The ''Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum'' (''Small index of superstitions and paganism'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

collection of

capitularies A capitulary ( Medieval Latin ) was a series of legislative or administrative acts emanating from the Frankish court of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, especially that of Charlemagne, the first emperor of the Romans in the west since ...

identifying and condemning superstitious and pagan beliefs found in the north of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

Dierkens 24. and among the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

s during the time of their subjugation and conversion by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

. From the original manuscript only the cover remains, which lists thirty chapters. The manuscript is held in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

in a collection (''Codex Palatinus Latinus'' 577) which probably originates from

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

and thence traveled to

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, arriving there in 1479. From Mainz it went to the

Bibliotheca Palatina The Bibliotheca Palatina (" Palatinate library") of Heidelberg was the most important library of the German Renaissance, numbering approximately 5,000 printed books and 3,524 manuscripts. The Bibliotheca was a prominent prize captured during t ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, and arrived in Rome at the latest in 1623. Preceding the ''Indiculus'' is the so-called

Old Saxon Baptismal Vow The ''Old Saxon Baptismal Vow'', also called the ''Old Saxon Catechism'', ''Utrecht Baptismal Vow'' and ''Abrenuntiatio Diaboli'', is a baptismal vow that was found in a ninth-century manuscript in a monastery library in Mainz, Germany. The vow ...

. The text is edited in the ''Karlomanni Principis Capitulare'', published by the

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'' (''MGH'') is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of Northwestern and Central European history from the end of the Roman Empir ...

Date

''Codex Palatinus Latinus'' 577 itself appears to have been copied ca. 800 in either Fulda or

. Alain Dierkens argues, on the basis of word choice (the correspondence between the phrase ''superstitionem et paganiarum'' and the diction used by Boniface in his 742 letter to

Pope Zachary Pope Zachary ( la, Zacharias; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of sla ...

) and a comparison between the content of the ''Indiculus'' and the conclusions of the

Concilium Germanicum The Concilium Germanicum was the first major Church synod to be held in the eastern parts of the Frankish kingdoms. It was called by Carloman on 21 April 742/743 at an unknown location, and presided over by Boniface, who was solidified in his posi ...

(744), that the ''Indiculus'' was indeed appended to or pertained to the decisions made at the Concilium Germanicum and the two consequent Frankish synods at Estinnes and Soissons. In other words, they were not the product of a late-seventh century scribe at Fulda, nor were the prohibitions aimed specifically or exclusively at the Saxons.

Significance

The index provides valuable insight into the religious culture of the pagan Saxons (from the Christian point of view) and into the daily practices of Christian missionaries working in that area. Since it is more or less contemporary with the activities of

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...

in modern-day Germany, he has been called a "guiding influence" on its compilation. According to Alain Dierkens, the ''Indiculus'', which he thinks derives from the "entourage" of Boniface, evidences the ongoing practice of pre-Christian practices, including divination, the use of amulets, magic, and witchcraft, and suggests that the church allowed or transformed certain practices which it had been unable to extirpate.Dierkens 25-26.

Editions

"Forma Abrenuntiationis diaboli; Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum"
Georg Heinrich Pertz, ''Capitularia regum Francorum'' Vol. 1. MGH, 1835, 19-20.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * *Homann, Holger. ''Der Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum und verwandte Denkmäler.'' PhD diss., Faculty of Philosophy, University of Göttingen, 28 November 1966. *Homann, Holger; Eckard Meineke, and Ruth Schmidt-Wiegand. ''Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum''. In: Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich,

Heiko Steuer Heiko Steuer (born 30 October 1939) is a German archaeologist, notable for his research into social and economic history in early Europe. He serves as co-editor of Germanische Altertumskunde Online. Career Heiko Steuer was born on 30 October, 1 ...

(eds.), ''

Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde ''Germanische Altertumskunde Online'', formerly called ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'', is a German encyclopedia of the study of Germanic history and cultures, as well as the cultures that were in close contact with them. The first ...

'' Volume 15. Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2000. . pp. 369–384. *Saupe, Heinrich Albin
''Der Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum, ein Verzeichnis heidnischer nnd abergläubischer Gebräuche und Meinungen aus der Zeit Karls des Großen, aus zumeist gleichzeitigen Schriften erläutert''
Programm der Städtischen Realgymnasiums zu Leipzig, 1890. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum 9th-century Latin books Ancient Roman religion Manuscripts of the Vatican Library Paganism in Europe Religious studies books Saint Boniface Sources on Germanic paganism 9th-century Latin writers Writers from the Carolingian Empire

Date

Significance

Editions

See also

References