A New Moses: Typological Iconography in the Moutier-Grandval Bible Illustrations of Exodus

Abstract

The miniatures of the Moutier-Grandval Bible, which is the earliest illustrated bible surviving from the Carolingian period, have understandably received considerable scholarly attention. Recent studies have rejected Köhler's hypothesis of a single 5th-century model for the iconography of the miniatures, emphasizing the dependance on a variety of models, eastern and western. This study seeks to balance these views by pointing out the contemporary and original nature of the iconography of the miniatures, in which illustrations of events from Exodus and Revelation equate Moses with Paul. Although rooted in the teachings of Paul and mentioned by Early Christian fathers, this typology became especially popular in the medieval West, undoubtedly stimulated in Carolingian society by the writings on divine revelation by Paul's supposed disciple Dionysius the Areopagite, who was equated with St. Denis.

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