Beatus of Facundus

Title	Beato de Facundo or Beatus de Facundus or Beatus de Ferdinand et de Sancha
Contributor	under the direction of Facundo; patroned by King Ferdinand I and Queen Sancha; commentary by Beatus de Liébana
Date	c. 1047
Place	León, Spain
Language	Latin

Content

This striking manuscript created by the monks in León, Spain paired with the Commentary of the Apocalypse (Comentario al Apocalipsis) written by Beatus of Liébana, creates an ethereal effect for its audience with its bright colors and neat calligraphy. The commentary was written three centuries before these monks composed their illustrations, and many of the illuminations contain elements which reflect the influence of medieval Spanish art, the art of Islam, and general Western European art history. The codex was commissioned by a monk named Facundo whose direction was possible due to the patronage of manuscripts by Queen Sancha and King Ferdinand I. 

The commentary and its illuminations, the central points of this brief analysis, address the final chapters of the New Testament which are located in its apocalyptic book, Revelation. Chapters 21 and 22 close out this holy text with strong promises of rebirth brought on by the meeting of the heavens and earth, a holy marriage of sorts which completes God’s image for His perfect creation–after waging a war against evil, sin, and immorality, the word of God prevails for believers, and a new world blooms. Of course, for this prophecy to come true, Jesus will first have to return to Earth again, forging his Second Coming and the future for mankind. In a typical fashion of manuscripts, the commentary itself is composed of two columns located in its folios, each written in Latin and uses rubrication (rubriquage) to highlight important parts of the text.

Context

The Beatus of Facundus stems from a tradition of copying Beatus of Liébana’s original commentary from the 8th century. As such, the variations from manuscript to manuscript likely appear in mistakes and stylistic choices. For reference, in a timeline located below, some previous versions of this book are featured. The Beatus of Liébana was often copied by monks, typically following Iberian tradition in its painting style. Because of the prevalence of this particular text being copied, it offers unprecedented insight into the lives of monks, their artistic interpretation of existing manuscripts, and their theology. The existence of so many of these manuscripts allows historians to track the textual and artistic choices of those working in scriptorium. Moreover, because these manuscripts were created in a transition period from antiquity to medieval times, they offer evidence of gradual changes in artistic style, biblical interpretation, and even world geography. While the original text was written in the 8th century, it is clear that its influence was unwavering until the 11th century. The artistic influences that appear in these manuscripts testify to how the world was evolving due to trade and conquest, underscoring the apocalyptic subject matter of the work. From the perspective of copyists who were recreating this centuries-old manuscript, it makes one wonder if the end of the world, to them, was creeping closer and closer the more time passed.

Illustrations

Within this image, one will notice that there are small inscriptions floating around the figures and elements of the composition, acting as labels and references to the biblical commentary. The promised city of New Jerusalem, established in the last chapters of Revelation, is featured. This is God’s Kingdom, described as a place where the River of Life and Trees of Life thrive. These elements of the painting are labeled with small text, further associating the image with the commentary it complements.

The image of focus’ text says, “Flumen de thronu agnus,” or “The river from the throne of the Lamb.” The longer text in the manuscript’s paintings is abbreviated from passages from Revelation. The Latin text in the first image says:  “hic ppls dei habitant cum eis et regnabunt in sæcula sæculorum,” which can be translated into English as the following sentence: “Here the people of God dwell, and the Lord is with them, and they will reign forever and ever.” This quotation most likely references Revelation 22 in which God speaks about His prophecy for the holy city which will be built after Armageddon. In this painting on vellum, God in His throne is featured, and the mouth of the River of Life commences from the throne. He is surrounded by his followers, beckoning John to join him in this vision. On the left corner, John is accompanied by an angel who tells him of this prophecy so that it can be written down and disseminated to fellow believers. The previously translated text floats on a swatch of black paint which contrasts the yellow background of the top half of the folio. A frame of knots circles the entire page, alternating its design on each length of the page, potentially signifying both Celtic and Islamic inspiration. Influences from Byzantine art traditions can be located in the illumination’s flat, large-eyed figures of God (or Christ) on the throne and His disciples, but these formal qualities appeared in many other related religious manuscripts in Western Europe. Realism was not the goal of Facundus’ illustrators–rather, it was the divinity of the Kingdom of God that was at the forefront of this depiction. As such, the bright color palette of the image reveals more of its Islamic influences, a historically relevant aspect to note as the region was famously under Islamic rule. The hues of red, yellow, and gold appear in art of Islam, so the Beatus of Facundus marks the continuing evidence for the co-existence of Christian and Islamic traditions in the Iberian Peninsula.

