. 587)1

Abstract

The eleventh-century Byzantine Gospel lectionary, Mount Athos, Dionysiou Monutery, cod. 587, is one of the molt sumptuous examples of its genre. Became of the density of its illustration and its superb quality, it has often been cited by scholars as an archetypal representative of the illustrated lectionary. The signficance of this manuscript for our understanding of Byzantine religious culture is underscored by the revered position held by alllectionarics as sacred books infused with theological and liturgical symbolism. Yet, despite the vital role played by lectionaries in the liturgy and their complex history both as text alone and as a medium for decoration, they are still not sufficiently understood.2 The Dionysiou lectionary is an exceptionally rich exemplar for study because of the quantity and type of its illustrations, their arrangement and the unusual nature of its text. It is also one of the few surviving lectionaries decorated with images.

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