The Slovene Life of Jesus, preserved in the Poljanski rokopis ('Poljane manuscript'), is a great baroque narrative work of the 18th century. First and foremost, it is a synthesis of the great monastic tradition of meditating on the life of Jesus. The unknown Slovenian writer - probably a Capuchin - drew on this tradition independently, translating and summarising it, but always taking care to shape the content into a literary narrative that would appeal to the reader. He combined the theological interpretation of the patristic and medieval period with the vivid emotion of the modern Baroque individual; he combined the exegesis of the Gospels with non-canonical, parabiblical narratives; he developed the historical panorama of the plot with a wonderful flow of legend and fantasy. All this outpouring of literary creativity stemmed from one solid point: immersion in the mystery of Jesus Christ.

The Poljane manuscript, more than two centuries after it was written, brings to us the literary world of medieval and baroque contemplation in a reading experience that is at once poetic and literary, ascetic and spiritual. With the Poljane manuscript, a first-rate Slovenian Baroque narrative with origins in German and Latin Christian culture emerges from the shadows.