Bible (fragmentary), in Latin. Poland, early fourteenth century. Reed MS4a.
In his 1967 Autobiography, A.H. Reed recalls that “about 1925 I bought a 14th century folio manuscript of a portion of the Gospels and Epistles for £15 – a fraction of its present-day value.”
Originally of 139 leaves, this lectern Bible manuscript was divided by Reed into sections, including the binding and 47 leaves that were presented to Trinity Theological College, Auckland. The 62-page portion given to Dunedin Public Library is known as Reed MS4a. Reed also gave individual leaves to friends and educational institutions.
In 2007, the manuscript was identified by Christopher de Hamel as once belonging to the Cistercian Abbey of Byszewo (or Koronowo) near Gdansk – the first manuscript of Polish origin to be identified in New Zealand.
Bible (fragmentary), in Latin. Poland, early fourteenth century. Reed MS4a.
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