Book of Kells Catalogue

1 Common name

Book of Kells

2 City, Country or present location

Trinity College, Kells, Ireland

3 Library or collection

Now center piece to permanent exhibition in the Old Library, Trinity College, Ireland

Presented to Trinity in the 1660s by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath

4 Shelf mark or ms. number

Shelf mark

A.I.6

Ms number

58

5 Title of manuscript

Book of Kells

6 Manuscript contents, including texts and general accounting of illustrations

Quire 1:

Folios 1-3 Preliminary text

Folio 1r: Glossary of Hebrew names, symbols;

Folios 1v-3v: Canon tables I-IV (with arcades)

Quire 2:

Folios 4-12 Preliminary text

Folios 4r-6r: Canon tables IV – VI

Folios 6v-7r: Originally blank (twelfth-century copies of charters)

Folio 7v: The Virgin and Child

Folio 8r: Nativitas XPI in Bethlem Iudeae

Folios 8v-11v: Breves causae of Matthew

Folios 12r-12v: Argumentum to Matthew

Quire 3:

Folios 13-22 Preliminary text

Folio 13r: Argumentum to Matthew, Breves causae of Mark

Folios 13v-15v: Breves causae of Mark, Argumentum to Mark

Folio 16v: Argumentum to Mark, Argumentum to Luke

Folio 17r-18r: Argumentum to Luke, Argumentum to John

Folio 19v: Argumentum to John, Breves causae of Luke

Quire 4:

Folio 23-28 Preliminary text

Folios 23r-23v: Breves causae of Luke

Folios 24r-25v: Breves causae of John

Folios 26r-26v: Glossary of Hebrew names to Luke

One leaf lost between folios 26 and 27

Folio 27r: originally blank (twelfth-century copies of charters)

Folio 27v: Symbols of the four evangelists

Folio 28r: Blank

Folio 28v: Portrait of St Matthew

Quires 5-15:

Folios 29-129: Gospel of St Matthew

Quire 5, folio 29r: Liber generationis

Quire 5, folio 29v-31v: Genealogy of Christ

Quire 5, folio 32r: blank

Quire 5, folio 32v: Portrait of Christ

Quire 5, folio 33r: Eight-Circle Cross

Quire 5, folio 33v: blank

Quire 5, folio 34r: Chi Rho

Quire 13, folio 114r: Arrest of Christ

Quire 13, folio 114v: Tunc dicit illis

Quire 14, folio 124r: Tunc crucifixerant

Quire 15, folio 129v: Symbols of the four evangelists

Quire 15: one leaf missing between folios 177 and 178

Quires 16-21

Folios 130-187: Gospel of St Mark

Quire 16, folio 130r: Initium evangelii

Quire 16: one leaf missing between folios 177 and 178

Quire 21, folio 183r: Erat autem hora tertia

Quire 21, folio 187v: Symbols of the four evangelists (incomplete)

Quires 22-33

Folios 188-290: Gospel of St Luke

Portrait and symbols page missing?

Quire 22, folio 188r: Quoniam

Quire 23, folios 200r-202r: Genealogy of Christ

Quire 23, folio 202v: Temptation

Quire 23, folio 203: Iesus autem plenus

Quire 27, one leaf missing between folios 239 and 240

Quire 32, folio 285r: Una autem sabbati

Quire 33, folio 290r: Explicit Luke, incipit John

Quire 33, folio 290v: Symbols of the four evangelists

Quires 34-38

Folios 291-339: Gospel of St John

Quire 34, folio 291r: blank

Quire 34, folio 291v: Portrait of St John

Quire 34, folio 292r: In principio erat uerbum

Quire 37: three leaves missing between folios 330 and 331

About ten leaves missing after folio 339