For the participants of the Dartmouth meeting

1. Least Distance of Distinct Vision:
Medieval Latin Manuscript Transmission
in a Digital Environment
Lucie Dolezalova, Farkas Kiss,
Eyal Poleg, Rafał Wójcik

2. Digital Editions and the Visualization of
Multilayered Information
• The Least Distance of Distinct Vision is the
closest someone with normal vision can
comfortably look at something
• Traditional critical editions distort reality by
their artificial selectivity, simplification and
distance from the material sources
• Coming too close to the sources, variants
and iconographic details might weaken our
perception of the subject

3. Key Concepts for the Distinct Vision of
Multilayer Information in a Text
• Graspability / transparency
• Adjustable focus
• Reader participation / flexibility
• An interoperable environment

4. „Behold this image!
(Nota hanc figuram…)

5. Nota hanc figuram… treatise
• 21 manuscripts, mostly from Central Europe, mostly
monastic, 4 different versions of the image
• Written around 1425-1450, on the basis of an idea
described in an art of memory

6. Challenges: - multiple versions of texts and images
- multilayered information
- let the reader choose between a version of the image & text in one
single manuscript, and a virtual canvas containing only the notions, and
linked to the surviving 4 images
Anime peccantis Death Corporis
- Media enim vita in morte
- Quotidie morimur.
- Praecisa est velut a texe
ordirer, succidit me.
- Tela texentis citius mea v
- Memento mei deus, quia
Biblical reference: Jb 7, 7: Mem
et non revertetur oculus meus
presciencie In vtroque

7. Using a virtual canvas to navigate between the
images and textual variants
Iudicium Paradisus
•
Mors Infernus

8. Michael de Massa (*ca 1298, †1337)
Historia Passionis Jesu Christi
Surviving manuscripts:
• Wrocław (Breslau), StB and UB, cod. I F 589
• Wrocław (Breslau), StB and UB, cod. I F 609
• Wrocław (Breslau), StB and UB, cod. I Q 100
• Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, cod. 215 (as De vita Christi, from Elbing; see: James 1912, 466, Nr.
512) (in Parker on the Web)
• Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, cod. 294b (as Concordia de passione domini, from Elbing; see:
James 1912, 450, Nr. 499) (in the Parker on the Web)
• Elbląg (Elbing), StB, cod. Q 75 (ca 1451), ff. 164r-193r, as Passio Christi […] secundum Jacobum de
Uitriaco, doctorem in theologia, episcopum et cardinalem, qui composuit ea propter audienciam
deuocionem
• Fribourg, UB, L 16 (1466; from Zisterziensabtei Hauterive bei Fribourg), ff. 3r-14r (as Sermo bonus) (here
also Angeli pacis by Michael de Massa, ff. 54r-73r
• Gent, UB, cod. 267
• Graz, UB, Ms. 1141 (1474), ff. 200-222
• München, BSB, Clm 6106
• Wien, ÖNB, cod. 1512 (14th century, as an attachment to Expositio super evang. Matth.)
•
• This treatise is known also as a part of Expositio super evang. Matth. in following manuscripts:
• Philadelphia, Univ. of Phil., Lat 48
• Prague, UB, cod. X.D.8. (Y.I.4.n.120)

9. Sources, parallel texts and influence
• Michael de Massa:
Angeli pacis (ca 1325)
Extendit manum suam et arripuit gladium (ca 1330)
Historia vitae Jesu Christi (ca 1337)
• Pseudo-Bonaventura: Meditationes vitae Christi (ca
1300)
• Ludolph of Saxony, Vita Christi - 1374
• Ulrich Pinder, Speculum passionis - 1507, 1519
(Nürnberg),
• Baltazar Opec, Żywot Pana Jezu Krysta – 1522 (Wietor),
1522 (Haller and Ungler), 1538 (Wietor) – many editions
up to 20th century

10. What is a text?
• Blurred dividing lines between the individual
copies (independent, appropriated, rewritten,
abbreviated, adjusted) in a complex tradition
• The aim is not to find the dividing lines, but to
create an environment in which these blurred
interconnections between the surviving versions
of the texts can be graphically represented
• Portions of the text move between the versions,
later rewritings may contaminate manuscript
copies of the earlier texts

11. The social contextualization of a text in a
digital environment
• The Parker Library of the Corpus Christi College,
Cambridge contains 40 mss. coming the former
Brigittine monastery of Elbing (Poland)
• The Parker on the Web allows us to
contextualize the place and function of the
Passion of Christ in this collection
• Reconstructing a medieval library (intellectual
scope, social role, traveling of texts, etc.)

12. The
Interpretations
of Hebrew
Names (Aaz)
• Biblical Glossary
• Hebrew, Aramaic
and Greek words
• Affixed to the vast
majoriry of Late
Medieval Bibles

13. Primary
Secondary
hover /
hover (over
The click
primary) /
Entry
Aaz: Apprehendens vel Neh 11:13 click
apprehensio

Et fratres ejus principes

patrum : ducenti quadraginta
 duo. Et Amassai filius Azreel,
 filius Ahazi, filius
 Mosollamoth, filius Emmer,
Third hover (over
secondary) / click

14. Skeletal
Edition






15. Skeletal
Edition
Βηθφαγὴ ‫ בית פגי‬Mt 21:1 Lk 19:29





Hovering over an
entry reveals
Hebrew/Greek/
Aramaic and biblical
references (as
hyperlink)

16. Hypertext to

 online
Vulgate / Biblical
 image
 references

Lk 19:29 Et factum est, cum appropinquasset ad Bethphage et Bethaniam,
ad montem qui vocatur Oliveti, misit duos discipulos suos
Mt 21:1 Et cum appropinquassent Jerosolymis, et venissent Bethphage ad
montem Oliveti; tunc Jesus misit duos discipulos
The
Entry

17. Biblical
References
Lk 19:29 Et factum est, cum appropinquasset ad Bethphage et Bethaniam,
ad montem qui vocatur Oliveti, misit duos discipulos suos
 Mt 21:1 Et cum appropinquassent Jerosolymis, et venissent Bethphage ad
 montem Oliveti; tunc Jesus misit duos discipulos



Liber interpretationis [de evangelio Matthaei] Bethfage domus oris vallium vel
domus buccae. Syrum est non Hebreum. Quidam putant domum
maxillarum vocari.
Hypertext to
bibliography / Aaron Bethfage domus oris vel domus bucce seu domus vallium aut domus
editions maxillarum. Mt 21.
Renderings
of the
Glossary

18. 


