French Literature Reviews - 2026
É. Lasson, Medieval Superstitions: An Analysis Based on the Exegesis of the First Commandment by Ulrich de Pottenstein
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Émilie Lasson
Medieval Superstitions: An Analysis Based on the Exegesis of the First Commandment by Ulrich de Pottenstein
Paris: Honoré Champion, coll. "Nouvelle Bibliothèque du Moyen Âge" no. 102, 2010
EAN: 9782745320841
576 pp.
110 EUR
Publisher's overview:
Throughout the medieval period, theologians sought to impose the principles and dogmas of the Christian Church upon a society steeped in superstitious practices and surviving pagan rites. Ulrich de Pottenstein, a 15th-century Austrian cleric, provides invaluable insight into these heterodox beliefs (such as the observation of omens or weather, divination, and magic) through his commentary on the First Commandment, written in the German vernacular—one of the major catechetical works of that era.
This book offers a thorough analysis of this text, contextualizing the historical and religious background of its composition, presenting the various sources utilized in this endeavor of religious edification for the laity, and detailing the various superstitions recorded by the author while comparing them with those mentioned by his contemporaries.
The study of medieval religious life often focuses on the tension between institutional dogma and the persistence of popular belief. During the late Middle Ages, theologians frequently addressed the challenge of reconciling Christian doctrine with entrenched local customs, such as divination, magic, and the interpretation of natural omens. Ulrich de Pottenstein’s work, composed in the German vernacular, is a catechetical work of that era. This book analyzes this text, contextualizing the historical and religious background of its composition and the various sources utilized for the edification of the laity.
Lasson’s analysis examines the methods used by medieval clerics to categorize and address behaviors deemed contrary to the First Commandment. By examining the sources utilized by Pottenstein and comparing his observations with those of his contemporaries, the book details the superstitions recorded by the author. This exploration of the historical and religious background provides information on how such texts functioned as instruments of moral and spiritual regulation. Readers interested in the history of medieval theology and the evolution of religious practice in the German-speaking lands may find this study relevant.