Nidrstigningar Saga: Sources, Transmission, and Theology of the Old Norse “Descent into Hell”

Dario Bullitta has embarked on a highly fascinating voyage that traces the routes of transmission of the Latin __Evangelium Nicodemi__ text to Iceland and continental Scandinavia.

The Evangelium Nicodemi, or Gospel of Nicodemus, was the most widely circulated apocryphal writing in medieval Europe. It depicted the trial, Passion, and crucifixion of Christ as well as his Harrowing of Hell. During the twelfth-century renaissance, some exemplars of the Evangelium Nicodemi found their way to Iceland where its text was later translated into the vernacular and known as Niðrstigningar saga.

Dario Bullitta has embarked on a highly fascinating voyage that traces the routes of transmission of the Latin text to Iceland and continental Scandinavia. He argues that the saga is derived from a less popular twelfth-century French redaction of the Evangelium Nicodemi, and that it bears the exegetical and scriptural influences of twelfth-century Parisian scholars active at Saint Victor, Peter Comestor and Peter Lombard in particular. By placing Niðrstigningar saga within the greater theological and homiletical context of early thirteenth-century Iceland, Bullitta successfully adds to our knowledge of the early reception of Latin biblical and apocryphal literature in medieval Iceland and provides a new critical edition and translation of the vernacular text.

"Dario Bullitta has embarked on a highly fascinating voyage that traces the routes of transmission of the Latin text to Iceland and continental Scandinavia. He argues that the saga is derived from a less popular twelfth-century French redaction of the Evangelium Nicodemi, and that it bears the exegetical and scriptural influences of twelfth-century Parisian scholars active at Saint Victor, Peter Comestor and Peter Lombard in particular. By placing Niðrstigningar saga within the greater theological and homiletical context of early thirteenth-century Iceland, Bullitta successfully adds to our knowledge of the early reception of Latin biblical and apocryphal literature in medieval Iceland and provides a new critical edition and translation of the vernacular text."-- Résumé de l'éditeur Contents 7 Illustrations and Tables 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 13 Abbreviations 17 1. The Latin Evangelium Nicodemi in Medieval Europe 21 2. The Manuscript Tradition of Niðrstigningar saga 41 3. The Manuscript Filiation of Niðrstigningar saga 58 4. The Latin Source Text Underlying Niðrstigningar saga 74 5. The Textual Interpolations of Niðrstigningar saga 90 6. The Theological Context of Niðrstigningar saga 106 7. Conclusion 116 Notes 117 Texts 151 Translations 178 Bibliography 191 Index of Scriptural Quotations 207 Index of Manuscripts 209 General Index 213 Toronto Old Norse and Icelandic Series 224 "The Evangelium Nicodemi, or Gospel of Nicodemus, was the most widely circulated apocryphal writing in medieval Europe. It depicted the trial, Passion, and crucifixion of Christ as well as his Harrowing of Hell. During the twelfth-century renaissance, some exemplars of the Evangelium Nicodemi found their way to Iceland where its text was later translated into the vernacular and known as Niðrstigningar saga."-- Résumé de l'éditeur