Translations 

The Beatus of Facundus was written in small, often difficult-to-read handwriting–decoding this handwriting was aided by digital technologies such as ChatGPT as well as knowledge of Latin and the Bible. In the manuscript, the commentator directly quotes the Vulgate Bible, interpreting its text to explain the gravity of the Holy War and its righteous results. The Vulgate Bible maintains its relevance even today while it seems like commentaries of this nature have fallen out of fashion due to language barriers, the prevalence of literacy, and the increased notion of personal interpretation within some sects of Christianity. 

The image featured at the beginning of the page references these final chapters of Revelation, such as Revelation 21:1. In the Vulgate, this verse is as follows:

“Et vidi caelum novum et terram novam primum enim caelum et prima terra abiit et mare iam non est,” or “I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone: and the sea is now no more.”

The passage is expanded upon in Latin in the Beatus’ text:

“cognosctur qui sermone dmi

loquitur dicetur. ecce ego creu

celum nouum aerum nouum

non enim inmoru prioru

non reuadima upro”

or–

“It is recognized who speaks the word of the Lord,

saying: ‘Behold, I create

a new heaven and a new air,

for the former ones have passed away

and there will be no more returning.'”

From a theological perspective, the act of interpreting the Bible through commentary seems to be at odds with the commands of God. If we take a look at Revelation, we see that St. John, the author of Revelation, warns against man altering the “prophecy” of God, threatening the coming of plagues if one does so. John’s book states in Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book” (“contestor ego omni audienti verba prophetiae libri huius si quis adposuerit ad haec adponet Deus super illum plagas scriptas in libro isto, et si quis deminuerit de verbis libri prophetiae huius auferet Deus partem eius de ligno vitae et de civitate sancta et de his quae scripta sunt in libro isto”). 

How, then, could the author of the Beatus of Liébana justify writing a commentary? Certainly, this commentary could be interpreted as a mistake within this Christian vision–as such, it seems that the author of this commentary took precaution to restate the verses in the book of Revelation to avoid undermining the authority of God. To refer back to the illuminations of the Facundus manuscript, it then seems reasonable that the Beatus reuses previously established motifs in its various renditions throughout time as to not cross God, dooming oneself from eventually entering the holy city, God’s final Kingdom.

Timeline

Bibliography

“Beatus de Ferran i Sança.” Viquipèdia, l’enciclopèdia lliure, Viquipèdia. https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatus_de_Ferran_i_San%C3%A7a.

Bible Gateway. King James Version, Revelation 22. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022&version=KJV.

Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (Madrid). Commentarium in Apocalypsin, Biblioteca Nacional de España. Catalog entry. https://bdh.bne.es/bnesearch/detalle/bdh0000051522.

Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (Madrid). Commentarium in Apocalypsin, Biblioteca Nacional de España. Digitized version. https://bdh-rd.bne.es/viewer.vm?id=0000051522.

“Commentary on the Apocalypse.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentary_on_the_Apocalypse.

Facundus, La Jérusalem Nouvelle (Le Fleuve de Vie, L’Arbre de Vie), Apoc. xxii. WikiArt. https://www.wikiart.org/fr/facundus/la-j-rusalem-nouvelle-le-fleuve-de-vie-l-arbre-de-vie-apoc-xxii.

The Manuscripts of the Morgan Library & Museum: MS M.644, Apocalypse Commentary (Beatus of Liébana). The Morgan Library & Museum. https://www.themorgan.org/manuscript/110807.

“Memory of the World: The Manuscripts of the Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana in the Iberian Tradition.” UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/manuscripts-commentary-apocalypse-beatus-liebana-iberian-tradition.

“New Jerusalem: Depictions of God’s Kingdom in Art History.” ArtWay Visual Commentary, https://artway.eu/content.php?id=1598&lang=en&action=show.

“Revelation 22: Vulgate Bible.” Vulgate.org, https://vulgate.org/nt/epistle/revelation_22.htm.

“Revelation Commentary in Portuguese: The Apocalypse of Lorvão.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_of_Lorv%C3%A3o.

[YouTube Video Commentary]. Beatus of Liébana: Commentary on the Apocalypse. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMzY4NDIsMjg2NjMsMjg2NjQsMTY0NTAz&v=bWzVwzkN0A4&feature=youtu.be.