Since early 2021, I have been part of an interdisciplinary research group with five other scholars called THiGer that examines the understanding and use of the Lord’s Prayer during the Middle Ages. This is a broad subject that we want to study from a theological, historical and germanist perspective (hence the name). We believe that through our cooperation we can provide a more complete picture of the development of medieval prayer, lay piety, and Christian religion in general in Europe. We have selected the monastic library of St. Gallen for this purpose, as its manuscript archive is still intact and covers a wide time period from the ninth until the sixteenth century.
Last year, we obtained a grant from the German Mediävistenverband to make a research trip to St. Gallen (see image above and this report). Currently, we are occupied with categorising and analysing the source material. If all goes well, we are organising a conference in Tübingen next year on the Lord’s Prayer. There we will be able to present our first findings. However, this is all still in the future.
Visit the THiGer website here (also available in German) for more information and the latest updates.