This study deals with two short Latin annalistic texts of Czech provenance dating from the turn of the 14th and 15th century which have been written according to two different models on a free place of ms. 5483 in the holdings of the Austrian National Library in Vienna and collected in one series of annals. The article examines the reference of these texts to other similar texts coming from the Czech late middle ages environment. The contents of the Annals is information about the last Přemyslides, genealogic records about Czech Luxemburger, and news about what happened mostly in Prague in the 14th century.
This study deals with two short Latin annalistic texts of Czech provenance dating from the turn of the 14th and 15th century which have been written according to two different models on a free place of ms. 5483 in the holdings of the Austrian National Library in Vienna and collected in one series of annals. The article examines the reference of these texts to other similar texts coming from the Czech late middle ages environment. The contents of the Annals is information about the last Přemyslides, genealogic records about Czech Luxemburger, and news about what happened mostly in Prague in the 14th century.
In the culminating and late middle ages funny scenes, the so called drôleries, appear in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. Th eir problems are not explained completely; they seem to contain hidden spiritual meanings. Besides singing birds, which are symbols of the unearthly sphere, fi gures appear most oft en who were taken as negative in middle-ages – owls, apes, beasts of prey, dragons, and clowns. Th e fi gures of antique mythology were perceived as negative too; the cults connected with them were perceived as demoniacism by the Christian society. Drôleries are usually placed in borders which are decorated with an acanth. Th e acanth in time became a symbol of victory over death. It can be also interpreted as Christ´s crown of thorns. In this way the spirit of medieval symbolism indicated that negative forces are driven to the margin and defeated by Christ´s victim.
In the culminating and late middle ages funny scenes, the so called drôleries, appear in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. Th eir problems are not explained completely; they seem to contain hidden spiritual meanings. Besides singing birds, which are symbols of the unearthly sphere, fi gures appear most oft en who were taken as negative in middle-ages – owls, apes, beasts of prey, dragons, and clowns. Th e fi gures of antique mythology were perceived as negative too; the cults connected with them were perceived as demoniacism by the Christian society. Drôleries are usually placed in borders which are decorated with an acanth. Th e acanth in time became a symbol of victory over death. It can be also interpreted as Christ´s crown of thorns. In this way the spirit of medieval symbolism indicated that negative forces are driven to the margin and defeated by Christ´s victim.
This article examines the evolution of the term tabula from antiquity onward and the use of it in middle ages and early modern age literature. It analyses in detail the term tabulae ecclesiae finding its triple meaning in the Central European environment: 1) tabulae written on parchment (later on paper) and fixed on a board in the church – these contained information and instructions for laymen, those in the sacristy or in the choir contained normative constitutions or doctrinal auctoritates for clerics, 2) tabulae on the church walls near the high-altar contained lists of persons to be remembered in liturgy permanently; their external form were frescos framing their names like funeral tablets, 3) the same term tabulae ecclesiae is used also in the sense of financial cash resulting from a church collection. In all cases the ideological connection of medieval church boards to antique legistic texts (1.), to fasti (2.) or to the external form of a real board only (3.) is examined.
This article examines the evolution of the term tabula from antiquity onward and the use of it in middle ages and early modern age literature. It analyses in detail the term tabulae ecclesiae finding its triple meaning in the Central European environment: 1) tabulae written on parchment (later on paper) and fixed on a board in the church – these contained information and instructions for laymen, those in the sacristy or in the choir contained normative constitutions or doctrinal auctoritates for clerics, 2) tabulae on the church walls near the high-altar contained lists of persons to be remembered in liturgy permanently; their external form were frescos framing their names like funeral tablets, 3) the same term tabulae ecclesiae is used also in the sense of financial cash resulting from a church collection. In all cases the ideological connection of medieval church boards to antique legistic texts (1.), to fasti (2.) or to the external form of a real board only (3.) is examined.