The Morgan Beatus is the oldest example of a revived Spanish apocalypse tradition. The Apocalypse and the commentary on this scripture by Beatus of Liebana became the most important religious writing of the Middle Ages. To better understand the reason for this it is helpful to examine (briefly) the historical situation in which the original commentary was composed and in which the Morgan Beatus was created.
St. Beatus of Liebana was a monk of San Martin de Turieno in Liebana. His place of birth is unknown, but must have taken place while the memories of the Muslim invasion were still a living memory. Beatus attracted attention around 786 because of his involvement in the Adoptionist controversy.
Adoptionism was an old christology which held, in part, that Jesus was a perfect human adopted by God to be the messiah. In its original form it was part of Nestorianism and condemned in Asia Minor in 268. It enjoyed a revival in eighth century Spain especially with Archbishop Elipandus of Toledo. Beatus and his friend Etherius ran afoul of Elipandus as a result of their successful opposition to Adoptionism. When the pair traveled to Pravia in 786 to attend the profession of Adosinda, widow of King Silo, they heard that Elipandus has denounced them to their abbot as heretics. Beatus replied to this accusation with a two-volume condemnation of Elipandus' adoptionism. This work attracted the attention of the orthodox Carolingian rulers across the Pyrenees who subsequently joined the condemnation of Adoptionism. The Austurian rulers adopted the orthodox position and this strengthened their ties with the Carolingian and papal powers of the West.
At some point during this period Beatus composed, or compiled, a commentary on the Apocalypse. In this commentary Beatus explains the Apocalypse through a patchwork of writings borrowed from a variety of Church Fathers and other sources. The Commentary was appropriately divided into symbolically numbered sections: twelve books with seventy sections of the Apocalypse. Some of these sections, or "storiae," consisted of only a few verses. These were followed by lengthy "explanationes" or glosses. The Morgan manuscript is the oldest known version of the Beatus commentary and it must have depended on an earlier model. Two distinct lines of Beatus illustration can be identified, the more elaborate of which is represented by the Morgan Beatus. There has, not surprisingly, been controversy over which line represents the older tradition. It is not known exactly what visual sources provided Beatus with a model for his Commentary, although the lost Tyconius Commentary of 385 is a good candidate. Beatus' text for the Apocalypse uses a North African Latin translation of scripture which predates Jeromes' Vulgate. The Vulgate, in spite of initial resistance, was standard in Spain by the eighth century. Beatus' Commentary was also important because it helped popularize the legend of St. James. The legend, which held that the apostle James had evangelized Spain and was subsequently buried at Santiago, had existed long before the time of Beatus. However, by connecting the legend with the opposition to Adoptionism, and the cataclysmic vision of the Apocalypse, Beatus provided a direct connection with the victorious Christ. Alfonso II encouraged the nationalistic and political advantages of this legend by building a shrine over the saint's tomb. The resulting pilgrimages and association with orthodox Christianity guaranteed greater Carolingian and Western support in the Reconquest effort. The cultural situation in Spain at the time of Beatus lent itself to Apocalyptic thinking. The 10th century, however, was in many ways even more cataclysmic. The apocalyptic spirit of the era was encouraged largely by the new policy of the Reconquest.
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