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Internet Medieval Sourcebook

Full Text Sources

Editor: Paul Halsall

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is located at the
Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.

Guide to Contents

The structure of this section of the Sourcebook is as follows. You can browse through the entire list, or jump directly to the part that interests you by selecting the underlined links.

  • Main Page will take you to Medieval Sourcebook main page.
  • Selected Sources  will take you to the index of selected and excerpted medieval sources.
  • Saints' Lives will take you to the page on hagiography. Note - full text saints' lives are not listed in this "Full Text Sources" page.
  • Medieval Legal History will take you to the page on the history of law page.

Full Text Sources for Medieval History

CHURCH COUNCILS

For texts in the Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers series, see below 

NOTE: The texts at this site here are public domain English translations from the Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers series for the first Seven ecumenical councils and from H.J. Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils, (St. Louis: B. Herder, 1937) [US Copyright expired - confirmed by TAN books, current owner of B. Herder's list]. These are not necessarily the best available sources for the various council texts, although they are quite serviceable, and the notes in the NPNF series are very useful. More recent editions and translations should be consulted for serious academic publication purposes. I have prepared a Guide to Documentary Sources for Catholic Teaching which lists, in some detail, what I take to be the current standard editions. 

See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Ecumenical Councils

Similar texts available at ETWN http://www.ewtn.com

  1. Council of Nicaea I : 325 A.D., with Catholic Encyclopedia article 
  2. Council of Constantinople I : 381 A.D.  
  3. Council of Ephesus : 431 A.D.  
  4. Council of Chalcedon : 451 A.D.  and Dogmatic Definition of Council of Chalcedon 451 A.D.
  5. Council of Constantinople II : 553 AD  
  6. Council of Constantinople III : 680-681 A.D.  
  7. Council of Nicaea II : 787 A.D. ,  - with Catholic Encylopedia article 
    Cf. Nicea II 753 (Iconcolast Synod)
  8. Council of Constantinople IV : 869-870 A.D. [At Papal Encyclicals]
  9. Lateran Council I : 1123 A.D. 
  10. Lateran Council II : 1139 A.D. 
  11. Lateran Council III : 1179 A.D. 
  12. Lateran Council IV : 1215 A.D. 
  13. Council of Lyons 1 : 1245 A.D. [At Papal Encyclicals]
  14. Council of Lyons 2 : 1274 A.D. [At Papal Encyclicals]
  15. Council of Vienne : 1311-12 A.D. 
  16. Council of Constance 1414-18 A.D.  
  17. Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence : 1431-1435 A.D.  See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of Basel
  18. Lateran Council V : 1512-17 A.D.  See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Fifth Lateran Council
  19. Council of Trent : 1545-63 A.D. [at Hanover College - this is public domain].
  20. Vatican Council I : 1869 AD  
  21. Vatican Council II: Index 


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FATHERS

The first six items are links to more extended collections and indexes. 

  • WEB Guide to Early Church Documents (index with brief descriptions; from ICLnet)
  • WEB EWTN. [At EWTN]. EWTN is a religious Catholic web site with a huge file library of over 9000 items, with good search facilities.
  • WEB Fathers of the Church [At New Advent] New Advent has taken the entire Father so the Church series, as at the CCEL, and broken the files down to the size of individual works.
  • WEB Early Christian Writings

The following works by various fathers are in rough chronological order. Most are off site links to documents or indexes. 

