In Ohio State’s Rare Books & Manuscripts Library (RBML), carefully preserved in a protective casing, lies a piece of parchment that has survived over 1,200 years. The manuscript fragment, one of the earliest surviving versions in Latin of the biblical Book of Daniel, offers a link to the writings of the medieval era. But for graduate student Jessica Crabtree, the fragment isn’t just a historical artifact: it’s become the center of her research journey, which ultimately led to the donation of the manuscript to Ohio State. 

Crabtree was first introduced to the Daniel fragment during a manuscript studies course taught by Professor Leslie Lockett and Eric Johnson, lead curator of the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library (RBML). While Ohio State’s collection is impressive, Crabtree is focusing her studies specifically on the time period of this particular piece, one that at the time wasn’t yet part of the university’s collection. 

“The age of the fragment, from around the eighth century, positions it directly in the time period that I study in early medieval literature,” Crabtree explained. “Its age and biblical content drew me to it right away. This fragment has not been precisely dated but is one of the earliest copies of this section.” 

Beyond the textual content, the script adds its own level of rarity, as it is written in Luxeuil script, a pre-Caroline minuscule named after its namesake French monastery, which was known for manuscript production. “The writing style was localized to this area and the areas where the manuscripts were likely exported. There are only around 28 surviving specimens of this writing known to the world today, including this fragment that now resides in our library,” Crabtree explained. 

Crabtree’s research process involved spending countless hours in the RBML reading room with the manuscript. “I wanted to learn everything I could about it, so I took various measurements, observed damage patterns, transcribed the text, and attempted to determine how much, if any, of the fragment had been lost when the original manuscript was disassembled and recycled,” she said. 

Crabtree emphasized the importance of preserving and protecting the manuscript throughout the whole process. She carefully took photos that zoomed in on the text, which allowed for the manuscript to remain in its protective casing as much as possible. Although the manuscript is in fine condition for its age, the aged parchment tends to curl and become fragile, requiring extra precautions. Crabtree explained that she tried to handle the piece as little as possible, avoiding makeup, nail polish, or anything else that could potentially cause damage. 

When researching, multiple discoveries came to light; some were fascinating, some surprising. “The penciled-in notes on which verses from the book of Daniel the fragment was meant to contain were not entirely correct due to repeating phrases in Latin,” she explained. A prior scholarly description also noted “variant” readings that weren’t present, an important detail for the study of biblical transmission. This discovery helps other scholars, as well as the public, better understand how the biblical text was copied and shared over time. One detail Crabtree especially loved is the set of 50 decorated initials, “some of which are decorated with tiny fish characteristic of a Merovingian art style!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know much about them yet, but I would love to research these types of things further.” 

The manuscript fragment was originally loaned to the RBML by local collector Stuart Rose and was used in Johnson’s manuscript studies course, giving students and professors the opportunity to view and investigate it firsthand. Crabtree then had the opportunity to work on a semester-long project focusing on the manuscript, which culminated in Crabtree presenting her findings at an event co-sponsored by the RBML and the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Rose attended the presentation and was so impressed by the manuscript’s careful preservation, Crabtree’s strong research quality and the public’s interest that he chose to donate it to Ohio State permanently. 

Looking back on her role in the process of bringing the manuscript to Ohio State, Crabtree reflects, “I did my best to bring to light all the potential research avenues for this fragment and to bring out all the details that exposure in the OSU library would help to facilitate”. 

Other surviving pieces from the same or similar manuscripts exist in libraries around the world, but very few are in as fine a condition as Ohio State's acquisition. The other pieces of the manuscript at Yale, the Admont Monastery, and the Morgan Library are incomplete or damaged. “The Daniel fragment demonstrates more details about the context of how the original manuscript may have looked,” Crabtree explained.  

Now in her second year of her MA/PhD program, Crabtree feels that the experience has brought her full circle. “It feels surreal to have had such incredible opportunities in such a short time here,” she exclaimed. “The library and my tour of special collections was what made me choose to attend OSU, so this has meant the world to me.” 

Crabtree plans to expand her research on the manuscript fragment by setting up research trips to view its sister pieces and put into practice a larger comparative study to learn about the original manuscript as a whole. She hopes other students have similar experiences in their research: “There is no better way to connect with your research and peoples of the past than to interact with the things they made and left behind.”