Vorlage
A Vorlage is an earlier version or model of a text that editors or translators use as a guide. It can be the text itself, a specific manuscript, a group of copies, or a set of excerpts. The original-language version that a translator works from is the Vorlage of that translation. For example, the Luther Bible is a translation based on the Textus Receptus, so the Textus Receptus is the Vorlage of the Luther Bible.
If the Vorlage is lost, scholars may reconstruct it from the translation. The reconstructed Vorlage is called a retroversion and it comes with some uncertainty. Still, it can be used in textual criticism and may stand as a witness to the original text or be compared with other witnesses.
Examples: The reconstructed Vorlage of the Greek Septuagint is used to help check the Hebrew Masoretic Text; the Coptic fragments of Plato's Republic in the Nag Hammadi library helped attest to the original Greek text. For the Gospel of Thomas, the Vorlage exists mainly as a retroversion of the Coptic translation, because no other Greek witness is known.
In short, a Vorlage is the source text editors or translators rely on, and reconstructing it helps scholars study ancient texts.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:45 (CET).