f «Unt ê seh er sich sculdich». Vorau 348, Alexanders Habgier und die Datierung des Straßburger Alexander

The interpretation of the verse 348 of the so-called Vorau Alexander (according to the most recent edition by E. Lienert) made arise a remarkable and lively discussion among scholars. However, until the 40s of the twentieth century the debate focussed not only on verse 348 but also on its immediate context and the corresponding passages in the Strasburg Alexander (traditionally dated before 1187) and the Basel Alexander (end of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century), that is, the two other versions deriving from Lambrecht’s lost original. The main issue in this debate was whether Lambrecht’s original included the mention of a tribute or not, a topic that was deemed instrumental in many interpretations of the three sister versions. Therefore, this article attempts a revision of these three different readings of the passage by taking into account the divergent ways in which the three texts exploited this narrative motive. Eventually, the rewriting of the passage by the last redactor of the Strasburg version might provide an argument in favour of a later dating of this work.