Initial Page to the Vigil for Christmas. Presented in contrast to each other, the Fountain of Life offers colorful images while the lines of the periscope of the Vigil of Nativity provide a beautiful image of silver(now oxidized to black) and golden letters on a purple background, reading In illo tempore (Matt. 1:18-21). The golden letters and the golden words show a promise of a golden kingdom. Precious materials like gold were believed to be gifts of God in the Middle Ages and Godescalc uses golden letters in his poem to emulate eternal life. The image of the Fountain of Life and the gold script on the facing page show the perceptions of eternal life in the Carolingian kingdom. Text and script The manuscript was written in gold and silver ink on 127 pages of purple parchment. Godescalc described his book in a dedication poem at the end of the Evangelistary: Golden words are painted [here] on purple pages, The Thunderer’s shining kingdoms of the starry heavens, Revealed in rose-red blood, disclose the joys of heaven, And the eloquence of God glittering with fitting brilliance Promises the splendid rewards of martyrdom to be gained. The gold and silver letters Godescalc uses show that the image of the letters is as important as the message they display. Silver and gold are long-lasting metals and their longevity is a reflection of the idea of an “image of the incarnate God”. The idea of words being as important as their physical depiction is rooted in John 1:1 where Saint John describes Christ as the Word. Hence, the iconography of Gospel books elaborated on the relationship between their physical grandeur and spiritual content. The manuscript is a key component in the reform of handwriting as it is the first to contain the new Carolingian minuscule script which became a fundamental theme in Carolingian book production thereafter. Purpose The Godescalc Evangelistary was an important part of Charlemagne's educational and ecclesiastical reforms. The manuscript was a preliminary attempt to standardize language in the Carolingian kingdom and this cultural achievement of replacing the Merovingian script was lasting. The Carolingian minuscule was so successful that after the year 800, most of France had adopted the new way of writing. Although the Evangelistary is named after Godescalc, the production involved a team of writers, editors, Godescalc himself (who was a poet and scribe), parchment makers, an illuminator, a painter,