''Regimen Animarum'' is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power ...

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

that was written in 1343 for the Archbishop of Canterbury. It contains the Office of the Feast of Corpus Christi.

History

''Regimen Aminarum'' is a Latin book that was written in 1343 by a Frenchman called "Beche." It was written for the Archbishop of Canterbury. It contains the Office of the Feast of Corpus Christi and talks about its history. It also contains teachings and

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...

used in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. It was intended to be a summary of the Catholic beliefs and an English clerical manual. The ''Regimen Animarum'' is not original content, but is the work of various Latin manuals combined. "Beche," therefore, is most likely the compiler of the books and not the scribe that wrote them. Of the three books that are found in the ''Regimen Animarum,'' his name appears in two of them. The ''Regimen Animarum'' includes many of the offences and abuses that occurred in the church at this time. The book makes mention of rising resistance to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. The book, therefore, anticipated the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

that would come later. The book remained with private owners until recently. The ''Regimen Animarum'' is currently in the

L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's speci ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Format and composition

The original book has 211 leaves and has pages made of parchment. It has nineteen gatherings of pages. Before the text of ''Regimen Animarum'' begins, there are four leaves which contain the New Office of the Corpus Christi. Each page is written with two columns and between 48 and 50 lines each. It also contains various pages of

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, A ...

. All headings in the book are red, and initials are in blue. The codex binding is made of goatskin. The book is a compilation of three books. The first section of the book talks about the state of the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

. It discusses dangers to the soul as well as the importance of reverence and spiritual

rituals A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

. The second part of the book is about teaching and exhortations of the Catholic Church. The third part talks about the sacraments.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Regimen Aminarum''
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Medieval music manuscript sources Medieval books 13th-century Latin books Harold B. Lee Library-related rare books articles