"Man behind man – Man and his parts in Rabanus Maurus (De rerum naturis, book 6)"

Consistent with the topic of our graduate college, studies on Rabanus Maurus (ca. 780–865 AD) always also have to deal with heteronomy, as his works are above all compilations – excerpt sets from previous authors or text collections. So it’s about understanding Rabanus’ compilation method – what does he depend on, what does he change or leave out and how and why by this a new, autonomous text is created?

In my investigation I will concentrate on the anthropological book ‘About man and his parts‘ from Rabanus’ encyclopedia De rerum naturis (‘About the nature of things’). It’s main pretext (i.e. its main template) is the encyclopedia Etymologiae from spanish bishop Isidore of Seville (ca. 569–636 AD), as Rabanus copies long passages from it. In this template there are two aspects of the view on man: first the scientific view that Isidore passes on from antiquity (likewise by means of compilation); second Isidore’s etymological view that has to be considered in regard to man and his parts.

Then there is the second important template for Rabanus: the works of the patristic-exegetic commentary tradition, which is about the allegorical interpretation of man and his parts (body parts, organs etc.), i.e. about the proper mystical Christian truth behind. So man behind man is not man anymore, but his parts stand for e.g. Christian virtues or diabolic temptations. Besides many Bible passages that substantiate this mystical-allegorical level of man, Rabanus quotes church fathers and late antique or early medieval Christian auctoritates, particularly Bible commentators.

My thesis entitled ‘Man behind man’ shall thus investigate how Rabanus Maurus combines Isidore of Seville’s antique scientific and etymological view on man with the Christian mystical-allegorical view of the patristic-exegetic sources – and why.