"das sie zigel machten vnd mit fewer kochten" : Babylonische Verhandlungen in den Chroniken Rudolfs von Ems und Hartmann Schedels

Abstract

This article tries to give an insight into how medieval and early modern chronicles such as Rudolf’s Weltchronik and Hartmann Schedel’s Liber chronicarum capture the polysemantic topic of Babylon for their recipients. It shows that the focus lies on the description of the historic metropolis, the narration of the tower of Babel and the Babylonian exile. In some ways their modes of information transfer differ from one another. On the one hand, Schedel has a lot more to offer in terms of paratextual preparation, which put Babylon to the forefront effectively. On the other hand Rudolf separates narratives from the time of Babel onward, which means a crucial point for the structure of the text. As Schedel sets the Babylonian exile as a turning point on the macrostructure of history, Rudolf prefers to honor King David’s historical impact instead. While the plot of both works is much the same, the presentations of Babylon show some shifts in comparison for the medieval recipients.