Published: 2024-11-20

The reception of Etymologiarum by Isidore of Seville in the Comment by Jan of Dąbrówka

Katarzyna Chmielewska
Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings
Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2024.31.2.2

Abstract

Among the enormous literary legacy of Saint Isidore of Seville, the most famous work is the Etymologiarum libri XX, the first scientific encyclopaedia containing information from all fields of knowledge. This work was the second most widely read book after the Bible in the medieval West. This article attempts to answer the question of how this most important encyclopaedia of the early Middle Ages is reflected in Jan of Dąbrówka's Comment on the Polish Chronicle by Master Wincenty. The conducted analysis confirmed the borrowings from the Etymologiarum present in Jan’s Comment. The author of the Comment used Isidore's monumental encyclopaedia as a source from which he could draw information to explain the meanings of words or concepts that were difficult for the reader.

Keywords:

Isidore of Seville, Jan of Dąbrówka, medieval encyclopaedias, Middle Ages

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Citation rules

Chmielewska, K. (2024). The reception of Etymologiarum by Isidore of Seville in the Comment by Jan of Dąbrówka. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 31(2), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2024.31.2.2

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