Kommentaare

Kommentaare, the plural of Kommentar, are scholarly commentaries or explanatory notes on a text. In German academic usage the term denotes a separate work or a dedicated section of an edition that provides critical discussion, interpretation, and sometimes textual commentary.

They aim to illuminate difficult passages, explain linguistic features, identify manuscript variants, and situate a work in its historical and intellectual context. Kommentaare may be produced for a wide range of texts, including classical authors, medieval manuscripts, religious scriptures, and philosophical treatises.

Kommentaare can appear as standalone volumes or as parts of critical editions, often authored by editors or specialists and sometimes complemented by indexes, glossaries, or bibliographies. The relationship to other forms is distinct: Anmerkungen (annotations) are typically shorter notes, while ein Kommentar presents extended exegesis or editorial apparatus.

In practice, a commentator may discuss sources, text-critical issues, terminology, and interpretive debates, guiding readers through complex arguments. In the German-speaking scholarly tradition, Kommentaare are central to the study of classics, theology, philology, and literary criticism, and they remain important for teaching and advanced research.

Etymology: Kommentar derives from Latin commentarius; Kommentaare is simply the plural form. Overall, commentaries deepen understanding of a text by exposing its language, sources, and meanings.