Pantaleon (Konrad von Würzburg)

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Pantaleon is a Middle High German legend of Saint Pantaleon , venerated as a great martyr and miracle worker , written by Konrad von Würzburg at the end of the 13th century (around 1270) on behalf of a Basel citizen and based on a Latin version.

Origin and transmission history

Konrad von Würzburg was a commissioned poet and wrote his works mostly for clients from Basel and Strasbourg . Even the legends of the Pantaleon fabric were not processed on their own initiative, but at the suggestion and order of the Basel citizen Johannes von Arguel. Konrad mentions the name of his patron at the end of his legend (v. 2140) and also admits that he worked for rent lone (v. 2144). Since the poet explicitly emphasizes the family origins of his client (v. 2141), the assumption is that he came from a particularly influential and respected bourgeois family of Basel. Although no widespread Pantaleon cult can be proven in Basel at the time the legend was written, it can be assumed that the saint was well known there. Konrad's client probably intended to further promote the already existing veneration of Pantaleon and hoped that this would not only increase his prestige and consolidate his social position, but also promote his salvation. It was therefore also part of Konrad's contractual obligation to call for prayer for the client at the end of the legend (vv. 2150–2153).

Konrads von Würzburg's Pantaleon has only come down to us in a single manuscript ( Codex Vindobonensis 2884, collective manuscript) and is written in the Lower Alemannic dialect. The codex is kept in the Austrian National Library and is dated around 1380/90. In addition to Konrad's Pantaleon, it also contains Rudolf von Ems Barlaam and Josaphat as well as 39 stories by the knitter . Since the last 6 leaves were cut out of this paper manuscript and Konrad's legend is entered at the end, it can be assumed that the last verses of the Pantaleon are missing. It is difficult to speculate about what could be recorded on these missing pages, but the lack of pages could explain why, unlike in Konrad's other epic texts, the author is missing in the Pantaleon .

At the end of the legend, Konrad emphasizes that his vernacular version is based on a Latin version of the Pantaleon legend (vv. 2145–2148). However, it turned out to be impossible to precisely determine the Latin source on which his processing of the legend is based, so that the source question has not yet been answered satisfactorily.

In all the traditional Latin Pantaleon legends, Nicomedia is the scene of the action, while Konrad moved it to Rome . Why he made this change is unclear. It could be due to a mistake in its source; It is more likely, however, that Konrad deliberately moved the scene of the action to Rome because he wanted to move the events of Nicomedia, which contemporaries certainly perceived as a marginal area, to the center of Western Christianity .

Prologue (vv. 1-66)

In the first lines, Konrad von Würzburg explains in general the essential benefits of all martyr legends. The story should show all those who hear or read it the way to salvation, because to learn from people who have acquired eternal life through their sufferings and torments leads to turning away from sin (vv. 18-19) and thus turning to a new, godly life. The martyr's death should exemplify the exemplary virtue, because if the virtuous life of the holy martyr is understood as a model, this brings about an improvement in the recipient's moral and religious respect (vv. 20-23). In the following, Konrad announces that he is truthfully reporting about a martyr, whose saving effects are still effective at present (v. 40), but without mentioning his name.

Representation of the ideal image of a holy martyr

After Konrad first summarizes the function of the saints legends in the prologue, he briefly introduces the time of the action from verse 67 and describes the plight of Christians due to the persecution by Emperor Maximian . Before Pantaleon himself, his wealth of virtues and his outward appearance are presented, the poet gives brief information about the origin of Pantaleon, which already demonstrates his inclination to Christianity, although he is not initially baptized (v. 357) and is therefore not a full member of the Christian community . Pantaleon's father Eustorius is a pagan (v. 202), but he is portrayed as a tvgende riche man (v. 106) who does not close himself to Christianity, especially since his wife was a Christian. Pantaleon's deceased mother was already baptized (v. 203), but Pantaleon does not appear to have been chosen to be holy from birth. His holiness is not revealed in divine election, but rather in his virtue. Even the idea of ​​Pantaleon at the beginning of the legend is aimed at highlighting virtues that justify his later holiness.

