Royal Prayer Book

The Royal Prayer Book (London, British Library Royal MS 2.A.XX) is a collection of prayers believed to have been copied in the late eighth century or the early ninth century.^{[2]: 123 n.2  [3]: 317–318 [no.248]} It was written in West Mercia, likely either in or around Worcester.^{[4]: 279–80  [5]: 51–53}

The Royal Prayer Book
British Library, Royal MS 2 A XX
Type	Prayer book
Date	c.800–c.825
Place of origin	England, S. (Mercia)
Language(s)	Latin
Material	Parchment, ink, paint
Size	230 × 170 (180 × 130) mm
Script	Insular minuscule
Contents	Prayers; the apocryphal letter of Christ to Abgar; Gospel readings
Illumination(s)	2 zoomorphic initials in gold, silver, colours. Smaller initials with colours and red dots. Marginal drawings.[1]
Additions	Interlinear glosses and marginal notes in Old English
Other	Member of the Southumbrian 'Tiberius Group'

It is one of four early Anglo-Saxon prayerbooks—the others being the Book of Cerne, the Harley Prayer Book, and the Book of Nunnaminster—all of which have some textual interrelationships. The prayers are mainly in Latin but have some Old English and Greek elements.^{[6]: 52–59 [no. 283]} Its general theme "would appear to be Christ as the healer of mankind", and its concern with physical healing is sufficient to suggest that it "might have functioned as a devotional, and practical, tool for a physician".^{[5]: 56, 57  [4]: 275–327}

Folio 45v contains what seems to be the first manuscript attestation in any Germanic language of the common noun elf.^{[7]: 71–72}

The manuscript also contains detailed Old English glosses from the tenth century in the Mercian dialect of Old English.^{[6]: 52 [no.283]}

References

1. British Library. "Detailed record for Royal 2 A XX". Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. Retrieved 11 Feb 2022.
2. Crowley, Joseph (2000). "Anglicized Word Order in Old English Continuous Interlinear Glosses in British Library, Royal 2. A. XX". Anglo-Saxon England. 29: 123–151. doi:10.1017/S026367510000243X. S2CID 162580801.
3. Ker, N.R. (1957). Catalogue of Manuscripts Containing Anglo-Saxon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
4. Sims-Williams, Patrick (1990). Religion and Literature in Western England 600–800. Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Brown, Michelle P. (2001). "Female Book-Ownership and Production in Anglo-Saxon England: The Evidence of the Ninth-Century Prayerbooks". In Christian Kay; Louise M. Sylvester (eds.). Lexis and Texts in Early English: Studies Presented to Jane Roberts. Costerus New Series 133. Amsterdam: Rodopi. pp. 45–67.
6. Doane, A.N. (1994). Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts in Microfiche Facsimile: Volume 1. Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies 136. Binghamton NY: Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies.
7. Hall, Alaric (2007). "Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: Matters of Belief, Health, Gender, and Identity". Anglo-Saxon Studies 8. Woodbridge: Boydell.