The medieval encyclopedia aims at being a work of compilation and scientific disclosure at the same time, with a strong moralizing nature. The history of this genre has two periods: the transmission of the classical legacy and and the assimilation of the Renaissance of the 12th century. Its great historical significance, since it eluded censorship, leads us to choose Acerba as representation of the medieval world. The survey of the manuscripts reveal the original title: Acerba etas, which means, according to connotations of the term "acerba" in the work itself and its ontemporaries: the terrestrial life, in the sense of material and ephemeral, image of its eternal and spiritual reality.PARIS4-BU Serpente (751052129) / SudocSudocFranceF