On Samson: Text and Manuscripts

Go to the Judges group, the Visual edition.

Iste samson , natus manue , cui natiuitas eius per angelum predicta, nazareus, uxore ducta in thampnatha , parabola de leone conuiuis proposita et per dolum mulieris soluta, cum segetes hostium ligatis uulpibus incendisset et mille uiros mandibula asini, aquam dante in ramoth lesbi , trucidasset et portas gaze in montem tulisset, tandem dolo dalile , rasis crinibus, a philisteis excecatus, mole deputatus, in templo dagon, renascentibus capillis, plures strauit mortuus quam uiuus.

This Samson was born to Manoah, and his birth was predicted by an angel. He was a Nazarite. He took a wife in Timnah. He proposed the riddle of the lion to his companions, which was solved by the treachery of the woman. He set fire to the enemy's crops using foxes tied together and killed a thousand men with an ass's jawbone. He was given water at Ramath-Lehi, and he took the gates of Gaza to the hill. Later his hair was shaved. Through Delilah's treachery, he was blinded by the Philistines and set to grinding in the temple of Dagon. As his hair grew back, he slaughtered more in death than he had in life.

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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)

Iste Sampson
natus manue
cuj natiuitas
eius per angelum
predicta. naza
reus uxore
ducta in tham
pnatha. parab
ola de leone con
uiuis proposita
et per dolum mu
lieris soluta.
cum segetes hos
tium ligatis
uulpibus incen
disset. et mille
uiros mandi
bula asini aquam
dante in ram
oth lesbi tru
cidasset. et por
tas gaze in
montem tulis
set. tandem do
lo dalile rasis
crinibus a phili
steis excecatus.
mole deputa
tus. in templo
dagon rena
scentibus capil
lis plures stra
uit mortuus
quam uiuus.

Version 1

Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 363 (W)

Manuscript group AT1

Iste samson natus ma
nue cui natiuitas
eius per angelum predicta na
zareus. uxore ducta in
thamnatha parabola de leone conuius propo
sita et per dolum mulieris
soluta. cum segetes hos
tium ligatis uulpibus
incendisset. et mille
uiros mandibula
asini aquam dante
in ramoth iesbi tru
cidasset et portas gaze
in montem tulisset
tandem dolo dalide
rasis crinibus. a phi
listeis excecatus
mole deputatus
in templo dagon
renascentibus capil
lis. plures strauit
mortuus quam uiuus.

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

Iste samson
natus manue cui natiuitas eius per an
gelum praedicta nazareus. uxore duc
ta in tampnatha. parabola de leone con
uiuis proposita. et per dolum mulieris so
luta. cum segetes hostium liguatis
uulpibus incendisset. et mille uiros man
dibula asini aquam dante in ramoth
lesbi trucidasset. et portas gaze in
montem tulisset. tandem dolo dalile
rasis crinibus a phylisteis excecatus.
mole deputatus in templo dagon.
renascentibus capillis plures strauit
mortuus quam uiuus.

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

Manuscript group GB3

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

Manuscript group GB6

Iste Samson natus cui manue cui
natiuitas eius per angelum predicta naza
reus uxore ducta in thamnata. parabo
la de leone conuiuis proposita. et per
dolum mulieris soluta. cum segetes
hostium ligato igne ad causas
uulpium incendisset. et .m. uiros
mandibula asini aqu am dante in
ramoth lesbi trucidasset. et portas
gaze inmontem tulisset! tandem
dolo dalile rasis crinibus
a philisteis excecatus. mole
deputatus in templo dagon
renascentibus. capillis plures
strauit mortuus! quam
uiuus.

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

On Samson: 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-samson.

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