What Can the Book of Kells Teach Christianity Today?
- Justin Wiggins Contributing Writer
- Updated Mar 15, 2024
The Book of Kells has inspired many writers, poets, and artists worldwide, as well as being explored in books, documentaries and feature films. Twelfth-century writer Gerald of Wales was so astonished at the book’s beauty that he thought angels may have created it.
So, why is The Book of Kells such an iconic work of art?
What Does It Mean that the Book of Kells is an Illuminated Manuscript?
An illuminated manuscript is a book decorated with flourishes and illustrations made from gold, silver, and other precious minerals. In the Christian tradition, this was a meticulous art form used by monks and scribes to create a work of art that would glorify God. This artistic discipline was intricate and took many hours for the artists to complete. Art is disconnected from reality, but a great gift from Christ to humanity that allows us to explore questions about doubt and faith, love, justice, and what it means to be human, and it is an affirmation of Christ’s agape love for the whole cosmos.
Celtic monks made the Book of Kells, which is a stunning visual portrayal of the four gospels— Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Its text is based on the Latin Vulgate that St. Jerome completed in 384 A.D. Its pages were made from vellum (calfskin,) and the illumination was made from topaz and other precious minerals. The first recorded illuminated manuscript in history, the Vergilius Romanus, was created in the fourth century. The Book of Durrow and the Lindisfarne Gospels were both predecessors of the Book of Kells. All are examples of the importance of art inspired by Christianity. Through different mediums of art, whether visual, music, poetry, woodworking, or sacred scripture, these mediums proclaim Christ’s sovereignty, beauty, power, and love.
What Does the Book of Kells Contain Alongside the Gospels?
The Book of Kells contains striking images of different beings mentioned in the Bible, such as the cherubim and seraphim. Other images show animals—such as butterflies, mice, cats, dogs, otters, snakes, peacocks, doves, and lions. The monks included animals in the Book of Kells to portray the complexity and beauty of God’s good creation, even though creation has fallen because of sin. After the fall of our ancestors, recorded in the book of Genesis, we were no longer in harmony with nature. Even though our world has fallen, the glory of Christ can still be viewed through the complexity of nature because of His Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection.
According to scholar Bernard Mehan, three scribes began working on the manuscript using vellum and copying from the St. Jerome Latin version of the Gospels. The blue used in the Book of Kells was made from indigo or woad, found in northern Europe. The parchments were sown together in a book form called a codex of over 340 folios (or pages).
The striking images of angels in the Book of Kells were an attempt by the monks to capture the reality of the supernatural and the victory of God over the forces of darkness. In the Christian worldview, one of the most important experiences a human being has with an angel is the Virgin Mary. As recorded in Luke’s first-century account, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel, telling her that she will be the mother of the son of God.
When Was The Book of Kells Composed?
Different scholars debate the exact origin date of the Book of Kells. Some believe Celtic monks began the project at Colum Cille monastery in Ireland, named after its founder, the Celtic Saint Columba, or in Northumbria in England. According to the former librarian archivist of Trinity College in Dublin, Bernard Meehan, and other scholars, the most likely place where monks began composing the book is on the Isle of Iona around 800 A.D. in Scotland. Readers who want to explore this discussion more can check out the works of George Otto Sims and Donncha MacGabhann, and other scholars.
At its creation, the monastery in Iona was attacked by Vikings in 795, 802, and 806 A.D. Some of the surviving monks saved precious manuscripts and brought Kells to Ireland. In 814 A.D., a monastery was established at Kells.
In 1007, the Annals of Ulster recorded the first reference to the Book of Kells. In 1211, Kells was sent to the diocese of Meath. In 1654, the Book of Kells was sent to Trinity College in Dublin by Charles Lambard, then governor of Kells, to avoid Oliver Cromwell’s destructive campaign to destroy church artwork in many Irish and English churches. In 1661, the Book of Kells was officially presented to Trinity College, where pilgrims worldwide can currently be seen visiting Dublin.
