Dating the Gesta martyrum: a manuscript-based approach
Clare Pilsworth
The gesta martyrum are an anonymous and disparate group of texts celebrating saints venerated in early medieval Rome as having been martyred that city. This paper investigates the problems involved placing these their contexts. Since beginning twentieth century, when scholarship moved away from attempts to identify a core authentic ancient tradition narratives, most work on corpus has concentrated dating composition accounts individual martyrs. Given sparsity absolute chronological markers through references or citations other written sources, this inevitably rested circumstantial evidence reconstruction probable contexts for redaction specific works. argues much new light can be shed development cult Roman martyrs if we shift focus our investigation origin Urtexts surviving manuscript witnesses – all bar one eighth century later complex process transmission which they document. earliest copies martyrum, both legendaries manuscripts, reveal surprisingly diverse transmission. Detailed Vienna National bibliothek 357, Dufourcq argued contains copy collection martyr-narratives available Gregory Great, shows fact sheds interest north Alps late Carolingian period, networks contact communication information about was transmitted across time space.
Early Medieval Europe