Wiener Studien 128/2015, pp. 173-198, 2015/10/15
Zeitschrift für Klassische Philologie, Patristik und lateinische Tradition
Summary – In this article, the abstract instructions given by Ekkehart IV to his brother Immo are examined in detail. These instructions were written as a poetic composition recommending the replacement of common expressions by “lofty words” which grant a higher literary level to a poem. The recommended lexical material ranges from typical poetic expressions from the classical age to metaphors for Christian topics. After the abstract section, Ekkehart appends two short letters as examples of elevated poetic style; the content of these two related letters ascends, in a way, from the earthly realm into paradise. How the use of “lofty words” affects the versification of a biblical text (which is in every single word true for Christians) is shown through lexical analysis of the first verses of Ekkehart’s comprehensive “epigrammatic epic” of the entire Scriptures – that is, an analysis of the verse inscriptions (tituli) to the never realized fresco cycle for the Mainz Cathedral. Ekkehart’s undertaking benefits from contemporary allegorical exegesis.
