Prologue: Text and Manuscripts

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Considerans hystorie sacre prolixitatem, necnon et difficultatem scolarium quoque circa studium sacre lectionis, maxime illius que in hystorie fundamento uersatur, negligentiam quorundam quoque ex inopia librorum imperitie sue solatia querentium, uolentium quasi in sacculo saculo quodam memoriter tenere narrationes hystoriarum , temptaui seriem sanctorum patrum, a quibus per leuiticam et regalem tribum christus originem habuit, cum eorum operibus in unum opusculum redigere; quod et fastidientibus prolixitatem, propter subiectam oculis formam, animi sit oblectatio et a studiosis facile possint pre oculis habita memorie commendari et omnibus legentibus utilitas conferri; in quo quidem non facilem laborem immo negotium plenum uigiliarum assumpsi, cum breuitate secundum datam formam ita studui ut nichil de ueritate hystorie detruncarem sed, ab adam inchoans per patriarchas, iudices, reges, prophetas et sacerdotes eis contemporaneos usque ad christum , finem nostrum , ordinem perduxi.

Considering the length of sacred history - as well as the difficulty for scholars of studying scripture, especially regarding its historical basis; also the negligence of some who, due to a lack of books, seek solace for their ignorance, wanting to keep in mind (as if in a little bag) the narratives of history - I have attempted to condense the series of the holy fathers, from whom, through the Levitical and royal tribes, Christ had his origin, together with their deeds, into one small work. Thus, the design presented to the eyes is a delight to the mind, even for those who scorn the length, and set before the eyes it can easily be committed to memory by the studious, being useful to all readers. In this, I undertook no easy task, but rather a business requiring full attention. With brevity, following the said design, I have taken care not to mutilate any of the historical truth, but, beginning with Adam, through the patriarchs, judges, kings, prophets, and the priests who were their contemporaries, until Christ, our end, I have traced the order.

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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)

Considerans hystorie sacre prolixitatem necnon et difficultatem. scolarium quoque circa studium sacre lectionis maxime illius que in hystorie fundamento uersatur ne
gligentiam. quorundam quoque ex inopia librorum imperitie sua solatia querentium. uolentium quasi in saculo quodam memoriter tenere narrationes hysto
riarum. temptaui seriem sanctorum patrum. a quibus per leuiticam et regalem tribum. christus originem habuit. cum eorum operibus in unum opusculum redigere. quod et fas
tidientibus prolixitatem propter subiactam oculis formam. animi sit oblactatio. et a studiosis facile possint pre oculis habita memorie commendari. et omnibus legen
tibus utilitas conferri. In quo quidem non facilem laborem. immo negatium plenum uigiliarum assumpsi. cum breuitati secundum datam formam ita studuj. ut
nichil de ueritate hystorie detruncarem. sed ab adam inchoans. per patriarchas. iudices. reges. prophetas. et sacerdotes eis contemporaneos. usque ad christum
finem nostrum. ordinem perduxi.

Version 1

Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 363 (W)

Manuscript group AT1

Considerans hystorie sacre prolixitatem. necnon et difficultatem scolarium quo que circa studium sacre lectionis maxime illius que in historie fun
damento uersatur negligentiam quorundam quo que ex inopia librorum imperitie sue solatia querentium. uolentium quasi in sacculo quodam memo
riter tenere narrationes historiarum temptaui seriem sanctorum patrum a quibus per leuticam et regalem tribum christus originem habuit cum eorum operibus in unum opus
culum redigere. quod et fastidientibus prolixitatem propter subiectam oculis formam animi sit oblectacio. et a studiosis facile possint pre oculis habita memo
rie commendari. et omnibus legentibus utilitas conferri. In quo quidem non facilem laborem. immo negotium plenum uigiliarum assumpsi cum breuitate
secundum datam formam ita studui. ut nichil de ueritate historie detruncarem. sed ab adam inchoans per patriarchas. iudices. reges. prophetas. et
sacerdotes eis contemporaneos usque ad finem nostrum christum ordinem perduxi.

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

Manuscript group AT2

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

Manuscript group BE1

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

Manuscript group FR1

Auxerre, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 145 (Ax)

Manuscript group FR2

Considerans hystorie sacre prolixitatem. necnon et dificultatem. scolarium quo que circa studium sacre lectionis. maxime illius
que in hystorie fundamento uersatur negligentiam. quorundam quo que ex inopia librorum imperitie sue solatia que
rentium. uolentibus quasi in saculo quodam memoriter tenere narrationes hystoriarum. temptaui seriem sanctorum
patrum. a quibus per leuiticam et regalem tribum christus originem habuit. cum eorum operibus in unum opusculum redigere. quod et
fastidientibus prolixitatem propter subiectam occulis formam animi sit oblectatio. et a studiosis facile possint pre occulis habita memo
rie commendari. et omnibus legentibus utilitas conferri. Jn quo quidem non facilem laborem. immo negocium plenum uigiliarum asump
si. cum breuitati secundum datam formam ita studui. ut nichil de ueritate hystorie detruncarem. sed ab adam inchoans per patriarchas. iudices.
reges. prophetas. et sacerdotes eis contemporaneos. usque ad christum finem nostrum ordinem perduxj.

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

Manuscript group GB3

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

Manuscript group GB6

Considerans historie sacre prolixitatem necnon et difficultatem scolarium circa studium sacre lectionis et maxime illius que in historie fundamento uersatur negligentiam. quorundam quoque
ex inopia librorum imperitie sua solatia querentium. uolentium quasi in quodam saculo memoriter tenere narrationes historiarum! temptaui seriem sanctorum patrum a quibus per leuiti
cam et regalem tribum christus originem habuit. cum eorum operibus in unum opusculum redigere. quod et fastidientibus prolixitatem propter subiactam oculis formam. animi sit oblactatio. et a studiosis facile pos
sunt pre oculis habita memorie commendari. et omnibus legentibus utilitas conferri. In quo quidem non facilem laborem im nmo negotium plenum uigiliarum assumpsi et in breuitate secundum datam
formam ita studui! ut nichil de ueritate historie detruncarem. sed ab adam
inchoans. per patriarchas. iudices. reges. prophetas. et sacerdotes eis
contemporaneos. usque ad christum finem nostrum sequens ordinem
perduxi.

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

Citation recommendation

Prologue: 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-prologue.

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