''Scala Dei'' (Stair of God), also called ''Tractat de contemplació'' (Contemplation treatise), is a literary work written by

Francesc Eiximenis Francesc Eiximenis (; – 1409) was a Franciscan Catalan people, Catalan writer who lived in the 14th-century Crown of Aragon. He was possibly one of the more successful medieval Catalan writers since his works were widely read, copied, publishe ...

possibly in 1399 in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in Catalan and dedicated to Maria de Luna, queen of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

and wife of king

Martin of Aragon Martin the Humane (29 July 1356 – 31 May 1410), also called the Elder and the Ecclesiastic, was King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409 (as Martin II). He failed to secure th ...

Origin

Some parts of the '' Llibre de les dones'' (Book of Women), specifically the ones included in the ''Treaty of penance'' and the ''Treatise of contemplation'', were included later in the book that Eiximenis probably offered to queen Maria de Luna when his husband

(and she also) was crowned, as Andreu Ivars pointed out. We know the king's coronation took place on 13 April 1399, and the queen's on 23 April 1399.

Content

Thus the book that is known as ''Scala Dei'' (Stair of God), would consist in parts of the above-mentioned Llibre de les dones. Together with the parts of this work that are literally transcribed, chapters 101 to 274 (that deal with

theological virtues Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally the theolo ...

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in classical philosophy. They are prudence, Justice (virtue), justice, Courage, fortitude, and Temperance (virtue), temperance. They form a Virtue ethics, virtue theory of ethics. The t ...

, the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

, the

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...

and the

senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the surroundings through the detection of stimuli. Although, in some cultures, five human senses were traditionally identified as su ...

) are summarized, as scholar Curt Wittlin showed.Wittlin, Curt J. ''De Lo Llibre de les dones a la Scala Dei''. Actes del Tercer Col·loqui d’Estudis Catalans a Nord-Amèrica. PAM. 1983. 139-152. {{in lang, ca This book belongs to the genre of prayer books, which had a lot of success during the late

Middle Ages 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 global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and specially among the upper classes.

Digital editions

Manuscripts

Edition in the ''Biblioteca Virtual Joan Lluís Vives'' (Joan Lluís Vives Virtual Library) of the manuscript 86 from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

's Reserve Books.

Incunabula

Edition in the ''Memòria Digital de Catalunya'' (Digital Memory of Catalonia) of the incunabula edition, printed in Barcelona on 27 October 1494 by Diego de Gumiel.

Modern editions

''Scala Dei''. Barcelona. PAM. 1985. 100. Transcription of the ancient manuscript and preliminary notes by Curt Wittlin. Version into modern Catalan by Elisabet Ràfols.

''Scala Dei'' inside Francesc Eiximenis' complete works on line

Francesc Eiximenis' complete works (in Catalan and Latin)

References

Incunabula Francesc Eiximenis Medieval Catalan literature Catalan-language works