Artors Acts of the Apostles

Arator's De Actibus Apostolorum (Acts of the Apostles), written in the sixth century, is the last example of Roman Biblical verse epic in the classical tradition. This 10th-century manuscript is decorated with a pen-and-ink drawing depicting Arator as he hands his work over for correction to Florianus, abbot of a convent near Milan; it is the earliest portrait of Arator to be preserved. The manuscript, which was apparently much used in the Middle Ages, seems to have been written and decorated in southwest Germany towards the end of the 10th century. It must be considered one of the rare examples of illuminated manuscripts from the Strasburg-Speyer-Worms region. The codex apparently reached the Benedictine monastery of Tegernsee soon after its completion, since it bears additions by known 11th-century scribes from this monastery, such as Froumund. (World Digital Library)