Prudentius' Psychomachia, 9th century France

Prudentius (born in 348 in northern Spain, died after 405) spent most of his life following worldly pursuits, but later turned to writing, in which he aimed to glorify God and atone for his earlier sins. One of his most popular works is a poem called Psychomachia (Conflict of the Soul), which describes the battles between female personifications of human virtues and vices.
The oldest surviving illustrated manuscripts of Prudentius' Psychomachia are from the 9th century.
Here are selected images from BnF manuscript Latin 8085, France (Reims ?), 870-899AD:

Abraham and Lot. Abraham is an example of a faithful man.
Prudentius: Lot taken captive
Prudentius: Abraham pursuing the army of the four kings
Prudentius: Abraham returns victorious



Chastity and Lust
Prudentius: Chastity fights against Lust
Prudentius: Chastity hits Lust with a stone
Prudentius: Chastity strikes across Lust with a sword
Prudentius: Chastity rebukes the corpse of Lust
Prudentius: Chastity washing her sword in the Jordan River
Prudentius: Chastity stores her sword under the altar in the temple

Patience and Job pass through the midst of the array of Vices in BnF Ms. Latin 8085

Smaller images of all the Prudentius BnF Latin 8085 illustrations (4.6MB)

Druzhina
9th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers