Gripla - 01.01.1995, Síða 155

STEFANUS SAGA IN REYKJAHÓLABÓK
153
ered his main source wanting, he intercalated text from another ver-
sion or redaction.
In the Reykjahólabók redaction of Stefanus saga there are three ma-
jor discrepancies vis-á-vis the Sth. 2 redaction: 1) an entire minor leg-
end has been excluded, that is, the account of how the emperor Tiberi-
us is cured by means of Veronica’s sudarium; 2) repeatedly material of
a historical nature is interpolated and at the end of ch. 6 occurs a
lengthy intercalation consisting mostly of passages taken from the gos-
pel of St. Luke. These interventions - the omission as well as the in-
tercalations - are accompanied by references to the legend of St.
James the Less; 3) an additional chapter is interpolated before the
miracle sequence, and this is demonstrably translated from a Low Ger-
man source (cf. IV below). The notable discrepancies between Sth. 3
and the other manuscripts as well as certain interpolations vis-á-vis the
other texts, permit us to postulate on the one hand the existence of an
otherwise unattested older redaction of Stefanus saga (cf. III below),
and on the other hand repeated intervention in the text of this redac-
tion through excision and interpolation.
Chs. 2 and 3 relate how Vespasian, the ruler of Spain, and Tiberius,
the Roman emperor, are each cured. Vespasian is suffering from a
nose disease called vespas, and to this, according to the legend, he
owed his name. He is healed when he professes belief in Jesus Christ;
he subsequently swears an oath to avenge Christ’s death, and the nar-
rator’s voice interjects to remark that he kept his promise when he be-
came emperor (215:32-216:1) and that Josephus, that is, Josephus Fla-
vius, the first-century Jewish historian, who was in Jerusalem when the
events occurred, gives an account of the same. The source of this in-
formation is provided:
og nockvt af þvi greiner j sancte Jacobs savgv ens yngra. og var
efter pisl drottens vors Jhesv Christi þetta er þeir fedgar Thitvs
og Vespasianvs komv fyrer stadenn Jervsalem med sinn her .xl.
vetvr og einvm betvr. enn svmar bækvr greina tveimvr vetrvm
vmm fram .xl. en hvat sannazt er hier vmm þat veit gvd bezt af
ollvm. (216:1—6)24
“4 A similar remark is made in the Helgir þrír kongar (I, 30:6-7) after a reference to
conflicting information in other books: „en hvat þar sannazt er vmm þaa veit þat gvd
allra bezt.“ References to variants and comments as to ignorance concerning the truth