CHAPTER 5
 CONCLUSION

 This thesis attempts focuses on the problems posed by the Cycle of the Life and

Passion of Christ in the Bible ofAvila. In Chapter 1 a number of problems were

identified concerning the Bible ofAvila in general, and the Cycle of the Life and Passion

of Christ in particular. Scholars have traced the origins of the Bible ofAvila (Bibl. Nac.

Cod. Vit. 15-1) to the Umbro-Roman region in Italy, from where it was exported to

Spain. Yet, for all the sumptuousness of the Italian section it remained inexplicably

unfinished. Later, at an unknown location in Spain, the Bible was completed with the

insertion of the texts of Esdras 3-5 (fols. 168-79), the Psalms (fols. 204v-217v) and the

genealogical tables. In addition, at an unknown time, three folios were incorporated

depicting the most extensive and independent cycle of New Testament scenes of the Life

and Passion of Christ found in Spanish manuscript illumination. The three parts of the

Bible ofAvila were obviously done by different hands, and problems arise when trying to

place them in a chronological frame. Although there is no consensus among the few

scholars that have tried to date this manuscript, the general accepted date places the

Italian section of the manuscript in the last quarter of the 12th century, and this has set a

date of reference for the Spanish section of the Bible. Several scholars have dated the

Spanish section as a whole to the late 12th century or early 13th century. No scholars have

taken into consideration the possibility that the Cycle of the Life andPa~ssion of Christ

could have been created separately and later added to the Bible ofAvila. There are a

number of elements in the Cycle of the Life and Pa~ssion of Christ that make it unique,