Mich. Ms. 22, Gospel Book, 11th-12th century A.D.
A manuscript on vellum containing the four Gospels in Greek, this book is a Byzantine monastic product from the eleventh or twelfth century. The writing is minuscule and the words are separated. The colorful miniatures, in a somewhat flat style, reflect their Byzantine origins. A miniature depicting the Evangelist Luke is shown.
The Papyrology Collection
The Papyrology Collection of the University of Michigan Library is an internationally respected collection of ancient papyrus and a center for research on ancient culture, language, and history. With over 7,000 items and more than 12,000 individual fragments, it is by far the largest collection of papyrus in the Western hemisphere and the fifth largest in the world.
The Collection offers a glimpse into the everyday life and language of the ancient world. Of keen interest to historians, linguists, classicists, philosophers, archaeologists, and others, the collection includes biblical fragments, religious writings, public and private documents, private letters, and writings on astronomy, astrology, mathematics, and magic. University of Michigan papyri span nearly two millennia of history, dating from about 1000 BC to AD 1000, with the majority dating from the third century BC to the seventh century AD. The papyri are augmented by the University’s collection of writings on ostraca, or potsherds.