Pantaleon's beauty is emphasized in several places in the text (vv. 107, 122, 124). According to the concept of beauty in medieval literature, outer physical beauty is a mirror of the soul and goes hand in hand with inner perfection. Christian saints, especially male ones, are usually distinguished by an extraordinary beauty, which is a visible sign of divine election and an image of inner virtue. Thus the external beauty and flawlessness of the as yet unbaptized pantaleon already demonstrates its later election as saint.

The character traits that are attributed to Pantaleon even before his baptism, such as his guete (v. 116) and milte (v. 117), refer to virtues related to his future holiness. Although it is explicitly emphasized that he has not yet been baptized (v. 357), he is already enphlamet of the Spirit of God through the sermon of his teacher Ermolaus (v. 254-258), sees himself as God's kneeling (v. 332), is also referred to as such by Konrad (v. 356) and adopts a Christian prayer position (v. 302–305), which makes it clear that he was a follower of the Christian religion even before his baptism. Nevertheless, he still seems to doubt the power of God and wants to try it out first. He gives God an ultimatum, which is religiously not entirely harmless, but with which Konrad only wants to emphasize that Pantaleon's final turn to the Christian faith has not yet been fully completed. Only after his prayer brought about the miraculous rescue of a child from a snake, ie God has shown his power, does Pantaleon thank him and now decide to be baptized by Ermolaus (v. 364–369).

In what follows, he tries to convert not only his father but also others to Christianity and to constantly stand up for his confession. In the presence of his father, who was still in doubt, he heals a blind man, whereupon Eustorius is baptized shortly before his death (vv. 636–691).

Konrad repeatedly emphasizes the stability of faith (vv. 1189–1197; 1344–1346), fearlessness (v. 942–947; 1310–1311), patience (v. 1210–1211) and humility (v. 1081–1083; 2082– 2083) Pantaleons, with which not only the election, the resulting holiness and his special closeness to God, but also his martyr status are emphatically accentuated. Although Emperor Maximian first tried to change his mind in a friendly way, promised him a high reward if he sacrificed to the gods (v. 1150-1157), and finally threatened him with torture, should he not turn away from Christ (v . 1158–1161), Pantaleon firmly adheres to his faith and is ready to joyfully endure any torture (vv. 1165–1169). Full of trust in God and fearlessly, he endures the tortures and even longs for martyrdom, since it leads him to immediate closeness to God (vv. 944-947).

The function of healing miracles

An indispensable part of every Christian legend of saints is the description of the saint's miracles before and after his death. Just as the serpent miracle brings about the final conversion of Pantaleon, the second miracle, the healing of the blind man (v. 488–675), brings about the conversion of the father and that of the man healed from blindness. While the first miracle served as a means to strengthen the future saint himself in his already existing faith and to remove any last doubts, the second healing miracle now serves to win two new souls. The third miracle of healing, the healing of the gouty man (v. 992–1119), is a contest between Pantaleon and the pagan doctors and thus between the God of Christians and the pagan gods. The powerlessness of the pagan gods is impressively demonstrated here on the basis of the futile prayers of the pagan priests (v. 1055-1071), while Pantaleon's prayers are answered again and the perfection of the Christian god is again demonstrated (vv. 1084–1111). All three miracles of healing act as evidence of divine work by Pantaleon and also mean for him an increase in his reputation as a doctor, so they are functional insofar as they result from the profession of saint. Although Pantaleon was a doctor even before his conversion, his activity logically consists of healing the sick and is in principle not relevant for a saint, but the medical profession is also interpreted theologically by Konrad. Thus the healing miracles have a double function, because they demonstrate not only God's omnipotence, but also the special qualifications of the holy.

