The Three Versions of the Bible du XIIIe siècle (Old Testament)

Abstract

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 16

The Bible du XIII^e siècle, the earliest comprehensive translation of the Latin Vulgate into French, circulated widely and dynamically. One of the earliest records of its dissemination (1274) attests to its use among the Beguines in Paris. By the early fourteenth century, the second part of the text had been joined to manuscripts of Guiart des Moulins’ Bible historiale. This broad and rapid transmission led, on the one hand, to early textual corruption due to scribal errors, and on the other prompted some scribes dedicated to preserving the sacred word to undertake revisions against the Latin. Consequently, surviving manuscripts of the Bible du XIII^e siècle contain not only minor scribal variations but significant textual divergences, reflecting multiple versions of the translation. Determining which of these represents the earliest—and potentially original—version, and which are later revisions, is a key challenge. This study examines the versions of the Bible du XIII^e siècle, focusing on manuscripts of the Old Testament. A philological investigation is relevant both for reconstructing the original text, which can provide insight into the characteristics of a thirteenth-century Parisian biblical translation, and for understanding its reception and reuse in later contexts.