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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Ascension Depicted in the Rabbula Gospel Book

Fr. David Friel · May 13, 2021

NCIENT Christian manuscripts vary quite a bit. Some are practical, while others are luxury items. Some are spartan in appearance, but others are rife with decorative elements. Some are thick, and some are thin. They can be difficult to categorize, as well, since their creators often did not have in mind the formal genres we like to identify today (e.g., missal/sacramentary, book of hours, antiphonary, epistolary, Gospel book, capitularium, etc.).

One very famous manuscript is the Rabbula Gospel Book. All sorts of facts about this evangelarium are available on the Internet (like here and here), so I won’t rehash them all here. Suffice it to say that the Rabbula Gospel Book is a 6th-century manuscript produced in Syria, completed in AD 586 at the Monastery of St. John of Zagba. The texts of the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are presented in Syriac. This is one of the earliest Christian manuscripts to be illuminated with (the oxymoronic) “large miniatures.” The manuscript, which is held by the Biblioteca Mediceo Laurenziana in Florence (cod. Plut. I, 56), is especially notable for its use of bright colors and the miniaturist’s interest in conveying movement.

My reason for mentioning the Rabbula Gospel Book today is twofold. First, fol. 13v features a large miniature (33 x 25 cm) of today’s feast, the Ascension.

Ascension of Christ, Rabbula Gospel Book (fol. 13v)

This is a very interesting image, framed with multi-colored geometric forms. In the upper half, the Lord is shown within a mandorla, ascending into heaven on a chariot. Many of the features in this portion of the miniature—the four living creatures (tetramorph), the four wheels, the hand of God—are drawn from the prophet Ezekiel’s mystical vision of God (c.f., Ezek 1).

In the lower half, the miniaturist gives great prominence to the Blessed Virgin Mary, despite the fact that the scriptural accounts do not specify her presence on this occasion (c.f., Mk 16:19-20 and Lk 24:50-51). She stands out in blue, and she is the only disciple given a halo/nimbus. The Blessed Mother is flanked by angels—the “two men dressed in white garments” (c.f., Acts 1:10)—each with a halo/nimbus. Mary and Jesus are the only two characters in the scene shown facing forward. The Blessed Mother is shown praying, and she distinctly does not share in the state of confusion manifest among the other disciples.

The remaining characters number twelve, although neither Judas nor Saint Mathias is included. Instead, Saint Paul is portrayed with his characteristic attributes of a long beard and a book of his letters. This is an anachronistic interpolation, inasmuch as Saul of Tarsus had not yet been converted to Christ by the time of the Ascension.

The second reason for highlighting the Rabbula Gospel Book today is that it presents a very uncommon image related to tomorrow’s feast of Saint Mathias. On folio 1v of the manuscript, one finds the scene of Saint Mathias being chosen to fill Judas’ place among the Twelve (c.f., Acts 1:15-26).

Election of St. Mathias, Rabbula Gospel Book (fol. 1v)

This image is interesting in its own right, but all the more so since, in later art, this scene has rarely been depicted.

Curiously, the Rabbula Gospel Book includes more illustrations of scenes from the Acts of the Apostles than from the four canonical Gospels. This is a good reminder not to neglect our study of Acts, particularly throughout Eastertide.

“While they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.'” (Acts 1:10-11, RSV)

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Traditional Catholic Artwork Last Updated: May 13, 2021

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Unfortunately, on the one hand a deadly error in judgment placed the official leadership of this committee into the hands of a man who—though generous and brave—was not very knowledgeable: Cardinal Lercaro. He was utterly incapable of resisting the maneuvers of the mealy-mouthed scoundrel that the Neapolitan Vincentian, Bugnini, a man as bereft of culture as he was of basic honesty, soon revealed himself to be.”

— ‘Fr. Louis Bouyer, an important member of the Consilium’

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  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”

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