Tiff over Tonsures

by Kim Rendfeld

In my forthcoming novel, The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, my heroine’s 9-year-old daughter asks an interesting question about accepting an offer of baptism in 772: “Do we have to shave our hair in that strange way?”

From the ninth century Sacramenty of Charles the Bald

The reply from Anglo-Saxon priest Father Osbald: “No, child. The tonsure is an honor reserved only for men of the clergy.”

To Father Osbald, there is only one true tonsure, the Roman style, or that of Saint Peter. It’s the style we’re most familiar with - the head shaved except for a circle along the outside, resembling the Crown of Thorns.

But the priest would have been aware of a century-old controversy over which tonsure is the right one, the Roman or the Celtic, associated with St. John. (Another type, the Eastern, or St. Paul’s, where the whole head is shaved, was not part of the dispute.)

Speculation about the shape of the Celtic tonsure varies. Either the back of the head is shaved ear to ear, or the forehead is shaved in a similar fashion, or the shaven area resembles a triangle. Scholar Daniel McCarthy, who examined primary sources, believes the Celtic tonsure was triangular, with the apex forming a V above the forehead. As the name implies, the Celtic tonsure was favored by the northern Irish and the Picts, especially those who followed the Rule of Saint Columbanus.

Stone sculpture of a Celtic hero

The controversy existed at least since 672. In a letter to the king of Cornwall and Devon, Aldhelm, abbot of Malmsbury, is none too pleased to hear rumors of clerics refusing to wear the tonsure of Saint Peter. Aldhelm goes on to allege that the Celtic style was worn by Simon Magus, a sorcerer who appears in the Acts of the Apostles.

Eighth century writers would echo Aldhelm’s claims of the Celtic tonsure’s link with Simon Magus, even though the evidence Simon wore his hair that way is hearsay at best. However, the triangular shape might have been favored by magi in Biblical times and resembled a style worn by druids.

The controversy over the clerical haircut, along with when to celebrate the Resurrection, would continue through the eighth century and at least into the ninth, as evidenced by an 817 order from Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, to the Abbey of Landevenec to conform to the Roman tonsure.

A clerical dispute over a haircut might seem a bit baffling to us in the 21st century. But in medieval times, a hairstyle was a statement of faith. According to a legend on the origin of the tonsure, people who wanted to mock Saint Peter shaved his head, but Christ blessed his apostle, transforming the dishonor into a crown “with the stone and rock of faith,” as Germanus of Constantinople puts it.

Priests and monks would want to imitate Saint Peter, the first pope, not a damned sorcerer.

Images are in the public domain or used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources
"On the Shape of the Insular Tonsure," Daniel McCarthy
"Tonsure," Catholic Encyclopedia
On the Divine Liturgy by Germanus of Constantinople

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kim Rendfeld is the author of two books set in Carolingian Francia: The Cross and the Dragon, a tale of love amid wars and blood feuds, and the forthcoming The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, a story of the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. Fireship Press is the publisher for both. For more about Kim and her fiction, visit kimrendfeld.com or her blog, Outtakes. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

The Book of Hours

by Carol McGrath

Amongst my favourite treasures of the Middle Ages are the Books Of Hours. They really belong to the High Middle Ages but have an earlier history also. The very first Book of Hours has been attributed to one, William de Brailles, of Oxford, between 1230 and 1260. Throughout the rest of the period we know as the Middle Ages this little decorated book of prayers, A Book of Hours, was a favourite with everyone in Western Europe. In other words it was 'the' medieval bestseller. Now, they are an invaluable resource for researchers of the period 1230 until the end of the fifteenth century because they give a fabulous insight into the daily life of the Middle Ages. They are also very valuable.

Boucicant Book of Hours

They began as an addition to the end of the Psalter in the early Middle Ages. The name Book of Hours is associated with the Benedictine hours of the day. The medieval hour was actually an inexact space of time that was allocated to religious or to business duties. It derives from the notion that the monastic orders specified particular prayers and rituals which were to be observed eight times a day.

Therefore, the objective of the Book of Hours is to encourage the secular world to emulate the monastic programme of daily devotion. The Book of Hours was a book of private prayer and meditation owned by ordinary people. They were, for instance, often read in bed each morning, a notion that I find enchanting because they must have been beautiful to look upon just as you wake up-and I am not a religious person!

Book of Hours known as Bruges

The manuscript for a Book of Hours is divided into sections. The core of the Book of Hours is known as 'Hours of the Virgin'. This set of psalms and prayers is designed to be used in honour of the Virgin Mary at each of the canonical hours of the day. Matins-2 a.m., Lauds-5a.m., Prime, before daybreak, Terce, 9a.m., Sext- noon, Nones- 2p.m., Vespers- sunset, and Compline- 7p.m.

There will always be a calendar showing saints' days and four short readings from the Gospel at the front of the book. Preceding the hours of the Virgin there usually are two prayers to the Virgin.

After the Hours of the Virgin there would be the Hours of the Cross and the Holy Spirit, usually short with a hymn, an antiphon and a prayer. Then there are Seven Penitential Psalms with the Litany and the Offices of the Dead. Coming to the end of the book there might be the Fifteen Joys of the Virgin and finally the important Invocations of the Saints.

If the patron is wealthy ( the books were commissioned) the book's pages could be emblazoned with initials in gold and colours and often with miniatures and decorative borders. Miniature originally came from the Latin word, minium, the red pigment used to emphasise initial letters.

The term 'Red Letter Day' derives from the practice of writing important saints' day in red ink within the calendar section of the Book of Hours. Borders became more elaborate through time. By the end of the fifteenth century they contained fabulous naturalistic animals and flowers.

Miniatures, too, developed to contain successive episodes from Biblical stories. And of course, occasionally, the owner of the book would be painted within a miniature. The notion of a Primer as a first reading book comes from the hour of Prime and the Book of Hours. It indicates just how important and widely used these small lovely little books became!

Torture of St Apollonia circa 1400

  The Calendar

• lists the saints days for each month
• festivals such as Christmas, feast day of the Virgin Mary
• local saints written in gold, red or blue
• local events such as consecration of churches, deaths of important people in the diocese
• each month may occupy two pages with illustrations showing the occupations of the month and the zodiac signs.

Sequences of the Gospels

• Hours of the Virgin
• Office of the Dead
• secondary texts such as prayer to the Virgin
• readings from the Gospels usually extracts from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John accompanied with pictorial attribute such as eagle for John, lion for Mark, angel for Matthew and ox for Luke. 

Penitential Psalms and office of the Dead

• King David usually is depicted in illustrations as he had an adventurous life, thus the illustrations are varied.
• Office of the Dead has two parts, Vespers and Matins and often miniatures show the last judgement. Later the illustrations varied and often included skeletons prancing with spears. The prayers were said over coffins!

Hell from the Du Barry Book of Hours

The most highly illustrated section after Hours of the Virgin would be the Memorials of the Saints. The section opens with prayers to the Trinity followed by prayers to the Virgin Mary, St Michael, St John the Baptist and finally a collection of local and popular saints. Like the Gospel saints, they too have their own particular emblems.  There are too many to list here, but who can ever forget St Catherine and her wheel!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carol McGrath is the author of The Handfasted Wife published by Accent Press, 2013, paperback and for e readers.