Database: Hebrew and Latin Charters from the Cologne Jewish Shrine Book (St. Laurenz Parish)

This digital edition compiled by Ursula Schattner-Rieser, Innsbruck University, provides first-time access to the entire corpus of Hebrew and a large selection of Latin charters from the so-called Judenschreinsbuch of Cologne’s St. Laurenz parish, dating from 1235 to 1347. These documents reflect key legal and social transactions in the medieval Jewish quarter – from property sales to marriage contracts – and illustrate everyday interactions between Jewish and Christian communities.
The database is intended user-friendly, and the tanscriptions and translations are available for download. Over three quarters of the documents are currently accessible, with the remaining ones being added continuously.

Hebräische und lateinische Urkunden des Kölner Judenschreinsbuches Hebräische und lateinische Urkunden des Kölner Judenschreinsbuches – digital erschlossen


Diese digitale Edition von Ursula Schattner-Rieser, Universität Innsbruck, erschließt erstmals die gesamten hebräischen sowie zahlreiche lateinische Urkunden des sogenannten Judenschreinsbuches aus der Kölner Pfarre St. Laurenz (1235–1347). Die Texte dokumentieren zentrale rechtliche und soziale Vorgänge im jüdischen Viertel des mittelalterlichen Köln – vom Hausverkauf bis zum Ehevertrag – und spiegeln das alltägliche Zusammenleben von jüdischer und christlicher Bevölkerung wider.
Die  Datenbank ist benutzerfreudlich, die Transkriptionen sind wort- und zeilengetreu und die Übersetzungen stehen zum Download bereit. Über drei Viertel der Urkunden sind bereits erfasst, die restlichen folgen sukzessive.


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Andreas Lehnertz (May 30, 2025). Database: Hebrew and Latin Charters from the Cologne Jewish Shrine Book (St. Laurenz Parish). medievalJewishStudiesNow! Retrieved February 13, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/1416g


About Andreas Lehnertz

As Juniorprofessor of medieval history with a specialization in Jewish history at the University of Trier, Andreas Lehnertz studies the social, cultural, and religious history of Europe. His academic pursuits focus on the nuanced dynamics of everyday Christian-Jewish relations, the study of marginal Hebrew and Yiddish deeds, the study of Jewish and general sealing practices, and the in-depth study of Jewish craftspeople. He wrote a book on "Jewish Seals in the Medieval German Empire: The Authentication and Self-Representation of Jewish Men and Women". His expertise has been further honed through his roles as a postdoctoral fellow in the ERC project "Beyond the Elite - Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as a member of the Martin Buber Society in the Humanities and Social Sciences, also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Currently he writes a book about "Jewish Craftspeople in Medieval Germany". Through his research and publications, he aims to make a meaningful contribution to the academic discourse surrounding medieval history and to provide valuable insights into the rich tapestry of European history during this pivotal period.