[MR] medieval psalters (Fwd: Aoife-Links Digest, Vol 4, Issue 3)

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Hello my  faithful readers!

I wish upon you all the joys of a MILD winter such as  we are NOT
experiencing here in the (modern) Pocono Mountains! I've got  snow up to my
unmentionables! My Dogs Samwise and Legolas refuse to go  outside except for
the direst of emergencies (most of which involve chasing  wildlife and
wrestling in the snow). The upside of horrible winter weather,  however, is
that there's plenty of time for leisure pursuits that require  us to be
indoors. So now it's time to turn our attention towards two  articles many of
our personae might possess, though scribes, historians and  artisans will
also find these links useful for other reasons. Courtesy of  an avid reader,
Ro, this week's Links List is about Psalters and  Rosaries.

Medieval Psalters were named because they contained the  Psalms, which are
certain poetic and allegorical portions of the Bible well  known for the
beauty of their language. They also contained a religious  calendar, and
certain other articles a religious person might use in  everyday life. They
were often lavishly illustrated in multiple colors and  personalized for the
person who sponsored their creation. A great many  Modern Medieval
Illumination works are based upon the work of real medieval  scribes who
created these Psalters. Psalters aren't just for Catholics. At  least one
Hebrew Psalter is shown in a link below, from Parma  Italy.

Of course, Rosaries are prayer beads combined in certain ways so  that devout
persons could remember their prayers in a certain order and  thus easily
recite them or repeat/reflect on them throughout the  day.

Stay warm, my friends, and share this missive wherever you will  find a ready
audience.

Cheers!

Aoife

Dame Aoife Finn  of Ynos Mon
Canton of Riverouge
Barony of Endless Hills
Kingdom of  Aethelmearc

Byzantine Medieval Hypertexts: Theodore  Psalter
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~slavman/hypertexts/Theodorepsalter.htm
(Site  Excerpt) The Theodore Psalter (British Museum Add. 19.352) remains one
of  the most significant representations of the Byzantine manuscript
tradition,  a masterpiece of art that exceeds the span of medieval time and
space.  Experts consider the Psalter a watershed document because of its
fixed and  documented date and authorship, attested to in its colophon. The
colophon  reveals that Abbot Michael of the Stoudios Monastery received the
Psalter  as gift from the scribe Theodore, a priest in the same monastery.
The  Stoudios Monastery, near the Byzantine capital Constantinople, was
founded  circa 454 A.D. after the rules established by St. Basil the Great
for  Eastern monasticism, later augmented by its abbot Theodore the  Studite
(759-826), known also as Theodore of Stoudios.

The Christ  Church Psalter in Context:
Manuscripts from the Medieval Priory
A  special exhibition in the Crypt
of Christ Church Cathedral,  Dublin
http://www.cccdub.ie/visitors/treasury/mss-exhibition/mss-exhibition.html

The  Luttrell Psalter  1345
http://www.redruth.cornwall.sch.uk/departments/History/lutt/The%20Luttrell%20P
salter%201345.html
(Site  Excerpt) The Luttrell Psalter was the work of many calligraphers  and
artists, all working for many months on sheepskin vellum or parchment.  Each
page is beautifully painted in a style known as illumination. The  first
capital letter of each page is usually decorated.

Last Chance  To Save Recently Discovered Illuminated Medieval Manuscript -
The  Macclesfield  Psalter
http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/press_notices/archive_2004/dcms106_2004.htm
(Site  Excerpt) Arts Minister Estelle Morris has placed a temporary export
bar on  an outstanding illuminated manuscript known as the Macclesfield
Psalter.  The work, thought to be the most important discovery of any  English
illuminated manuscript in living memory, was until earlier this  year,
unknown and unrecorded. Its discovery adds hugely to our knowledge  of
English fourteenth-century art, of which very little survives  elsewhere.

Medieval psalter presented to King's
By Jim  Anderson
http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/story.html?listing_id=4285
(Site  Excerpt) The psalter, believed to originate from Flanders in the late
14th  or early 15th centuries, is a millennium gift to the college from
retired  Chief Librarian Elizabeth Russell and current Chief Librarian  John
Clouston. They acquired the book from local antiquarian book dealers  who
purchased it from a private collector in Halifax. The manuscript  originally
was found in South America. How it got there from Flanders  remains a
mystery, but it may have traveled to the New World with the  Conquistadors or
early Spanish missionaries.

