The Gospel Extracts and the Theme of the <i>Royal Prayerbook</i>

Unlike in later private devotional collections, which are typically more diverse in their forms, the early Insular prayerbooks all begin with extracts from the four gospels. The extracts that are found in two of these collections, London, British Library, MS Harley 2965 (the Book of Nunnaminster) and Cambridge, University Library, MS Ll.I.10 (the Book of Cerne), take the form of long continuous passages from each gospel book. These extracts have been well understood, as they appear to be topical, focusing on events near the end of the gospels: Christ’s passion and resurrection. The readings found in the third of these collections, London, British Library, MS Royal 2.A.xx (the Royal Prayerbook), are instead made of a wider variety of shorter passages. This study re-examines these extracts and disputes earlier claims that they were compiled primarily for apotropaic reasons or to reflect an interest in Christ’s healing miracles. Instead, it suggests that, like the gospel extracts found in the other Insular prayerbooks, these readings may have been chosen to reflect on a Christological event, the ascension.