''Fasciculus mirre'' is a Germanic devotional book that was popular in the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

during the first half of the sixteenth century. The text contains meditations on the life of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, most notably the

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

.Pallarés Jiménez, Miguel Ángel. “Algunas Reflexiones Sobre El Inicio de la Tipografía en Zaragoza y Aragón: Cambios Pervivencias en la Transición del Códice al Impreso.” ''Universidad de Zaragoza'' (2002): 114. http://ifc.dpz.es/recursos/publicaciones/32/44/05pallares.pdf Its

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

title (meaning "a bundle of

myrrh Myrrh (; from an unidentified ancient Semitic language, see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a few small, thorny tree species of the '' Commiphora'' genus, belonging to the Burseraceae family. Myrrh resin has been used ...

" in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

) comes from the first chapter of ''Canticum Canticorum'': "''Fasciculus Myrrhae dilectus meus mihi inter ubera mea commorabituris''." ''Fasciculus mirre'' is often sometimes spelled as ''Fasciculus myrre'', or ''myrrhæ'', and can also be referred to by an English title, ''On the Life of Christ''.Indiana University of Pennsylvania Special Collections and University Archives. ''Pages from the Past: Original leaves from Rare Books and Manuscripts: Manuscript Group 178'' (Jan. 29, 2015): 7. http://libs0500.library.iup.edu/depts/speccol/All%20Finding%20Aids/Finding%20aids/MG%20or%20Col/MG178Word.pdf The earliest known printed version dates to approximately 1500 CE in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

city of

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

.''Pages from the Past: Original Leaves from Rare Books and Manuscripts. Portfolio Set I: History of the Written Word.'' Washington, D.C.: Foliophiles, 1964.

Background

''Fasciculus mirre'' was first compiled by an anonymous

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

city of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, although the exact date of its original composition is unknown. During a time when

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

was on the eve of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, the pocket-sized text was convenient for those who could carry it around with them everywhere, reading it throughout the day and embracing the spiritual power it was believed to have embodied. Map Burgundian Netherlands 1477-en

Following the expansion of both the printing press and the Reformation during the first half of the sixteenth century, various editions of the book were widely circulated throughout the

while the region was under the control of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. Between 1518 and 1550, twenty separate editions of ''Fasciculus mirre'' were printed in the bustling,

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

hub of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, a city which was becoming an epicenter of commercial printing as well as a popular safe-haven for non-Catholic religious movements such as

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

and

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Dutch Printed Editions, 1500-1578

*1500: Delft - Roelant Bollaert *1504: Antwerp -

Willem Vorsterman Willem Vorsterman (died 1543) was an early printer of books, active in Antwerp between 1504 and 1543. He published about 400 books in Dutch, Spanish, English, Latin, French and Danish, making him the second most productive printer in the Netherland ...

*1517: Delft - Hugo Jansz (or Janszoon) van

Woerden Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...

, edited by Matthias Weynsen (or Weijnsen) (or Matthijs Wentsen) *1518: Antwerp - Henrick van Eckert Homberch, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1519: Antwerp - Willem Vorsterman, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1519:

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

- Hugo Jansz van Woerden *1520: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1526: Antwerp - Symon Cock voor (for) Roelant Bollaert, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1527: Antwerp - Jan I van Ghelen *1527: Antwerp - Willem Vorsterman *1529: Antwerp - Symon Cock, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1534: Antwerp - Willem Vorsterman *1535: Antwerp - Willem Vorsterman *1537: Antwerp - Hansken van Liesvelt *1537: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch *1538: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch *1539: Antwerp - Symon Cock *1540: Antwerp - Jan I van Ghelen *1540: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch *1543: Antwerp - Willem Vorsterman, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1543: Antwerp - Jacob van Liesvelt *1544: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1546:

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

- Peter Janszoon, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1548: Antwerp - Jacob van Liesvelt, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1550: Antwerp - Heyndrick Peetersen van Middelburch, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1550: Unknown Location - Unknown Printer (woodcuts by Bollaert?) *1554: Leiden - Peter Janszoon, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1565: Antwerp - Peeter van Keerberghen, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1565: Leiden - Dierick Gerridt Horst voor Peeter van Keerberghen, edited by Matthias Weynsen *1569: Antwerp - Jan II van Ghelen *1572-78: Antwerp - Symon Cock voor Roelant Bollaert

English Jesuit Version

In 1632-33, the book was translated into English by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest John Falconer. Falconer published it as ''Fasciculus myrrhæ. Or a briefe treatise of our Lord and Sauiours passion. Written by the R. Fa. I. F. of the Society of Iesus''.

Modern Significance

Today, ''Fasciculus mirre'' continues to be a curious obscurity in the vast realm of devotional literature and

incunabula An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...

. Fully intact copies are extremely rare, but can be found throug
the Universal Short Title Catalogue database
Typically, only leaves (single pages with text on each side) can be found within the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, either in museums or in University Libraries of Special Collections, as such leaves are prized among collectors of rare

medieval manuscripts In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, incunabula, and post-incunabula.

Examples of Leaves Housed at University Libraries in the United States

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan * Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Notes

External links

The Universal Short Title Catalogue, hosted by the University of Saint Andrews
{Dead link, date=April 2024 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes , is "a collective database of all books published in Europe between the invention of printing and the end of the sixteenth century," which includes a list of 29 different editions of ''Fasciculus mirre'' that were printed in various Dutch cities between 1504 and 1578.
Preservation Measures: Pages from the Past. Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
detailed information on The Foliophiles, Inc. and the practice of biblioclasty (book-breaking). Christian manuscripts