Wolfger of Prüfening (c. 1100 – c. 1173) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk and writer. He is nowadays usually identified with the so-called Anonymous of Melk (''Anonymus Mellicensis''). Born around 1100, Wolfger joined the monastery of Prüfening around 1130. He served as its librarian, archivist, treasurer, and annalist. He compiled an inventory of the monastery's possessions and catalogued its library. He also commissioned

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

copying and

decoration Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

. A codex he commissioned contains a set of

Toledan Tables The ''Toledan Tables'', or ''Tables of Toledo'', were astronomical tables which were used to predict the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets relative to the fixed stars. They were a collection of mathematic tables that describe different aspe ...

with one of the earliest examples of

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, including

zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...

, in Germany. Wolfger was also an original author of historical and biographical works. He began the ''Annales Ratisponenses'' (annals of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

) and compiled a biographical index of 118 ecclesiastical writers, ''De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis''. Most of his writers were from the 11th and 12th centuries. The latest is

Rupert of Deutz Rupert of Deutz ( la, Rupertus Tuitiensis; c. 1075/1080 – c. 1129) was an influential Benedictine theologian, exegete and writer on liturgical and musical topics. Life Rupert was most likely born in or around Liège in the years 1075-108 ...

. Wolfger most likely wrote the incomplete ''Vita Theogeri'', a biography of Theogerus of Metz. His authorship of the ''Vita Ottonis'', a biography of Bishop

Otto of Bamberg Otto of Bamberg (1060 or 1061 – 30 June 1139) was a German missionary and papal legate who converted much of medieval Pomerania to Christianity. He was the bishop of Bamberg from 1102 until his death. He was canonized in 1189. Early life Th ...

written between 1140 and 1146, is more debatable. Wolfger died on 25 March in an unknown year.After 1173, according to , but before 1173, according to .

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Bibliography

* * * * * * {{refend 1170s deaths 12th-century German historians 12th-century Christian monks 12th-century Latin writers 12th-century biographers Benedictine writers 1100s births de:Wolfger von Prüfening