Early Byzantine Period illuminated ecclesiastical manuscripts: Vienna Genesis

The subject of the thesis is the Early Byzantine Period Illuminated Ecclesiastical Manuscripts: Vienna Genesis. The primary aim of this study is to identify and classify the themes of Early Byzantine Period illuminated ecclesiastical manuscripts, analyzing and comparing their styles accordingly, presenting the production materials and determining their place of production. The main aim of the study is to establish a detailed analysis of the text-icon relation and iconographical style of Vienna Genesis which is one of the manuscripts in question. During the museum and library research Quedlinburg Itala, Ashburnham Pentateuch, Rabbula Gospel, Paris Syrian Bible, St. Augustus Gospel, British Library Cannon Tables and Cotton Genesis were analyzed at the outset under the title of Early Byzantine Period Illuminated Ecclesiastical Manuscripts. Rossano Gospels and Sinope Gospel were addressed separately under the title of Early Byzantine Period Purpura Codices, as they are proposed to be connected to the Vienna Genesis manuscript. As the following phase of the study and the main subject, the text-icon relation and iconographical, stylistic and technical characteristics of the Vienna Genesis were determined; and in the light of the information gathered, the manuscript was catalogued. The Vienna Genesis manuscript takes an important place as for its content-wise signification and form. It is the only surviving manuscript which contains the Old Testament and produced in the purpura color that signifies prosperity and royalty in Byzantine art. As a result of the analyses it can be claimed that it is of great importance in accordance with the correlation between the tradition and the faith which was at the threshold of institutionalization that only the New Testament scenes were described in the Vienna Genesis without including the Old Testament themes. The fact that the Jewish art bearing the traces of Hellenistic culture caused the Old Testament plots to be used in Christian themes contains some scientific data with regards to the fact that it shows how geographically and historically different cultures are articulated. It is interesting to notice that Vienna Genesis contains some scenes which does not take part in the New Testament either. Therefore other Jewish sources apart from the Old Testament were analyzed and their connections with the scenes were identified. Key Words: Byzantine, Manuscripts, Early Byzantine Period, Old Testament, Genesis, Purpura, the Sixth Century.