The Sibyl and Her Scribes: Manuscripts and Interpretation of the Latin Sibylla Tiburtina c. 1050-1500 (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780754633754)

The Sibylla Tiburtina is a Latin prophecy attributed to a prophetess from classical antiquity. It concludes with an account of the End of History, involving the coming of Antichrist and his battle with a Last World Emperor. Approximately 100 manuscripts written between the mid-11th and the 16th centuries survive which testify to the Tiburtina's immense popularity in the medieval West; as such it is a key text for understanding medieval apocalypticism and occupies an important place in the intellectual history of the Middle Ages. This book not only re-examines the Tiburtina as a vehicle for expressing contemporary political concerns triggered by crises thought to herald the End of the World, but offers a new approach by placing it, for the first time, in the context of medieval traditions which saw Sibylline prophecy as independent, non-Christian evidence of Christ's life and as confirmation of His divinity. As is shown, these traditions had a major impact on the reception of the Tiburtina. The book concludes with a repertory of the manuscripts, together with brief outlines of individual textual traditions as represented in groups of manuscripts, which will constitute a valuable reference source for other scholars.

Author: Anke Holdenried
ISBN-10: 0754633756
ISBN-13: 9780754633754
Publisher: Routledge
Language: English
Published: 08/04/2006
Pages: 280
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.26lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.69d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2006 pg. 14