Caesarius of Heisterbach (1180–1240) was a Cistercian monk and popular author in thirteenth-century Germany. Victoria Smirnova holds a doctoral degree in medieval Latin literature from Lomonosov Moscow State University and is a research fellow at the Bavarian State Library in Munich.

• I. Caesarius of Heisterbach: Cistercian monk, writer and homilist 7(A) Biography 7(B) Caesarius of Heisterbach and preaching 15(C) The place of homilies and sermons in Caesarius’s writings 19II. De infantia Salvatoris: presentation of the cycle 26(A) Title 26(B) Circumstances of the composition 27(C) Date of composition 27(D) Name of the author 28(E) Structure of the cycle 29(F) Principal subject 30III. Originality of Caesarius’s exegethical methods 32(A) Predilection for the moral exegesis 32(B) Elements of the exegesis 34(C) Exegetical tools 37(D) Exempla 42(E) Sources 44(F) The language of the homilies 46IV. The audience of the De infantia 47V. Textual tradition 52VI. Principles of the edition 57(A) Orthography 57(B) Biblical quotations 58(C) Fontes exemplorum 58(D) Marginal annotations 58Bibliography 61EDITION 68Fontes exemplorum 327Index nominum 350Index locorum 353Index interpretationum 355Index locorum Scripturae 357