Cronica ecclesiae Ripensis

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Cronica ecclesiae Ripensis (German Chronicle of the Church of Ribe ) is a brief historical representation of the Ribe diocese in Jutland, Denmark . It was written around 1230.

content

The chronicle describes the history of the diocese, beginning with Ansgar's first missionary attempts in the 9th century. The building of the first church in Ribe around 860 and the foundation of the diocese in 948 are described . The story of the first bishops follows: The first bishop Leofdag (“Leofdanus”) suffered martyrdom . His successor Odinkar is portrayed as the nephew of Canute the Great . He was followed by his son Christian, who is not known from other sources, and his grandson “Jareld”, who is probably identical with the bishop Gerald mentioned in 1113. In contrast, Adam von Bremen does not have onementioned Oddo. The following bishops are also known from other sources: The construction of the Romanesque cathedral began under Thore. He fell in 1134 in the battle of Fodevig . The chronicler has nothing to report about Nothulf (“Nothel”) and Ascer.

With the next bishop, “Helias” (1142–1162) from Flanders, the form of the representation changes. It contains more information about the bishop's personality, the circumstances of his election and the location of his tomb. The cathedral chapter was founded under Helias, which is reported on in detail. The chronicle also reports disputes between bishops and canons about the rules and lists the possessions of the diocese. The chronicle quotes a letter from Pope Alexander III from the tenure of Ralph (“Radulphus”) (1162–1170), the former Chancellor of Waldemar I from England . Ralph's attempt to canonize Leofdag failed because of a fire in the cathedral that destroyed the relics. His successor “Stephan” (1171–1182) is praised as a saint.

When describing the establishment of “Omer”, the chronicle reports that he was in 1182 by Pope Lucius III. had been transferred from the diocese of Børglum to Ribe. Saxo Grammaticus, however, writes that Omer was installed in Ribe in 1178. Documents from a bishop Omer from the summer of 1183 are available from both dioceses.

The next bishop Olaf is only dealt with briefly. The election of Tuvo in 1214 is reported to have been the first bishop to be elected by the chapter against the will of the king. The text ends with his funeral in 1230.

Style, sources and authors

The chronicle is written in Latin and has only 7 pages. The language style is concise and factual. The time since the cathedral chapter was founded in 1145 is shown in detail. The author is assumed to be a canon from the Ripener Domstift, who was able to access documents from the archives of the cathedral chapter. Since these are now mostly lost, the chronicle from around 1145 represents an important source for local history, especially in cases in which the chronicle contradicts other chronological works. For earlier times, however, the author seems to have relied primarily on local and oral traditions.

Editions

The only medieval manuscript of the Cronica ecclesiae Ripensis was copied in 1570 by Anders Sørensen Vedel (1542-1616) and supplemented by 1569 and edited in 1708 by Peter Terpager. The original was lost along with the university library in the Copenhagen city fire in 1728.

Latin text

  • Chronicon Ecclesiæ Ripensis seu Annales Episcoporum Ripensium quos ex veteri codice manuscripto eruit et edidit Petrus Terpager. Hauniæ 1708. (after 16th century manuscript)
  • Chronicon ecclesiæ Ripensis, seu Annales episcoporum Ripensium, commentario Cornelii Hamsfortii illustratum. In: Jacobus Langebek, Petrus Fridericus Suhm (ed.): Scriptores rerum Danicarum medi aevii. Volume 7, 1792. pp. 182-209. (according to Terpager 1708 with variants)
  • E. Jørgensen: Ribe Bispekrønike. In: Kirkehistoriske Samlinger . Ser. 6, Vol. 1. 1933-1936, pp. 23-33. (Compilation from various manuscripts)

Danish translation

  • H. Søgaard: Ribebispekrønike . Fra Ribe Amt 18. 1972–1974. Pp. 260–273 (with commentary)

Web links