The first Sanctorale (Augsburg 1510) was entered into Excel as a simple spreadsheet containing 2,279 records. But when I began work on Bamberg 1490, it was immediately clear that we needed more than a spreadsheet to handle the data. With each new entry, I found myself scrolling up to reference existing records. “What is the unabbreviated text of this incipit? How did I spell this word previously?” I was also constantly hunting around in the many PDFs: “Where have I seen this symbol before? Was it in Bamberg’s Introit for St. Mary Magdalene?” Five minutes later: “No, it’s not here. Perhaps it was in Augsburg.” Simple cross-referencing tasks were eating up time—time that a dual-parish pastor can’t waste—and I was only beginning the second of thirty-four missals. I decided to put my rusty programming skills from a previous vocation to work.
The data entry screen for the resulting software is shown above. The Excel-style sheet on the left contains the entered data. The central form assists with data entry, cross-referencing what is being typed with existing records and offering suggestions on the fly. The PDF for the current missal (Cologne 1487) is shown on the right.
Since the PDF page number is recorded with every record, the computer is able to synchronize the PDF viewer with the Datasheet. Clicking on any entry will bring up the corresponding PDF at the appropriate page. This feature alone has saved hundreds of hours.
Let me give an example of how the software works. I am about to enter Cologne’s mass for St. Chrysostom. A typical mass follows the order shown below in the Genre column, beginning with the Introit.
In the missals that have already been entered, St. Chrysostom has three unique Introits, which are shown in order of attestation. Os iusti (unabbreviated form) is the most common, followed by Iustus ut palma florebit, and so forth. I can choose one of the existing Introits or enter a new one. I choose option #1, and a new record is created in the Datasheet. Each element of the mass will be ordered sequentially and include the Occasion, Genre, Incipit, digital page and original folio numbers, and any rubric or note.
The Introit Verse is not always listed, since it is part of the Introit. But those missals that do specify the verse have so far given Noli emulari. Cologne follows suit.
Cologne’s collect for St. Chrysostom does not follow the emerging consensus, though I can see that it is found in at least one other missal, Constance 1505.
I am curious about Dilectus Deo, the lesser attested epistle for this day.
Where else has this epistle been used? I double-click and am presented with the following screen:
On the left is a list of every occurrence of Dilectus Deo. The center of the screen shows the element of interest in the context of the currently selected mass (Bernard of Clairvaux from Augsburg 1510). And on the right, the PDF displays the primary source at the appropriate page.
As we have need, the software will continue to be expanded for other aspects of the project. For instance, which saints should be observed on which days? The Calendar below shows the observances from each missal for January 27. Clearly this is Chrysostom’s day, though a few missals follow a different local tradition. Meanwhile, the PDF viewer is displaying the calendar for Cologne 1487, which is currently selected.
Here’s a final example. Once we have completed the research to determine the appropriate readings for each day, it will be time to assemble the Bible texts. Rather than copying and pasting thousands of scripture passages from Logos or BibleHub, the software will generate the ESV and KJV text based on the given references.
After the publication of The Lutheran Missal, we hope to put our database online, thus gifting the Church with full access to all of the underlying material.
Update 04-03-2021: The example above shows the ESV text. However, now that we have signed a contract with Thomas Nelson, The Lutheran Missal will use the NKJV.
The Lutheran Missal 