ArchivesSpace at the University of Iowa

Scope and Contents A large micrographic Bible illustration depicting Manoah and the angel, Samson and the lion, and Samson and Delilah. The story of Samson from Judges is told in three scenes. In the first Manoah and hsi wife are visited by an Andel of the Lord, who tells them that the wife, previously barren, will conceive. Manoah makes a sacrifice on an altar which the angel miraculously causes to burst into flame by touching it with his staff. Manoah and his wife are amazed. In the middle of the image is Samson, their now grown son, killing a lion with the strenght the lord has given him. In the final scene, Samson falls asleep on Delilah's lap, soon to have his hair cut off and to be blinded. In the distance are the cities of the Philistines and the temple Samson will one day pull down. The five chapters from Judges (13-17) that tell Samson's story are given at teh bottom half of the sheet in a blackletter font, most like Textur, most of it in miniscule letters. But even more amazing is the fact...