This study examines Christian education in early vernacular texts of the German Middle Ages on the basis of Latin traditions of learning and teaching from Late Antiquity. The point of departure is Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana in which Augustine not only consolidated Christian and pagan traditions but combined them into a program of Christian education.

Focusing on the Old English poem Beowulf, on various Old Norse rune poems, and on the Old Icelandic mythological and legendary poems of the Elder Edda, this study addresses the following questions: what does it mean to compose with formulas; was repetition in these poems fixed or flexible; how do formulas relate to more large-scale poetic strategies and motifs; and in what sense are such formulas a part of oral tradition?

This text chronicles a change in epistolary persuasion in the 1230's, crystallized at the imperial chancery of Frederick II, Emperor from 1220-1250. There, traditional appeals, premised on authority and harmony, were challenged by letters in which historical circumstances functioned as an integral part of the strategy of persuasion.

First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.