Original purpose
The purpose for which the Book of Kells (BOK) was created has long been debated. It is quite likely that the BOK was created for the explicit purpose of being revered. This notion is reflected in the size, layout, binding and extensive illuminations and decorative text found within the manuscript (Brown, 1980 ; De Hamel, 1994 ; Meehan, 1994 ; Gill, 1996).
The idea as to whether the BOK was created with the purpose of being used as a missionary document has also been considered by scholars. De Hamel (1994) points to the colour illuminations as a justification for the manuscript being used as a missionary object, one used as a tool educate the congregation or non-believers. Owing to the use of vivid colours and the size of the illustrations (which would have been visible from a distance), he notes that the manuscript would have been a useful tool to reach an audience from an alter setting. However, there are some differences of opinion on this matter. Meehan (1994) also notes that there are multiple textual errors found within the manuscript and points to the fact that some of the pages are not very legible, as reasons to argue that the BOK was not created for daily use or readings.
Farr (1997, p.13) provides another opinion with regard to the purpose of creation. She speculates that the book itself was created merely to display the "divine and authoritative
nature of the text", i.e. the Gospels. Farr (1997, p.14) also puts forth the idea that perhaps these illustrated manuscripts dating from around this time period (600 AD-900; AD 1200 AD), the BOK included, were created by Irish and British monks as a way of associating their "indigenous society with a prestigious, authoritative international system, Christianity, as well as to make Christian text and Latin language relevant to themselves and their traditions of learning"; perhaps they hoped it would help distinguish and even solidify their identity.
Purpose in the 11th and 12th centuries
Through detailed study of the BOK it became clear that the purpose of the manuscript had changed over time. One can specifically look to the 11th and 12th centuries for an example of this. Herbert (1994) notes that the manuscript was used as a document to record the property transactions of the monastic settlement. However, it must be noted that this practice was inexorably
linked to how the Book of Kells was viewed by those at the time. Its status as a holy book gave it a new, broader purpose, one which incorporated elements of the secular. Because the BOK was an object which garned a lot of respect and reverence from the monastic community, they believed it served as a fitting location to document these important property transactions. As Herbert (1994, p.74) notes, the book itself acted as a "surety", one which [...] "safeguards all transactions within it, a relic, guaranteeing as it were, an oath, the veracity of the records inscribed in it".
Purpose today
Meehan (1994) notes that today the BOK is regarded primarily as an art object, an ode to the high point of Insular Art. Furthermore, it is an object of study, one which serves to educate on the beliefs and social systems of the time period in which it was created in and later used. One might also note, that incidentally, it plays a purpose in encouraging visitors to travel to Dublin city and see Trinity College.