ANTE-NICENE FATHERS

POST NICENE: NON-GREEK/NON LATIN FATHERS

POST NICENE: GREEK FATHERS

POST NICENE: LATIN FATHERS

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LATE ANTIQUITY 



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BYZANTIUM 

  • See Greek Fathers above
  • Cosmas Indicopleustes (6th century): Christian Topography, full text [At Tertullian] [Internet Archive version here]
  • Procopius (c. 500 – 565): Secret History [At this site]
    Procopius (c. 500 – 565): The Secret History trans, H.B Dewing. Full text. [Wikisource]
  • Procopius (c. 500 – 565): History of the the Wars trans. H.B Dewing. Full text. [Wikisource]
  • Liutprand of Cremona: Report on Mission to Constantinople, 963 
  • Corpus Cyrillo-Methodianum Helsingiense, An Electronic Corpus of Old Church Slavonic Texts, [WasAt Helsinki.fi, now Internet Archive]
  • Armenian/Georgian Historical Resources Site [Internet Archive version here which will also link to any of the texts below]. Various full text translations by Robert Bedrosian.
    • P'awstos Buzandac'i'. History of the Armenians, 5th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Atallus]
    • Ghazar P'arbec'i'. History of the Armenians, 5th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, At [At Atallus]
    • Sebeos: History, 7th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian,[At Atallus] [this is the first of a series of files].
    • John Mamikonean: History of Taron, 10th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Atallus] [this is the first of a series of files].
    • Aristakes Lastivertc'i': History, 11th-century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Atallus]
    • The Georgian Chronicle, 12-13th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian,[At Atallus]
    • Kirakos Gandzakets'i': History of the Armenians, 13th-century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Atallus].
    • T'ovma Metsobets'i': History of Tamerlane and His Successors , full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Atallus].
  • Photius,The Library of Photius, trans. J.H. Freese, full text (London, Society for promoting Christian knowledge; New York, The Macmillan company, 1920) [At Tertullian] [Internet Archive version here]
  • Michael Psellus (1018-after 1078): Chronographia, full text.
    The history of the Roman Empire 976-1078 by one of the liveliest writers of the middle ages.
  • Anna Comnena (1093-after 1148): The Alexiad. full text
    The account of her father, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I, by Princess Anna Comnena is perhaps the most important historical work by a woman writer written before the modern period.
  • Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents [Was At Dumbarton Oaks, now Internet Archive]
    A Complete Translation of the Surviving Founder's Typika and Testaments. Edited by John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero with the assistance of Giles Constable. To access chapter files individually see here.
  • Byzantine Commonwealth

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    ISLAM 

    Religious Texts

    Literary and Historiographical Texts

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    MONASTICISM 



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    HISTORIOGRAPHY


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    MODERN HISTORIOGRAPHY



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    LITERARY TEXTS 

    • WEB 

    Latin

    • Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim (c.930/40-c.1002): The Plays of Roswitha,
      Including Full texts of Gallicanus and Dulcitius
    • Hrotsvitha, ca. 935-ca. 975. The plays of Roswitha translated by Christopher St. John, with an inroduction by Cardinal Gasquet and a critical preface by the translator.(London, Chatto & Windus, 1923) [repr. 1966]  [Internet Archive]

    French

    Italian

    Spanish/Portuguese

    Celtic

    German

    Nordic

    English

    • WEB Arthurian texts, for those not collected here, see the Camelot Project, and especially the Camelot Project Author Menu for beautifully presented, introduced, and annotated texts of:
      • The Alliterative Morte Arthure
      • Annales Cambriae (Annals of Wales), Arthurian References in (c. 960-980)
      • The Avowyng of Arthur
      • The Awntyrs off Arthur
      • The Carle of Carlisle
      • Culwch and Olwen (translated by Lady Charlotte Guest as Kilhwch and Olwen)
      • The Greene Knight
      • The Jeaste of Sir Gawain
      • King Arthur and King Cornwall
      • The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain
      • Lancelot of the Laik
      • The Marriage of Sir Gawain
      • Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle
      • Sir Perceval of Galles
      • Sir Tristrem
      • Stanzaic Morte Arthur
      • The Turke and Sir Gawain ((c) TEAMS)
      • The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
      • A selection of post medieval Arthurian literature [Tennyson, Emerson, Swinbourne and so on.]
    • WEB The Robin Hood Text Archive [At Rochester]
      With both medieval and post-medieval texts.

    ANGLO-SAXON

    • Codex Junius 11 [At OMACL] - Anglo-Saxon poems
    • Apollonius of Tyre Version in Old English and translation into modern English [Now at Internet Archive]
    • Beowulf (in Old English), Klaeber edition
    • Beowulf, 8th century, trans Francis Gummere
    • Beowulf, c. 1100 [At Lone Star] modern verse translation by  Davidn Breeden.
      Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in English literature, and it survives in only one manuscript. This copy survived both the wholesale destruction of religious artifacts during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire which destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631). The poem still bears the scars of the fire, visible at the upper left corner of the manuscript.

    MIDDLE ENGLISH



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    MEDIEVAL THOUGHT 



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    MEDIEVAL SPIRITUAL WRITING 


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    GOVERNMENTAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS


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    RENAISSANCE TEXTS


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    REFORMATION TEXTS



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    CATHOLIC REFORMATION TEXTS



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    WEB The Early Church Fathers

    Note The Medieval Sourcebook aims to present classroom sized texts. But a major resource for many scholars are the translations in the Early Church Fathers Series. The entire 38 volume set is now available on line. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Wheaton College is to site with the texts. The following information and links have been lifted directly from the Ethereal Library site 

    The Early Church Fathers is a 38-volume collection of writings from the first 800 years of the Church. This collection is divided into three series, the Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Fathers.

