Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers

FRONT MATTER

Ekaterina Gotsiridze — 2026-01-12

L’Exode dans la Bible du XIIIe siècle: premiers pas vers une édition critique

Alessandra Arcidiacono — 2026-01-13

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 13

The article examines selected passages from the book of Exodus in the Bible du XIII^e siècle (BiblePar), the first complete translation of the Bible into Old French, produced in Paris in the mid-thirteenth century. The analysis of central chapters (V–X) highlights distinctive linguistic phenomena and shows how medieval translation was not a mere act of linguistic transfer, but rather a complex process of mediation between Latin and the vernacular. Particular attention is paid to the contrast in translation between concise strategies on the one hand and more literal ones on the other, which reveal different approaches within the BiblePar tradition.

Traduction indépendante ou révision?

Caterina Bellenzier — 2026-01-13

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 14

This essay explores the complex relationship between the Anglo-Norman Bible and the Bible de Jean de Sy, focusing on the previously unexamined section of Deuteronomy. This analysis aims to shed new light on the plausibility of a connection — whether through direct filiation or derivation from a common source — between Jean de Sy’s version and the anonymous Anglo-Norman translation. The Bible du XIII^esiècle will be used to validate the relevance of the results, given its independence from the aforementioned translations and its widespread circulation in France during the 13^th and 14^th centuries.

The paper begins with an overview of the status quaestionis, before examining a notable syntactic correspondence between the Anglo-Norman Bible and the Bible de Jean de Sy: the rendering of the Latin ablative absolute. This is then followed by a study of key differences, particularly in relation to the Latin source text, which suggest the independence of the two versions. The analysis concludes with a striking case of lexical divergence, illustrating the deep interconnection between biblical translation and medieval exegesis.

Between identity and variation: notes on the translation of the Bible du XIIIe siècle (with regard also to other Romance language versions of the Bible)

Roberta Decolle — 2026-01-13

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 15

The article aims to verify the degree of translation homogeneity of a basket of selected lemmas from the Bible du XIII^e siècle. This should contribute to the resolution of one of the basic questions that have been raised about this important medieval translation of the Bible: namely, how was it achieved? Is it – as it is claimed – the result of collective work with a clearly visible breakdown? Our analysis will focus first on the music-related headwords (as they could be potentially problematic for a medieval translator), and then cross-reference the data with those of other special cases already highlighted by previous studies. As we shall show, the observation of all the different occurrences of these chosen lemmas makes it possible to identify precise stitches that might correspond to a change of hand (and thus of translator, or textual source).

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

Claudio Lagomarsini — 2026-01-13

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.

La Bible anglo-normande: gloses et traductions

Thierry Revol — 2026-01-13

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 17

The Manuscript L of the Anglo-Norman Bible (mid-14th century) contains glosses, mostly synonymous, copied throughout the text or more rarely in its margins, in Latin and Middle English. These glosses first show a form of hierarchy of languages: sacred Latin of the Vulgate, vernacular and native English of the copyists, cultivated and aristocratic French of the final text. They are above all the sign of the work of medieval clerics, of these copyists who reflected on the biblical text, its material and its meaning, from a perspective that was at once linguistic, pedagogical, exegetical and theological.