bavarikon4UDescription
The 'Speculum humanae salvationis' is a mirror of man's redemption through Christ and Mary. In the book of edification, three events (so-called types) from the Old Testament or world history are assigned to each event of the New Testament (the antitype). The similar salvific message or visual similarity is decisive. The basic idea is the concept already present in the Gospels that the New Testament is outlined in the Old Testament and fulfils the Old Testament promises of salvation. Like the Bible for the Poor ('Biblia pauperum'), the mirror of salvation belongs to the textbooks and devotional books of the Middle Ages, which are intended for people who are not theologically educated. The story of salvation is presented here in words and pictures in a simple and vivid way for people who are literate. The mirror of salvation is widely distributed and has been preserved in about 350 manuscripts. Its author is unknown but is often assigned to the Dominican environment. The original version was probably written in Italy around 1330 and translations from Latin into German soon followed. The manuscript contains 120 coloured pen and ink drawings. The text was written by the same hand throughout. Johannes Dittelin is named as the scribe in the incompletely preserved final manuscript. The bound manuscript's first endpaper contains entries from previous owners. // Author: Siglinde Kurz // Date: 2018