The Ashburnham Pentateuch is an early medieval illuminated manuscript of the Old Testament whose pictures are among the oldest surviving and most extensive biblical illustrations. Dorothy Verkerk reveals how its colorful and complex illustrations of Genesis and Exodus explained important church teachings. She provides a key to understanding the relationship between the text and pictures. Arguing that the manuscript was created in Italy, Verkerk also solves a mystery that has baffled scholars over the last century.