    These files have the majority of the text printed in the actual books -- however, some portions have been excluded, such as the prefaces written by the editors, footnotes, indices, etc. In fact, Volume IX of the Ante-Nicene Series was omitted because it consists entirely of index information. --Adapted from the introduction to the Electronic Bible Society CD-ROM Volume 1.

    Contents

    Ante-Nicene Fathers to A.D. 325

    Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors.

    Volume I -- The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus: Clement, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.

    Volume II -- Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria.

    Volume III -- Latin Christianity: Its Founder Tertullian: I. Apologetic, II. Anti-Marcion, III. Ethical.

    Volume IV -- Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodianus, Origen.

    Volume V -- Fathers of the Third Century: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian, Appendix: Baptism of Heretics, Anonymous Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian, Anonymous Treatise on Rebaptism.

    Volume VI -- Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius and Minor Writers, Archelaus, Alexander of Lycopolis, Peter of Alexandria, Alexander of Alexandria, Methodius, Arnobius.

    Volume VII -- Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Dionysius of Rome, Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, The Homily Ascribed to Clement, Early Liturgies.

    Volume VIII -- Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Theodotus: Excerpts, Epistles Concerning Virginity, Pseudo-Clementine Literature, Apocrypha of the New Testament, Decretals Memoire of Edessa and Ancient Syriac Documentary remains of the Second and Third Centuries.

    Volume IX -- Original supplement to the American Edition: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron of Tatian, Apocalypse of Peter, Visio Pauli, Apocalypses of the Virgin and of Sedrach, Testament of Abraham, Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Narrative of Zosimus, Apology of Aeristedes, Epistles of Clement (complete), Origen's Commentaries on John and Matthew (partial).

    Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I

    Philip Schaff, editor

    St. Augustine Volumes:

    Volume I -- Prolegomena; Life and Works; Confessions; Letters

    Volume II -- The City of God; Christian Doctrine

    Volume III -- Doctrinal Treatises; Moral Treatises

    Volume IV -- Anti-Manichaean and Anti-Donatist Writings

    Volume V -- Anti-Pelagian Writings

    Volume VI -- The Sermon on the Mount; Harmony of the Gospels; Homilies on the Gospels

    Volume VII -- Homilies on the Gospel and the First Epistle of John; Soliloquies

    Volume VIII -- Expositions on the Psalms

    St. Chrysostom Volumes:

    Volume IX -- Prolegomena; On the Priesthood; Ascetic Treatises; Select Homilies and Letters; Homilies on the Statues

    Volume X -- Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew

    Volume XI -- Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans

    Volume XII -- Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians

    Volume XIII -- Homilies on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon

    Volume XIV -- Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

    Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II

    Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, editors  

    Volume I -- Eusebius; Church History; Life of Constantine the Great; Oration in Praise of Constantine

    Volume II -- Socrates Scholasticus: Ecclesiastical History; Sozomenus: Ecclesiastical History

    Volume III -- Theodoret: Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, Letters; Jerome and Gennadius: Illustrious Men; Rufinus and Jerome; Life of Rufinus; Apology vs. Rufinus

    Volume IV -- Athanasius: Select Works and Letters

    Volume V -- Gregory of Nyssa: Select Writings and Letters; Dogmatic Treatises

    Volume VI -- St. Jerome: Letters and Select Works

    Volume VII -- St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures; St. Gregory Nazianzen: Select Orations, Sermons, Letters; Dogmatic Treatises

    Volume VIII -- St. Basil: Treatise De Spiritu Sancto; Nine Homilies of Hexaemeron

    Volume IX -- St. Hilary of Poitiers: Select Works on the Trinity and Psalms; John of Damascus: Exposition of Faith

    Volume X -- St. Ambrose: Principal Works, Dogmatic Treatises, Ethical Works, etc.

    Volume XI -- Sulpitius Severus: Extant Works; Vincent of Lerins: The Catholic Faith; John Cassian: Conferences On the Incarnation vs. Nestorius

    Volume XII -- Leo the Great: Letters, Sermons; Gregory the Great: Pastoral Rule, etc.

    Volume XIII -- Gregory the Great: Selected Epistles; Ephraim the Syrian: Hymns, Homilies; Aphrahat: Demonstrations

    Volume XIV -- The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church; Canons and Decrees; Canons of Local Synods with Ecumenical Acceptance

    Early Church Fathers - Additional Texts (Edited by Roger Pearse)

    English translations of various Church fathers, out of copyright, but which were not included in the 38 volume collection of Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers.

    At Tertullian [Internet Archive version here]

    NOTES: copyrighted means the text is not available for free distribution. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site name or location]. No indication means that the text file is local. WEB  indicates a link to one of small number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable overview.

    The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of  Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University.   Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.

    © Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 12 June 2023