Medieval Manuscript  Leaves: Fifty-one Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts from
Western Europe:  12th - 16th  centuries
http://wally.rit.edu/cary/cc_db/manuscripts/
......Including  8 psalters

University of London Library: Psalter  Fragment
http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cats/14/1268.htm
(Site Excerpt) A  medieval psalter usually comprised a Calendar, the 150
Psalms, and a  collection of canticles and creeds. The three text-types
worked together in  the practice of the Divine Office, the Church's daily
public prayer. When a  psalter-book was intended for private use as well,
other texts, such as  prologues, hymns, or favourite prayers were added.

looksmart:
The  Luttrell Psalter and the making of 'Merrie England' - Cover Story
History  Today,  Sept, 1998  by Michael  Camille
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1373/is_n9_v48/ai_21104452
(Site  Excerpt) There are many reasons why this particular manuscript has
played  such an important role in the English national consciousness --  most
obvious is the superb quality of its illumination. The naturalistic  detail
and inventive fantasy are the credit of its major artist who,  inspired by
the words of the Psalms, started work on the manuscript in the  late 1320s
but left it mysteriously unfinished, even before the death of  his patron,
Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, in 1345.

University of Aberdeen:  Burnet Psalter
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/diss/historic/collects/bps/
(Site  Excerpt) Welcome to the online version of the Burnet Psalter.  This
fifteenth-century manuscript (AUL MS 25) was bequeathed to  Marischal
College, Aberdeen by one of its most famous graduates, Gilbert  Burnet
(1643-1715), Bishop of Salisbury, historian, theological writer, and  adviser
to William III. This site provides full-page images (text and  illustration)
and details from the manuscript.

The Parma  Psalter
http://www.facsimile-editions.com/pp_page.htm
(Hey, who could  afford this georgous facsimile edition? But we can
drool.....several pages  are shared online. Site Excerpt) Of all medieval
Hebrew manuscript  psalters, one of the earliest and most important to
survive is the  masterpiece Ms. Parm. 1870 (Cod. De Rossi 510), the treasure
of the  Palatina Library in Parma, Italy. This profusely illuminated book of
Psalms  was written and decorated in about 1280, probably in Emilia in
Northern  Italy. Its 452 pages contain the biblical text in a clear, large
vocalised  Hebrew hand.

Full reference manuscripts
The Hague, KB, 69 B 10 (1-10  of 33  )
http://www.kb.nl/vh-cgi/vhfullref.pl?Language=&Iconminiaturist=&Formerowner=&e
qualsdate=&Words+from+descriptions=&Style=&searchButton%2ex=48&toheight=&searc
hButton%2ey=10&Script=&fromwidth=&nr=1&Miniaturist=&fromheight=&Iconkeywords=&
Icontext=&Scribe=&beforedate=&origin=vhoverview%2epl&Image+type=&isFromIcon=0&
from=1&Author%2c+title=psalter&Binder=&iconView=IMAGELIST&isSub=&Placeoforigin
=&isFromMan=1&towidth=&Annotation=&Shelfmark=&afterdate=&total=22&file=%2fusr%
2fwww%2fdata%2fkb%2fmanuscripts%2ftempfiles%2f685499
Note:  Copy-paste this too-lengthy URL in order to see the page. See the
Images  link at the bottom of the page to view the pages.

Psalter  Psalterium
http://wally.rit.edu/cary/cc_db/manuscripts/psalter25.html
(Site  Excerpt) Vellum leaf from an illuminated Medieval Manuscript
France; Late  14th Century Latin Text; Gothic Script 18 by 12 cm.  The
Psalter with  its one hundred and fifty psalms is the best collection of
religious lyrics  which the world possesses. It is no wonder, therefore, that
it forms an  important part of so many medieval manuscripts. The Psalms are
found not  only in manuscripts of the Bible, but also in Missals, Breviaries,
and  Books of Hours; and, as they had to be memorized by the priests, they
were  also transcribed separately.

The Medieval  Rosary
http://www.pomian.demon.co.uk/rosary.htm
(Site Excerpt) The  Rosary was brought to Europe by the Crusaders, and
consists of a number of  groups of beads. Strictly, the full rosary consisted
of three Chaplets,  each consisting of 5 Decades and 5 Paternosters. Each
decade consisted of a  number of small Ave beads (these were used to count
Ave Marias.) Although a  decade usually consisted of about ten beads, there
was variation through  the middle ages from 8 to about 15 beads. The decade
was preceded by a  large Paternoster (for the Lord's Prayer) bead, and
sometimes followed by a  Gloria bead (for Glorias) . In many cases, the
Paternoster bead and Gloria  bead are combined.

