Passio Kiliani

Passio Kiliani is the name of two hagiographic writings from the 9th century on the life of St. Kilian of Würzburg .

content

The distinguished Irishman Killena becomes a bishop and is given the name Kilian. He wanders with several companions in the succession of Christ to Würzburg , where Duke Gosbert rules at this time . This is represented in the Passion as a heathen, but in reality it is likely to have been Christian. Kilian and his companions are killed while attempting the mission to the Gentiles under Pope Konon in 689: they are beheaded on the orders of Gailana , the duke's wife. The information about the ruling house and its family tree in the Passio Kiliani give important information about the political conditions in the 7th and 8th centuries in Franconia.

Passio minor

The shorter version is the older one. It became known under the title Passio Kiliani martyris Wirziburgensis and was published in 1910 by Wilhelm Levison . This dated it to the time around 840 with the establishment of the East Franconian kingdom by Ludwig the German in 833 as terminus post quem . He relied on an anachronistic ruler titulature in the scriptures. Pippin is referred to there as the first king of the Eastern Franks , who ruled at the time when the relics of Kilian and his companions were raised. A. Bigelmair considered the Passio minor to be older. He assumed that it was created around the time the relics were raised, probably 752. J. Dienemann, on the other hand, believed that it was written in connection with the translation of the relics and the celebration in the presence of Charlemagne in 788.

The oldest known manuscript, the St. Gallen Codex 566, dates from around 870. The Passio minor was probably written by a priest from Main Franconia. It served as a source for the younger and more extensive Passio maior .

Passio maior

The Passio maior was probably written by the same author as the older Vita of Burchard von Würzburg in the 880s .

Text output

• Franz Emmerich: Saint Kilian. Regional bishop and martyr. Historically and critically presented , Würzburg: Göbel 1896 link
• Cynthia J Hahn: Passio Kiliani. COME, commentary . Graz: Akad. Druck- u. Verlagsanst., 1988

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kiliani-Pilgrimage ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ cf. Wilhelm Störmer, On the origin and sphere of activity of the Merovingian 'Main Franconian' dukes , in: Karl Rudolf Schnith (ed.), Festschrift for Eduard Hlawitschka on his 65th birthday (= Munich historical studies. Department of Medieval History 5), 1993, p. 11 ff . (PDF; 528 kB)
3. ^ Knut Schäferdiek, Kilian von Würzburg. Shape and design of a saint , in: Hagen Keller and Nicolaus Staubach (eds.), Iconologia sacra: Myth, visual art and poetry in the religious and social history of ancient Europe. Festschrift for Karl Hauck on his 75th birthday , de Gruyter 1994, ISBN 978-3110132557 , p. 313 ff., Here p. 315 ff.