• Region: Europe; Holy Roman Empire
• Time: 14th century; 15th century; 16th century
• Theme: German Literature; Cultural History; History of Religion; History of the Book; Intellectual History; Latin Literature; Philosophy

B.A. German Studies/English and American Studies, University of Freiburg
M.A. German Literature, University of Freiburg
M.St. Modern Languages (Medieval German), University of Oxford

After receiving his B.A. in German and English linguistics and literature, Jonas Hermann turned to the middle ages and studied medieval German literature, codicology, and paleography at the Universities of Freiburg and Oxford. His main research interests are manuscript studies and religious literature. As a manuscript enthusiast, he is interested in the materiality and dissemination of medieval literature and has cataloged manuscripts located in the University Library Freiburg and the Bodleian Library.

As for his literary pursuits, he has mainly worked on mystical literature about as well as produced by nuns and semi-monastic women. His master’s thesis is concerned with the vita of Gertrude of Ortenberg, a noble widow turned Franciscan tertiary, who lived in the urban setting of late-medieval Strasbourg. Moreover, he has worked extensively on the mostly unedited mystical writings by and about Christine Ebner, a Dominican nun, visionary, and author active in the Bavarian monastery of Engelthal. In his spare time, he dabbles in journalism for Forty-two magazine.

Manuscript descriptions/catalog entries

• “Freiburg i. Br., Universitätsbibliothek, Hs. 1500,3.” 2015. http://dl.ub.uni-freiburg.de/sammlung7/werk/pdf/hs1500-3.pdf.
• “Bodleian Library, MS. Don. e. 250.” Oxford German Studies 46, no. 2 (2017): 146-153.

Articles

• “Das gelbe Buch. Eine frühneuzeitliche Handschrift als Zeuge der Konfessionalisierung und der Gegenreformation in Schlesien.” In Handschriften als Quellen der Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft. Bamberger Interdisziplinäre Studien. Bamberg: University of Bamberg Press, 2018.