Against the background of the recent revival of interest evinced by Germanic studies in the medieval Order of German Knights, this study sets out to cast light on the various insights to be gained from an examination of the literature produced in the framework of this Order. The approach proceeds from the Biblical foundations of corporate identity within the brotherhood, as set out in its rules and statutes. As a result, it is in a position to relate the interpretation of the two central literary genres favored by the Order chronicles and Biblical epics more closely to one another than has been the case so far, drawing on selected case studies for the purpose.

Edith Feistner und Michael Neecke, Universität Regensburg; Gisela Vollmann-Profe, Katholische Universität, Eichstätt.