Detail of the upper register of folio 36v
Ishmael became a skillful hunter
British Library, MS Cotton Claudius B IV
Hexateuch
An Old English translation of the first six books of the Old Testament


20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:20-21)


Date: 2nd quarter of the 11th century-2nd half of the 12th century
Title: Old English Hexateuch (imperfect), comprising Ælfric’s preface (1r–v), Genesis (1v–72v), Exodus (72v–105v), Leviticus (105v–110v), Numbers (111r–128r), Deuteronomy (128v–140r) and Joshua (140v–156v)

Claudius B.iv. was probably compiled in the second quarter of the 11th century at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. It incorporates translations and a preface by Ælfric of Eynsham, while the remaining parts of the translation were carried out by anonymous authors. Peter Clemoes suggests that Byrhtferth of Ramsey was responsible for the compilation as well as for parts of the translation.
The picture captions are in Anglo-Norman French.

See another hunter with bow on Hexateuch folio 41v, MS Cotton Claudius B IV
Back to the full image of 'Ishmael became a skillful hunter' in the Old English Hexateuch, British Library, MS Cotton Claudius B IV










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