Historical Rosaries and  Paternosters
http://paternosters.home.igc.org/
(Site Excerpt) The  practice of counting prayers using a string of beads is
very old. There are  legends of St. Anthony in the desert counting his
prayers with pebbles in  the third century, and a string of beads is
preserved in Belgium that is  said to have been buried with the saintly
Abbess Gertrude (d. 659). Other  religions use prayer beads as well, but we
cannot be certain whether  Christians, Muslims and Hindus invented the idea
independently or borrowed  it from each other.

MEDIEVAL  ROSARY
http://www.spirit-of-the-past.com/medievalrosary.html
(Site  Excerpt) Different versions of the medieval rosary are often seen  in
paintings from the Middle Ages, and rosary beads are commonly found  at
archaeological excavations of medieval towns.The origin of the  Christian
rosary - a string of beads or a knotted cord used to count  prayers, is
uncertain but it may ultimately originate with the desert  monastics of the
early church. The widespread use of rosaries among Roman  Catholic laity in
medieval and modern times most likely evolved in Western  Europe (possibly
first on Ireland), as church developed more elaborate  rituals, and its
largely illiterate followers had an increasing number of  prayers to count.

Stefan's Florilegium:  rosaries-msg
http://www.florilegium.org/files/RELIGION/rosaries-msg.html
(Site  Excerpt from one message) Try contacting the Met. Museum of Art, NYC -
it  has a collection of
central Rosary beads that'll leave you standing in  front of them and staring
for an hour or more in awe over their  construction - the entire Crucifixion
in a hinged, little (4"diam.) sphere,  30 or 40 separate layers of
micro-sculpture.

SCAtoday weblink  directory
http://scatoday.net/weblink/view/170
Several Links pertaining  to paternosters and rosaries, and e-lists to
discuss them.

Prayer  Beads, A Tradition of  Prayer
http://www.ourroserosary.com/prayerbeads.htm
(Site Excerpt) The  idea of using beads to count prayers is ancient and rich
with  history.
Ireland 800-900AD Historians trace the origin of the Rosary back  to
approximately ninth century Ireland commonly called the Celtic Rosary  formed
within the Community of Saint Columbia. Today, as then, the 150  Psalms of
the Bible, the Book of Psalms of King David, were an important  form of
prayer. Monks and clergy recited or chanted the Psalms as a major  source of
hourly worship. People living near the monasteries/abbeys  realized the
beauty of this devotion but unable to read or memorize the  lengthy Psalms,
the people were unable to adapt this form of prayer for  their use.

How We Got The Beads by By Sandra  Miesel
http://www.marysyellowstone.com/hope/beads.htm
(Site Excerpt)  And, odd as it may sound, prayer beads are older than our
Rosary, and our  Rosary is older than the complete Hail Mary. The practice of
counting  prayers with beads, pebbles or other markers is not unique to
Christianity.  Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims also use beads. Christian
prayer-counting  started among the Desert Fathers around the fourth century.
They let  illiterate monks substitute 150 Our Fathers for the 150 Psalms
normally  recited. Western monastics and laity copied this. St. Gertrude of
Nevelle  (d. 659) sup­posedly owned prayer beads, as did England´s famous
Lady  Godiva (d. 1041).

Ancient Order of Hibernians
THE ORIGIN OF THE  ROSARY
by Mike McCormack National  Historian
http://www.aoh.com/history/archive/rosary.htm
(Site Excerpt)  Theologians have traced the origin of the Rosary back to the
Ninth century,  and a form of prayer that evolved in the monasteries of the
early Irish  church. Prayer and labor filled the days of the Irish monks, and
one of the  most important forms of monastic prayer was the daily chanting of
the 150  psalms of David. Lay people around the monastery would hear the
psalms  every day as they were sung or recited, and the beauty of this form
of  prayer intrigued them. They yearned to join in, but the psalms were  too
long to memorize, copies could not be found since printing was rare,  and few
knew how to read Latin anyway. The lay people were however,  determined to
adapt this prayer form for their own use.

Press  On

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent  will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals  with
talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a  proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated  derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
----Anonymous

If you wish to correspond with Aoife directly, please  send mail to: mtnlion
at ptd dot net as she is unable to respond in this  account