The manuscript Content and layout The manuscript comprises 256
parchment pages of 29.8 x 21.5 centimetres containing the
Vulgate text of the Four
Gospels of
Hieronymus written with black ink in a single column of
Carolingian minuscule. Titles and headings are in golden
rustic capitals and the section numbers are also in gold. In addition to the gospels, the
codex also contains their prologues (called
Arguments), a
pericope, 31 fullpage
miniatures, including a depiction of the
Four Evangelists, four
initial pages, 21 images with scenes from the life of
Jesus, Liuthar's dedication page with a depiction of the
Apotheosis of Otto III, and twelve
canon pages. For the first time in Medieval illumination, 21 pages of upright miniatures with scenes from the Life of Jesus were added, some with two registers one under the other. Despite the small size of these scenes, the figures appear monumental, framed by
arches, with all the backgrounds in
gold leaf – another novelty. The images are seen as a combination of models from
Late antique,
Byzantine and
Treverene art.
Ernst Günther Grimme said of them, "the reality of the eternal determines their appearance." The Liuthar Gospels were probably gifted at the foundation of the royal
collegiate church of
Aachen, consecrated to the
Holy Virgin (
Aachen Cathedral) in the year 1000. A lot of evidence demonstrates that for centuries the
Holy Roman Emperors swore their
coronation oath on these Gospels when they were crowned at
Aachen, as recorded by the
canons of the church college, who also used the Gospels for their own ordination oaths.
Apotheosis of Otto III The double-sided dedication page preceding the text of the gospels is of great significance. On the left page the monk Liuthar stands in a barbed
Quatrefoil holding a book of Gospels to hand to Otto III, enthroned on the other page. Above and below in golden capitals on a purple background is a dedicatory inscription in
Leonine Hexameter, reading:
"Emperor Otto, may God clothe your heart with this book. Remember that you received it from Liuthar." The image on the opposite page shows Otto on a throne supported by
Tellus, the
personification of the
Earth on a background of goldleaf. Otto is depicted in the style of an
ancient Roman Emperor, wearing a
tunic and a
chlamys. Exemplary of Medieval royal imagery, Otto is surrounded by an
aureola, a motif which is otherwise only used in depictions of
Jesus Christ. This expresses the idea in Medieval rulership ideology that through his coronation Otto himself became the anointed one, the Christ. This is confirmed by the
Hand of God surrounded by a blue halo and superimposed on a cross, which crowns the Emperor, and also by his arms which are outspread in a pose of crucifixion. His right hand holds the
Globus cruciger, while his left is outstretched to receive the Gospels being gifted by Liuthar. The four
symbols of the Evangelists hold the white
scroll of the gospel over the breast of the Emperor, thereby clothing his heart with it. The scene is framed by a purple arch. The colour, restricted to Roman Emperors, indicates Otto's imperial status. Two kings performing
homage stand on either side with lances. These might be identified with
Bolesław of Poland and
Stephen of Hungary, who were raised to royal dignity by Otto in the year 1000. In the lower register two worldly dignitaries with helmets, lances, and shields approach from the left. Two spiritual dignitaries approach from the right. Each wears an
alb, a
chasuble and a
pallium, showing that they are
archbishops, and carries writing implements. This Apotheosis image is thus a variation on the image of
Christ in Majesty, uniquely influenced by
Byzantine art. Emperor Otto III is shown crowned by God, supported by the Earth, an Earthly Christ with his heart full of the Gospel holding power over the world.
The cover A silver
cover from about 1170/80 was attached to the back cover of the Carolingian Treasury Gospels until 1870, when it was recycled as a front cover for the Liuthar Gospels. In 1972, this cover was removed and the Gospels were rebound. This cover measures 30.8 x 23.7 centimetres and consists of a wooden core, a sheet of silver, and Byzantine ivories from the middle of the tenth century. The ivories form the centre of the cover, depicting busts of four saints:
John the Evangelist,
John the Baptist,
Theodore Tyron and
Saint George. The silver sheet consists of the Four Evangelists arranged around the ivories in lunettes and an archangel standing on either side. The ivories are meant to serve as the folding wings of the ivory relief of the golden book cover of the Treasury Gospels and have no connection whatsoever with the silverwork evangelists and angels
Aachen Christmas carol In 1886, the master of the Aachen Minster college,
Heinrich Böckeler found the so-called
Aachen Fragment in the Liuthar Gospels, which was dated orthographically to the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries. It contained the beginning of the oldest known
Christmas carol in German language, the
Aachen Christmas Carol. The melody, recorded in
square notation, comes with the words "
Syt willekomen heirre kirst want du unser alre here bis" (May you welcome us, Lord Christ, thou who art the Lord of us all). == See also ==