The function of torture

The second miracle of healing, the healing of the blind, led to the persecution of Pantaleon, because the pagan doctors grudged him his success. After asking the formerly blind man how he was healed (v. 788–791), they go to Emperor Maximian, report Pantaleon and accuse him of sorcery (v. 822–854). The man who had been healed from blindness was later asked again by the emperor about Pantaleon's healing methods, professed to be Christian and was executed (v. 855–929). When Pantaleon has to appear before the emperor, he is ready from the start to take on the martyrdom (vv. 945–947). After Maximian Pantaleon initially asked in a friendly manner to turn away from Christ and to sacrifice for the pagan gods (v. 1150–1160), but the latter remained steadfast, the emperor in his anger orders the torture (v. 1170–1179). In the following, Konrad describes five tortures, all of which remain ineffective, because since God protects Pantaleon, he is not harmed. Once again God's power is shown in miracles, but unlike the healing miracles, these miracles do not demonstrate the supernatural power of the saint, but the special protection that God gives Pantaleon.

All miracles can be attributed equally to God's work, but while Pantaleon acts as an intermediary in the miracles of healing and the miracles relate to others, God now allows the miracles to happen for Pantaleon himself in the tortures. The arms of the servants who were called to torture him are weak (vv. 1252–1257); the glowing lead into which it is thrown is extinguished (v. 1330-1341); the stone that is supposed to pull him down into the depths of the sea comes loose from his neck (v. 1386-1394); the wild animals that he is thrown to eat become tame and fight one another in order to receive Pantaleon's blessing (v. 1450–1477); the wheel to which he is bound comes loose from his body and instead rolls into the crowd of the Gentiles (v. 1604–1641). Each of these five tortures is preceded by the emperor's wrath and Pantaleon's steadfastness, whereupon Maximian always orders the torture again. At every torture, Pantaleon calls on Christ for help, who then appears to him in the form of the priest Ermolaus, saves him, survives the torture unscathed and gives him comfort and hope. This divine appearance can only be perceived by the saint himself; The only thing that is publicly visible is that Pantaleon withstands all the torments and obviously does not feel any pain.

In the tortures that Pantaleon patiently endures, the basic virtues typical of martyrs of patience, fearlessness, confidence and steadfastness of faith are revealed. At the same time, the constant appearance and intervention of God, who in verse 1238 even addresses Pantaleon directly, demonstrates his extraordinary closeness to God, which distinguishes every saint in a special way.

Death and transfiguration

After Pantaleon has survived all the matern unscathed, Maximian wants to know who taught him these arts (v. 1654) (v. 1649–1657). Pantaleon frankly mentions the name of his teacher, although he sees through the emperor's ruse and knows that he does not want to be converted as he claims to be. Pantaleon knows that Ermolaus is now threatened with execution, but nevertheless he brings him because he is sure that his teacher will gladly take on the suffering and death for the sake of adhering to the faith. After Ermolaus willingly endures martyrdom, Maximian tries in vain to induce Pantaleon to give up Christ and orders the execution (v. 1965–1977). But the sword with which Pantaleon is to be beheaded becomes soft as wax (v. 1990–1993), whereupon his executioners convert and beg him to forgive them (v. 2000–2008). Only after Pantaleon himself agrees to want to die for his confession to God, can he be killed by the sword (vv. 2079–2089). His death seals the final defeat of Maximian, because now he no longer has the opportunity to break Pantaleon's persistence of faith. Immediately after his death, the saint is taken into heaven and thus comes into close proximity to God (v. 2090–2095). Milk flows from the wounds of his body and the tree under which he was executed bears an abundance of new fruits (vv. 2101–2109). Through these miracles immediately after his death, Pantaleon's new role as saint was immediately confirmed publicly and for all to see. These transfiguration miracles, which are part of the permanent motif of every martyr legend, make Pantaleon, whose election and later holiness is often suggested in the course of the legend, now finally a saint. Immediately the Romans flocked to his place of execution to see the miracle with their own eyes (vv. 2116–2117). For the first time Konrad uses the term Heilikeite , which makes it clear that the term in Konrad's legend only describes the cultic component of holiness.

