Inferpedia - an encyclopedia of the missing
Emergent Shapes

Evidence motion

Later-witness preservation

later_witness_preserves_trace_without_preserving_the_object

A later excerpt, chronicle, anthology, or hostile witness preserves traces of an absent earlier object.

Why not canonical?

This is a transmission motion, not simply a source citation or a lost work class.

Pattern note

The shape keeps witness, lost object, and reconstruction dependence visible.

Scope

Use where the later witness is attested but the object it preserves is not.

Medium disruption transmission_residue

Example provenance

Curated 39

Claim Levels

L1 15 L2 6 L3 12 L5 6

Linked Item Types

article 6 evidence_path 6 inferon 6 lacuna_candidate 6 promotion_route 15

Published Articles

Article Published L5 Lost text

Lost Maamar Zikhron ha-Shemadot of Profiat Duran

Research area: Judaism pre-print-cultures database wave 2026-06-06

A reported persecution history visible through later Jewish historiographical use

Directly attested edge case · Probable warrant · High specificity · Source-backed

W
74
A
52
S
72
Ev
3
Article Published L5 Inferred source

Menander of Ephesus Tyrian source behind Josephus

A lost Phoenician historical work visible through Josephus.

Weak/ambiguous attestation · High warrant · Medium specificity · Medium reconstruction dependence · Source-backed

W
80
A
46
S
64
Ev
2
Article Published L5 Lost text

Lost Book of Elchasai behind patristic fragment witnesses

A Jewish-Christian prophetic book visible through hostile ancient witnesses.

Weak/ambiguous attestation · High warrant · Medium specificity · Medium reconstruction dependence · Source-backed

W
82
A
50
S
62
Ev
2
Article Published L5 Lost text

Lost Midrash Esfah behind later excerpt traditions

A smaller midrash visible through anthology and citation traces.

Weak/ambiguous attestation · High warrant · Medium specificity · Medium reconstruction dependence · Source-backed

W
78
A
42
S
66
Ev
2
Article Published L5 Lost text

Lost preceding work in the Papyrus 13 Hebrews roll

An inferred text-block before Hebrews in an early papyrus roll

Weak/ambiguous attestation · High warrant · Medium specificity · High reconstruction dependence · Source-backed

W
82
A
36
S
43
Ev
5
Article Published L5 Inferred source

Lost Ernoul material behind the Chronique

A reconstructed source layer on 1186-1187 behind the transmitted Old French chronicle tradition.

Low attestation · High warrant · High specificity · Medium reconstruction dependence · Source-backed

W
82
A
16
S
78
Ev
5

Frontier and Evidence Objects

Claims and Evidence Paths

Claims

Lost Book of Elchasai behind patristic fragment witnesses

book_of_elchasai_is_lost_text_known_through_patristic_fragment_witnesses

source_backed · confidence 82
Lost preceding work in the Papyrus 13 Hebrews roll

The Papyrus 13 Hebrews roll probably had a preceding work or text-block now lost or unidentified.

source_backed · confidence 82
Menander of Ephesus Tyrian source behind Josephus

menander_of_ephesus_lost_tyrian_work_underlies_josephus_chronological_citations

source_backed · confidence 80
Lost Midrash Esfah behind later excerpt traditions

lost_midrash_esfah_survives_through_later_excerpt_and_citation_traces

source_backed · confidence 78
Lost Zikhron ha-Shemadot behind Hebrew commentary transmission

is_lost_text_attested_through_later_historiographical_reference

source_backed · confidence 74
Lost Ernoul material behind the Chronique inferon

extant_chronique_preserves_lost_ernoul_material_on_1186_1187

source_backed · confidence 68

Evidence paths

codex-path:0013e1582b20e7d1a65fdc411c80bea031f34c7a6eb5697b
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 82

Codex/subagent reading found source-backed warrant for a bounded lost-text lacuna preceding Hebrews in the Papyrus 13 roll; draft/review only.

codex-path:b3294feb5c59298e74cf83c54fcb6dd22353ed3422dbbff7
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 82

Source reading supports a bounded draft for the lost Book of Elchasai, with caution about heresiological mediation.

codex-path:a44110648817c01fc2142951b2473dff23df531e14f82785
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 80

Source reading supports a bounded draft for Menander of Ephesus as the lost Tyrian historical source used by Josephus.

codex-path:62d4cd1ee4e52c6e4df18076d51eaa73fc9441c80bb24a35
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 78

Source reading supports a bounded draft article for lost Midrash Esfah; the object is a named lost midrash known through excerpts and citations.

codex-path:9a3f694a0bebda35fa8ba5b0b795a694c32dcf84137e11c3
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 74

Source reading supports a bounded draft for Duran's lost Maamar Zikhron ha-Shemadot, but publication should wait for the separate draft-quality gate.

codex-path:044ae65a096f26f56464a27b20e15a3c6c7f29986e854b10
codex_manual_promotion_v1 · accepted · confidence 68

Codex/subagent reading promoted a narrow inferon only. Ernoul's Chronicle has a substantial manuscript and edition trail; the promotable item is lost/reconstructed Ernoul material…