 SERMON John Waldeby (OSA): “..& venissent bethfage” qui interpretatur
 domus bucce
SERMON Middle English Revision of Odo of Cheriton: And so he came by
Betphage, þat is to seye an hous of teerus,
SERMON Odo of Cheriton: Betphage interpretatur domus bucce, vel
maxillarum
Reception
of the entry

19. Clicking on a
square will
open up the full
 reference



 SERMON Middle English Revision of Odo: And so he came by Betphage, þat
is to seye an hous of teerus, from betphanie, þat is buxumnesse, techinge us
what weye we schulen wende to þe citee of hevenly pees. First by
buxumnesse to do þe wille of God and to kepe hise heestus... And so, fro
buxumnesse þat us meke knowlechynge of synne, armen schulden weende
by Bethphage, þat is teerus and wepynge, wiþ Criste to þe mounte of
Olyvete. [Spencer, Sermon, pp. 640-1]

20. Summarium
Biblicum
(Biblical
Summary)
anonymous
(ascribed
to
Alexander
de
Villa
Dei)
Bible
in
212
verses
most
o;en
called
Biblia
pauperum
in
the
mss.
over
350
mss.
from
14th-­‐15th
centuries
throughout
Europe
Sex
prohibet
peccant
abel
enoch
archa
fit
intrant
egreditur
dormit
variantur
turris
et
abram
loth
reges
credit
fuga
circumcisio
risus
sulphur
rex
ierare
parit
offert
sarra
rebeca
post
geminos
putei
benedicit
scala
sorores
virgas
abscedit
luctatur
gra:a
dina
benon
gens
esau
vendunt
thamar
impia
tres
tres
preficitur
veniunt
redeunt
post
tris:a
noscunt
omne
genus
quintam
languet
benedic:o
ioseph.

21. Ms. München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm. 23799 (XV), f. 74v-75r

22. Ms.
Kremsmünster,
•
Stiftsbibliothek, 167
(XV), f. 1r

23. Ms. Melk, Stiftsbibliothek, 1793 (XV), f. 235v-236r

24. •
Ms. Mainz, Stadtbibliothek, I 570
(XV), f. 3r

25. Prague, Strahov monastery, DB III 13, Old Testament, Bohemia, 2/3 15th c., f. 9v-10r

26. Ms. Sankt
Gallen,
Stiftsbibliothe
k 972b (XV),
p. 3

27. •
Ms.
Wien,
Österreichische
NaLonalbibliothek,
Pal.
4535
,
(from
1402),
f.
186r

28. Ms. Oxford, Bodleian Library,
Marshall 86 (1/2 XV), f. 100r

29. Prague, National Library,
XVIII B 18
Bohemia 1441
f. 1r

30. Prague,
NaLonal
Library,
I
A
41,
(1468-­‐77),
fol.
169r
two
sets
of
glosses
for
many
keywords

31. Prague, National Library,
XI A 14,
Bible from Bohemia
1417-1436
f. 8r
Book of Ester,
originally only 1 line,
2 lines added below

32. Challenges
• Page
composiLon:
main
text
–
order
-­‐
gloss
–
biblical
reference
–
addiLons
&
correcLons
(contemporary
and
later)
–
combinaLon
with
other
tools
–
layout
–
verse
• Contents:
biblical
reference,
correcLon
and
corrupLon,
number
and
order
of
chapters
• Manuscript
context:
links
to
other
texts
(such
as
the
Bible)
it
is
transmi[ed
with;
other
mnemonic
tools
–
how
do
the
text
interrelate?
• Social
and
historical
context:
place
and
Lme
of
composiLon,
scribes,
environment
(monastery,
university),
use
–
if
recoverable

33. Reality
=
conLnuum
with
arLficial
cuts
for
the
sake
of
communicaLon
Too
far
=
too
much
simplificaLon
Too
near
=
no
pa[erns
discerned,
no
conclusions
possible
Variety
of
Distances
of
Dis/nct
Vision
–
flexible,
mulLple,
adjustable
–
no
allusion
of
the
one
correct
Use
the
new
digital
tools
to
go
beyond
the
criLcal
ediLon
Yet,
encoding
already
includes
interpretaLon
in
the
way
presentaLon
imposes
a
perspecLve
on
the
reader/viewer
Thus,
all
these
remain
selecLve
and
random
glimpses
of
“reality”

34. Least Distance of Distinct Vision
Too
far
=
too
much
simplificaLon
Too
near
=
no
pa[erns
discerned,
no
conclusions
possible
Reality
=
conLnuum
with
arLficial
cuts
for
the
sake
of
communicaLon
Variety
of
Distances
of
Dis/nct
Vision
–
flexible,
mulLple,
adjustable
–
no
illusion
of
the
one
correct
view
Encoding
already
includes
interpretaLon
in
the
way
presentaLon
imposes
a
perspecLve
on
the
reader/viewer
Use
the
new
digital
tools
to
go
beyond
the
criLcal
ediLon