Das Väterbuch Explained

Das Väterbuch is a Middle High German legendary, or collection of saints' legends, written in verse.^[1] It is the oldest work of its type in German.^[2] It is a long work of 41,540 lines.^[3]

The anonymous poet is probably the same person who wrote Das Passional. He seems to have been a cleric of the Teutonic Order writing for the benefit of its members.^{[1] [2]} The Väterbuch was completed around 1280. It is based on and largely translated from Latin sources. The poet cites the Vitae Patrum, but also made use of the Legenda Aurea.^{[1] [3]} Like its source material, it mainly covers the lives of the Desert Fathers of Egypt.^{[1] [2]}

Notes and References

1. Henry Garland and Mary Garland (eds.), "Väterbuch, Das" and "Passional, Das", in The Oxford Companion to German Literature, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 1997 [online 2005]).
2. Marianne Kalinke, "Väterbuch", in Robert E. Bjork (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (Oxford University Press, 2010).
3. Leo M. Kaiser, "Das Väterbuch and the Legenda Aurea", Modern Language Notes 68.7 (1953): 473–474.