Text output

  • Pantaleon by Konrad von Würzburg , 2nd ed. Ed. by Winfried Woesler, Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen 1974 (= Altdeutsche Textbibliothek, Vol. 21), ISBN 3-484-20082-0 .
  • Pantaleon. Adjusted diplomatic print and translation. Ed., Translated and provided with an afterword by Thomas Neukirchen , Erich Schmidt Verlag, Berlin 2008 (= texts of the late Middle Ages and early modern times, vol. 45), ISBN 978-3-503-09848-4 .

Secondary literature

  • Rüdiger Brandt: Konrad von Würzburg. Minor epic works. 2nd edition, Berlin 2009 (= classic readings 2).
  • Klaus Brinker : Forms of Holiness. Studies on the figure of the saint in Middle High German legend epics of the 12th and 13th centuries. Bonn 1968.
  • Friedrich Ulrich: Representation and style of the legends of Konrad von Würzburg. A contribution to the technique of legend poetry. Greifswald 1924.
  • Ulrich Wyss: Theory of Middle High German legend epics. Erlangen 1973 (= Erlanger Studies, Vol. 1).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Inge Leipold: The clients and patrons of Konrad von Würzburg. Attempt a theory of 'literature as social action'. Göppingen 1976, p. 96.
  2. ^ Hartmut Kokott: Konrad von Würzburg. An author between assignment and autonomy. Stuttgart 1989, pp. 146-148.
  3. ^ Rüdiger Brandt: Konrad von Würzburg. Smaller epic works (= classics readings, vol. 2). 2nd edition, Berlin 2009, p. 156.
  4. ^ Gustav O. Janson: Studies on the legendary poems of Konrad von Würzburg . Marburg 1902, p. 59.
  5. ^ Hartmut Kokott: Konrad von Würzburg. An author between assignment and autonomy. Stuttgart 1989, p. 141.
  6. ↑ Klaus Brinker: Forms of holiness. Studies on the figure of the saint in Middle High German legend epics of the 12th and 13th centuries. Bonn 1968, p. 202.
  7. ↑ Walter Berschin : Sankt Martin or: The beauty of the holy . In: Tobias Frese, Annette Hoffmann (eds.): Habitus: Norm and Transgression in Image and Text. Festival for Lieselotte E. Saurma-Jeltsch. Berlin 2011, p. 60.
  8. ↑ Thomas Haas, Andreas Hammer, Margit Mersch, Ulrike Ritzerfeld, Juliane Schiel, Stephanie Seidl, Annette Seitz, Matthias M. Tischler, Julia Zimmermann: Perception of difference - difference of perception. In: Michael Borgolte , Juliane Schiel, Bernd Schneidmüller, Annette Seitz (eds.): Middle Ages in the Laboratory: Medieval Studies tests ways to a transcultural European science. (= Europe in the Middle Ages, Vol. 10), Berlin 2008, p. 134.
  9. ^ Rüdiger Brandt: Konrad von Würzburg. Smaller epic works (= classics readings, vol. 2). 2nd edition, Berlin 2009, p. 162.
  10. ↑ Ulrich Wyss: Theory of Middle High German legend epics. (= Erlanger Studies, Vol. 1), Erlangen 1973, p. 237.
  11. ↑ Ulrich Wyss: Theory of Middle High German legend epics. (= Erlanger Studies, Vol. 1), Erlangen 1973, p. 241.
  12. ↑ Klaus Brinker: Forms of holiness. Studies on the figure of the saint in Middle High German legend epics of the 12th and 13th centuries. Bonn 1968, p. 206.
  13. ^ Rüdiger Brandt: Konrad von Würzburg. Smaller epic works (= classics readings, vol. 2). 2nd edition, Berlin 2009, p. 160.
  14. ↑ Klaus Brinker: Forms of holiness. Studies on the figure of the saint in Middle High German legend epics of the 12th and 13th centuries. Bonn 1968, p. 211.
  15. ↑ Klaus Brinker: Forms of holiness. Studies on the figure of the saint in Middle High German legend epics of the 12th and 13th centuries. Bonn 1968, p. 212.