Flacius Correspondence - A Digital Edition

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Irene Dingel
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 495753772

Matthias Flacius, who took the epithet Illyricus for himself, was among the most insightful but most despised scholars of his time. His intellectual versatility, embracing interests in politics and history, astronomy/astrology and geography, theology and hermeneutics, along with his participation in the theological controversies of the second half of the sixteenth century have given him an unmistakable profile that can hardly be comprehended in its full breadth through viewing his very important treatises and literary work. Much more telling is his correspond-ence, which offers insights into his construction of a European-wide network that stretched across all of the continent. The correspondence of Flacius permits reconstruction of the transfer of culture and ideas at his time, and allows scholars to sort out his conceptual think-ing, the development of his theology, and his participation in scholarship and political devel-opments of his time in the international exchange of ideas. It also creates the possibility of focusing on the experiences in the daily life of one who emigrated and was exiled for the sake of his religious convictions.Up to this point the correspondence of Flacius has been examined in instances disconnected from his wider epistolary exchanges and as specific questions gave occasion, always in rela-tionship to a specifically defined question or discussion. This has contributed to a narrowing of the perspective from which Flacius has been interpreted, and this remains the case until the present time. The comprehensive edition of the correspondence, for which this applica-tion is being submitted, intends to counter this situation, based upon a broad definition of »let-ter« including dedicatory prefaces, with an innovative digital analysis of the texts, in that it offers many-sided possibilities for approaching the correspondence and evaluating the let-ters.A structured abstract will accompany the digital edition of the correspondence, which will guarantee that each piece is placed in its context. Text-critical and content-oriented com-mentaries provide the information necessary for understanding the letters. On the basis of previous preparations already completed and the inventory that has been assembled in a data bank, the work on the edition can begin without delay, and can be made accessible as a work in progress. In the first three year period of support of the project for which this appli-cation is being submitted the corpus sources is to be finalized, the technical infrastructure as a presupposition for an efficient process for conducting the work is to be created, and the edition of items in the first module is to be completed.The cooperation with the Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Literature / Mainz (ADW) guarantees an efficient administration of funds, the required digital infrastructure, along with the long-term availability of the research data produced in the project.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Armin Kohnle