The medieval Catalan tradition of <i>De duodecim diebus ueneris</i> ascribed to Clement of Rome. Contribution to the ‘occasional’ translations of brief religious works

Abstract

Since the fi rst centuries of Christianity, De duodecim diebus ueneris has been ascribed to Clement of Rome (1st century); this minor text states the twelve annual Fridays when one has to fast. Apart from the known Italian and English versions, there is evidence of the mediaeval spreading of that short work in Catalan. In this study, seven witnesses are gathered (although one is lost), showing enough textual and content differences to consider them as independent. It is, therefore, a clear example of the so-called “occasional” or “quotidian” translations, which in this case is a brief religious text.