On Abimelech: Text and Manuscripts

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Iste abimelech , filius jeroboal de concubina, in sychem factus rex super sychimitas , .lxx. fratres suos interfecit superstite jonathan , qui parabolam de oliua et ficu et uite et rampno ramno sychimitis proposuit; eandem etiam sychem cum principe suo gaal per zebul destruxit et fragmine mole per manum mulieris in opido thesbe periit.

This Abimelech, son of Jerobaal by his concubine, was made king in Shechem over the Sichemites. He killed his seventy brothers. Only Jotham survived, who presented the parable of the olive tree, the fig tree, the vine, and the bramble to the Sichemites. The same Shechem, with Gaal their commander, was destroyed by Zebul, and in the town of Thebez Abimelech perished from a fragment of a millstone thrown by the hand of a woman.

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Image excerpts from the manuscripts (as grouped by main graph versions) are the result of tool-based image annotation (via Cadmus) or manual extraction. For each manuscript version only these visually annotated manuscripts are listed here. For the grouping of all manuscripts we provide a separate list (Manuscript groups). Transcriptions are semi-diplomatic following project specific rules.

Version

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 29 (C2)

[2 Images]

Iste abimelec
filius ieroboal
de concubina in
sychem factus rex
super sychimitas
lxx fratres suos
interfecit super [*]

[*] stite ionathan
qui parabolam
de oliua et ficu
et ramno syci
mitis proposuit
eandem etiam sy
chem cum principe
suo gaal per ze
bul destruxit
et fragmine mo
le per manumm
mulieris in
opido thesbe
perijt.

Version 1

Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 363 (W)

Manuscript group AT1

Iste abimelech filius ie
roboal de concubina in si
chem factis rex super sici
mitas lxx. fratres suos in
terfecit superstite ioathan qui pa
rabolam de oliua et ficu et ramno
et uite sicimitis proposuit.
eandem etiam sichem cum prin
cipe suo gaal per zebul des
truxit. et fragmine mole per
manum mulieris in oppido thes
be periit.

Linz, Oberösterreichische Landesbibliothek, Hs. 490 (Schiffmann 26) (Lz1)

Manuscript group AT2

Köln, Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, W 247 (Kö)

Manuscript group BE1 [2 Images]

Klosterneuburg, Augustiner-Chorherrenstift, Cod. 696 (K)

Manuscript group FR1 [2 Images]

Auxerre, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 145 (Ax)

Manuscript group FR2

Iste abimelech
filius ierobaal de concubina. in sichem
factus rex super sichymitas. lxx. fratres suos
interfecit. superstite ionathan. qui parabo
lam de oliua et ficu et uite. et ramno.
sychimitis proposuit. eandem et iam sychem cum
principe suo gaal per zebul destruxit. et fra
gmine mole per manum mulieris in os
pido thesbe periit.

Heidelberg, Universitätsbibliothek, Cod. Sal. IX, 40 (H)

Manuscript group GB3

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.15.5 (C)

Manuscript group GB6

Iste abimelec
filius ieroboal de
concubina in sichem
factus rex. super sichi
mitas .lxx. fratres
suos interfecit. super sichi
mitas .lxx. fratres
suos interfecit. superstite qui parabolam de
oliua. et ficu. et uite. et ramno sichimi
tis proposuit. eandem etiam sichem cum principe
suo gaal per zebul destruxit et frag
mine mole per manum mulieris in
opido thesbe periit.

Version 2

Cleveland, Museum of Art, 1973.5 (Cl)

Admont, Benediktinerstift, Cod. 128 (Ad)

Manuscript group AT3

Firenze, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Plut. 15.11 (F1)

Manuscript group FR3

Version 3

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 83 (C3)

Manuscript group GB2

Version 4

Frankfurt am Main, Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek, Ms. germ. quart 13 (Fm)

Manuscript group CH1

Version 6

Leipzig, Universitätsbibliothek, Ms. Apel 1 (Le1)

Manuscript group NL1

Citation recommendation

On Abimelech: Text and Manuscripts. In: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae: a research platform and edition, ed. by Andrea Worm, et al., Graz: 2026. https://gams.uni-graz.at/query:chigc.thirdlayer?params=$1|t-abimelech1.

Credits

Data modeling, data curation and web design: Jakob Sonnberger
Project principal investigators: Andrea Worm, Roman Bleier and Patrick Sahle
Mercator Fellows: Laura Cleaver and Franz Fischer