Traditionelles und Innovatives in der geistlichen Literatur des Mittelalters

In medieval literature, tradition and innovation are often closer together than it seems at first glance. Again and again, traditional things are presented as new so as not to be boring, or innovative things as highly traditional and source-bound so as not to be offensive. The relationship between tradition and innovation has always been precarious for all medieval literature, but it becomes highly problematic, even existential, for spiritual poetry and literature that is committed to the Word revealed in the Bible.