Details

Other Title:

Katherinenlegende

Subjects:

Catherine, of Alexandria, Saint.
Alexius, Saint.
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint.
Christian saints -- Prayers and devotions -- Early works to 1800.
Christian hagiography -- Early works to 1800.
Confession -- Catholic Church -- Early works to 1800.
German poetry -- Middle High German, 1050-1500.
German poetry.
German poetry -- Middle High German.
Humorous poetry, German -- Early works to 1800.
Humorous poetry, German.
Confession -- Catholic Church.
Christian hagiography.
Christian saints -- Prayers and devotions.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Hagiographies (works)
Hymns.
Manuscripts, German -- 15th century.
Manuscripts, Medieval.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.
Prayers.
Devotional literature.

Language:

Middle High German, Rhenish (Middle Franconian) dialect.

Summary:

Miscellany of saints' legends; verse comedies and farces (one in the form of a play, Aristoteles und Phyllis); a Marian hymn and sequence; and a prose devotional text on preparation for confession.

Contents:

1. f.1-22r: [Katharinenspiel], 958 verses.
2. f.22r-24r: Van dem scholer van parijbeta, 109 verses.
3. f.24v: [Hymn in honor of St. Catherine], 56 verses.
4. f.25r-30r: [Legend of St. Alexius], 279 verses.
5. f.30v-47r: [Aristoteles und Phyllis], 854 lines.
6. f.48r-61v: [The queen of France and the perfidious marshal], 678 verses.
7. f.62r-67r: [Sequence] Ave preclara maris stella, 268 verses.
8. f.67v: Monch [The monk], 25 verses.
9. f.68r-68v: [Marian hymn], 86 verses.
10. f.69r-78v: [Preparation for confession], prose.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title supplied by cataloger. Other title, Katherinenlegende, from Zacour-Hirsch; however, Jefferis states this is a Katharinenspiel not Katherinenlegende.
Incipit (1st work): Ein kyser hies maxencius / der geboit vns alsus...[Exp.] Dar hilff vns liebe Kathrina / Costi regis filia Amen.
Incipit (2nd work): Wyllet ir horen wass geschach / van eyme werden studenten eyn sache...[Exp.] Sie hait dit boich eyn ende / Got unss syne gnade sende / Amen.
Incipt (3rd work): O Kathrina hochgeborn frucht / synt dyn junffrauliche zucht...[Exp.] mir behude lip gut syn und ere / und mich van alle sunden kere / Amen.
Incipit (4th work): Ich wil uch eyn gedichte geben / van dem heilligen lexius leben...[Exp.] und myt gnaden dar gelerden / so wir van hynen scheiden / Amen.
Incipit (5th work): Horent ir lude uber alle / wass dit spiel beduden sal [vertical line in ms.]...[Exp.] Alle ungeluck muss den bestane / der nyt fraugen lieff wil han.
Incipit (6th work): Dye schriefft bedudet wass geschach / dass man jn hoen eren sitzen sach...[Exp.] Zu den hemelschen gnaden dyn / Maria dass muyss war syn / Amen.
Incipit (7th work): Ave preclara maris stella / Got grusse dich luter sterne glantz...[Exp.] myt dyme segon umberme / laiss vns zu dir transire / Amen.
Incipit (8th work): monch / Ir herschaff nu horent alle / Wie uch diesse mere gefalle...[Exp.] Lieff al vmb vnd vmbe / Als er doricht were.
Incipit (9th work): O Maria heubt frauwe der cristenheit / Du bist dess sunders hoiste suyssickeit...[Exp.] Durch dyne werde namen gedriet / Syn got vnd ewich gebenedict / Amen
Incipit (10th work): Gelobet vnd geeret sie der name unssra hern Ihesu/ Cristi das vns das bilde der Warheit...[Exp.] alsus kumet alle creature et gude mentsche zu notze nu helff vns got zu synem ewigen riche Amen.
Work 4 is not identical with any of the versions printed or described in H. F. Massmann, Sanct Alexius Leben, Quedlinburg, 1843.
Work 8 is incomplete and was crossed out by a contemporary hand; it is identified by Zacour-Hirsch as "Des Moenchs not."
Foliation: Paper, iii (modern paper) + 79 + iii (modern paper); 1-6, [7-79]; contemporary foliation in red ink, upper center; modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.
Script: Written in a Gothic cursive script by a single hand.
Decoration: Red used for initials and capital strokes.
Binding: 18th-century calf.
Origin: Written in the lower Rhine, possibly Cologne, in the first half of the 15th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Emil Offenbacher (New York), 1955.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965), p. 79 (Ms. German 4).

Publications about:

Clark, R. C. "Two medieval scholars," The German Quarterly 32 (1959), pp. 133-142, discusses work 2, a short farce dealing with the motif "the deceived husband" (der verkerte wirt).
Springer, Otto. "A philosopher in distress, a propos of a newly discovered medieval German version of Aristotle and Phyllis" in Germanic studies in honor of Edward Henry Sehrt (University of Miami Press, 1968), pp. 203-217 describes work 5. A reproduction of a related typescript is in the library's file.
Jefferis, Sibylle Anna Bierhals. Ein spätmittelalterliches Katharinenspiel aus dem cod. Ger. 4 der University of Pennsylvania: Text und Studien zu seiner legendengeschichtlichen Einordnung. University of Pennsylvania, 1982. Ph.D. dissertation with discussion, analysis, and published texts for works 1 and 3. (A copy is shelved with the manuscript.)
Springer, Otto. "Ein unveröffentlichtes spiel von 'Artistotiles und eder Königin'" in Zeitschrift für Deutches altertum und Deutsche literatur 111 (1982), pp. 22-52, includes a published text of work 5. (A copy is in the library's file.)
Poor, Sara S. "Sankt Katharina, Sankt Alexius und 'Der Scholer van Parijss': ästhetische Form und Gender als Ordnungsprinzipien im Codex 824 der University of Pennsylvania." In Ordnung und Unordnung in der Literatur des Mittelalters (Stuttgart: S. Hirzel, 2003), 193-205. (A copy is in the library's file.)

Cited as:

German Religious and Literary Miscellany (Ms. Codex 824). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

Contains:

Aristoteles und Phyllis.
Ave preclara maris stella.
Katharinenspiel.
Van dem scholer van parijss.
O Kathrina hochgeborn frucht.
Ich wil uch eyn gedichte geben / van dem heilligen lexius leben.
Dye schriefft bedudet was geschach / dass man jn hoen eren sitzen sach.
Monch / Ir herschaff nu horent alle.
Des mönchs not.
O Maria heubt frauwe der cristenheit.
Gelobet vnd geeret sie der name unssra hern ihesu/ cristi das vns das bilde der Warheit.

OCLC:

187988722

Access Restriction:

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