
A rubric is a word or section of text that is traditionally written or printed in
red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the la, rubrica, meaning
red ochre or red
chalk, and originates in
Medieval illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...
s from the 13th century or earlier. In these, red letters were used to highlight initial capitals (particularly of
psalms), section headings and names of religious significance, a practice known as
rubrication, which was a separate stage in the production of a
manuscript.
Rubric can also mean the red ink or paint used to make rubrics, or the
pigment used to make it. Although red was most often used, other colours came into use from the late
Middle Ages onwards, and the word rubric was used for these also. Medievalists can use patterns of rubrication to help identify textual traditions.
Various figurative senses of the word have been extended from its original meaning. Usually these senses are used within the set phrase "under
hateverrubric", for example, "under this rubric,
is true, or "
was doneunder the rubric of Y". Such senses include: "an authoritative rule";
"the title of a statute";
"something under which a thing is classed";
"an explanatory or introductory commentary";
"an established rule, tradition, or custom";
or
"a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic assignments".
As liturgical instructions
Instructions for a priest explaining what he must do during a
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
were also rubricated in
missals
A missal is a liturgical book containing instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the liturgical year. Versions differ across liturgical tradition, period, and purpose, with some missals intended to enable a prie ...
and the other liturgical books, and the texts to be spoken aloud were in black. From this, "rubric" has a secondary denotation of an instruction in a text, regardless of how it is actually inscribed. This is the oldest recorded definition in English, found in 1375. Less formally, "rubrics" may refer to any liturgical action customarily performed, whether or not pursuant to a written instruction. The history, status, and authority of the content of rubrics are significant, and sometimes controversial, among liturgical scholars. In the past, some theologians distinguished between rubrics they considered of Divine origin and those merely of human origin. Rubrics were probably originally verbal, and then written in separate volumes. The earliest extant liturgical books do not contain them, but from references in texts of the first millennium it appears that written versions existed. Full rubrics regarding matters such as
vesture, appearance of the
altar, timing of specific liturgies, and similar matters still may be published separately. In modern liturgical books, e. g. the
Catholic ''
Roman Missal'', lengthy general rubrics, probably printed in black, pertain to such matters and preface the actual order of liturgies, which contain shorter, specific rubrics that still are usually rubricated. Red is also often used to distinguish words spoken by the celebrant and those by the congregation, or by other specific persons involved in the liturgy, e. g. those marrying.
After the development of printing

With the arrival of
printing, other typographic effects such as
italic type, bolded type, or different sizes of type were used to emphasize a section of text, and as printing in two colours is more expensive and time consuming,
rubrication has tended to be reserved for sacred and liturgical books or luxury editions of other works.
William Morris's medievally inspired typography for the
Kelmscott Press at the end of the 19th century included chapter titles and other accents in red, or rarely blue, ink, and was influential on
small press
A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably.
Independent press is general ...
art typography associated with the
Arts and Crafts movement in both
England and the
United States, particularly the work of the
Ashendene,
Doves, and
Roycroft Presses.
[Parry, Linda: ''William Morris'', New York: Harry Abrams, 1996, .]
Around 1900,
rubrication was incorporated into a
Red letter edition
file:Kjv bible rl.jpg, A page from a red-letter edition King James Bible
Red letter edition bibles are those in which the words considered as being spoken by Jesus Christ are printed in red ink.
History
The inspiration for rubricating the words of ...
of the King James Version of the
Bible to distinguish the Dominical words, i. e., those spoken by
Jesus Christ during His corporeal life on Earth, because that translation lacked quotation marks. Other versions of the
Bible have since adopted the popular practice.
Rubrics in education
A rubric is an explicit set of criteria used for assessing a particular type of work or performance and provides more details than a single grade or mark. Rubrics, therefore, help teachers grade more objectively and "they improve students' ability to include required elements of an assignment".
See also
*
Code of Rubrics
The Code of Rubrics is a three-part liturgical document promulgated in 1960 under Pope John XXIII, which in the form of a legal code indicated the liturgical and sacramental law governing the celebration of the Roman Rite Mass and Divine Office. ...
*
Rubrication
*
Scriptorium
References
Glossary of Manuscript Terms British Library
External links
*
Rubrics of the Anglican Low Mass (from 1931)Very full set of rubrics (more than a normal service book would include); perversely, the words to be spoken are here shown in red, and the rubrics in black.
Rubrics showing who speaks are in red; others in small italics.
Examples of Kelmscott Press pages showing use of red accents.
''So this then is the preachment entitled Chicago tongue''A "flip book" presentation of the Roycroft Press edition c. 1913, illustrating use of rubrics in the Arts and Crafts tradition.
''Good Recipes''This
cookbook
A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes.
Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food.
Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...
published by the Woman's Society of the Winnetka Congregational Church in 1906 shows the influence of Arts and Crafts rubrics on everyday typography in the early 20th century.
{{Book structure
Typography
Manuscripts
Christian practices
Catholic liturgy