What Can We Learn from the Book of Kells?
Many incredible works of art have been born from the Christian tradition, such as paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs, Gregorian chants, Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and the Sistine Chapel. The Book of Kells is a great historical example of how a community collaborated on an important piece of art to glorify Christ in praise of His agape love.
Its beautiful and elaborate detail shows how dedicated the monks were to finishing the project when it began on Iona. Since humans are created in God's image, we have an innate desire to create. When we use our creative gifts to convey goodness, beauty, and truth, we proclaim the healing power of Christ’s love over the power of darkness in the world.
It also shows endurance: during Kells’ composition, many Viking raids occurred in the British Isles and other parts of the world. Still, the monks kept working. Though nearly destroyed several times during the Viking raids between 700 and 800 A.D., the book it survived.
The work’s survival despite the violent conflicts may also show God’s loving providence in a fallen world. This view is open to interpretation, but it is worth remembering there is no such thing as chance in the Christian worldview. The Book of Kells points to the possibility of a good and loving Creator at work in the world despite all appearances to the contrary.
During the summer of 2022, I stayed at Trinity College in Dublin for several days. While staying there, I had the privilege of seeing the Book of Kells in “The Long Room.” It was a very powerful experience to see this 1300-year-old manuscript and consider how much devotion went into creating this masterpiece. Today, thousands of people worldwide come to see this fine example of God’s beauty, glory, and love.
10 Great Resources About The Book of Kells
The following resources provide a great tour of the Book of Kells, whether as an Irish national treasure, as a classic artwork, and as a testament to Christianity.
Exploring The Book of Kells by George Otto Simms provides a simple guide to the book’s origin.
The Book of Kells by Bernard Meehan is an in-depth historical guide to the Book of Kells, with the benefit of Meehan’s access to the book as Keeper of Manuscripts at the Library of Trinity College.
The Book of Kells by Sir Edward Sullivan is a very informative look at the book’s composition process.
The Book of Kells: Selected Plates in Full Color, edited by Blanche Cirker, reproduces some of the book’s pages, providing a fascinating guide to the artwork.
The Book of Kells by Ben Mack-worth Praed is a more detailed look at the book’s most vivid pages, further celebrating the book’s legacy as artwork.
The Book of Kells: The Work of Angels? directed by Murray Grigor is a fascinating documentary that shows how the book was made.
The Kells Story: An Irish Monastery in a Time of Trouble, directed by Rex Lee, is a documentary about the book’s history, how it was created in a time of great darkness by Celtic monks.
The Book of Kells: Art, Origins, History by Ian Zaczek is a scholarly work about how the Book of Kells became an iconic Irish work of art.
Celtic Art: From Its Beginnings to the Book of Kells by J. V. S. Megaw and M. Ruth Megaw is a helpful look at the artwork tradition that informed the book.
The Secret of Kells by Tomm Moore is a fantasy film that playfully imagines the book’s composition, highlighting is as an example of creativity standing for hope against darkness.
Photo Credit: Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Justin Wiggins is an author who works and lives in the primitive, majestic, beautiful mountains of North Carolina. He graduated with his Bachelor's in English Literature, with a focus on C.S. Lewis studies, from Montreat College in May 2018. His first book was Surprised by Agape, published by Grant Hudson of Clarendon House Publications. His second book, Surprised By Myth, was co-written with Grant Hudson and published in 2021. Many of his recent books (Marty & Irene, Tír na nÓg, Celtic Twilight, Celtic Song, Ragnarok, Celtic Dawn) are published by Steve Cawte of Impspired.
Wiggins has also had poems and other short pieces published by Clarendon House Publications, Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal, and Sweetycat Press. Justin has a great zeal for life, work, community, writing, literature, art, pubs, bookstores, coffee shops, and for England, Scotland, and Ireland.
