Ars moriendi: Encyclopedia - Ars moriendi

Ars moriendi

Ars moriendi ("The Art of Dying") is the name of two related Latin texts dating from 1415 and 1450 which offers advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death and on how to "die well", according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages. It was written within the historical context of the effects of the macabre horrors of the Black Death 60 years earlier and consequent social upheavals of the 15th century. It was very popular, translated into most West European languages, and was the first in a western literary tradition of guides to death and dying.

There was originally a "long version" and then a later "short version" containing eleven woodcut pictures as instructive images which could be easily explained and memorized.

Ars moriendi - Long version

The original "long version", called Tractatus (or Speculum) artis bene moriendi, was composed in 1415 by an anonymous Dominican monk, probably at the request of the Council of Constance (1414–1418, Germany). It was widely read and translated into most West European languages, and was very popular in England where a literary tradition based on it survived until the 17th century Holy Living and Holy Dying which was the "artistic climax" of the consolatory death literature tradition that had begun with Ars moriendi (Nancy Lee Beaty, 1970). Other works in the English tradition include The Waye of Dying Well and The Sick Mannes Salve. Ars moriendi was also among the first printed books and was widely circulated, in particular in Germany.

Ars moriendi consists of six chapters:

1. The first chapter explains that dying has a good side, and serves to console the dying man that death is not something to be afraid of.
2. The second chapter outlines the five temptations that beset a dying man, and how to avoid them. These are lack of faith, despair, impatience, spiritual pride, and avarice.
3. The third chapter lists the seven questions to ask a dying man, along with consolation available to him through the redemptive powers of Christ's love.
4. The fourth chapter expressed the need to imitate Christ's life.
5. The fifth chapter addresses the friends and family, outlining the general rules of behavior at the deathbed.
6. The sixth chapter includes appropriate prayers to be said for a dying man.

Ars moriendi - Short version

The "short version", whose appearance coincides with the introduction of block books (books printed from carved blocks of wood, both text and images), first dates to around 1450, from the Netherlands. It is mostly an adaption of the second chapter of the "long version", and contains eleven woodcut pictures. The first ten woodcuts are divided into 5 pairs, with each set showing a picture of the devil presenting one of the 5 temptations, and the second picture showing the proper remedy for that temptation. The last woodcut shows the dying man, presumably having successfully navigated the maze of temptations, being accepted into heaven, and the devils going back to hell in confusion.

The "short version" was as popular as the "long version", but there was no English translation.

Ars moriendi - Significance

The need to prepare for one's death was well known in Medieval literature through death-bed scenes, but before the 15th century there was no literary tradition on how to prepare to die, on what a good death meant, or on how to die well. The protocols, rituals and consolations of the death bed were usually reserved for the services of an attending priest. Ars moriendi was an innovative response by the Church to changing conditions brought about by the Black Death — the ranks of the clergy had been particularly hard hit, and it would take generations to replace them in both quantity and quality — the text and pictures provided the services of a "virtual priest" to the lay public, an idea that just 60 years earlier would have been an unthinkable intrusion on the powers of the church. Ars moriendi provided guidance to dying for those who experienced the macabre horrors of the 14th and 15th centuries, in particular the Black Death; and for those who were looking for ways to distinguish themselves by doing the "proper" acts in a culture increasingly status conscious in a depopulated but consequently more prosperous Europe.

Ars moriendi - Derivative works

• The Art of Dying is the title of a 1970 song by Beatle George Harrison.
• Ars Moriendi is the name of a 1998 song by the rock band Mr. Bungle.
• Ars moriendi eller de syv dødsmåter (Ars moriendi or the seven ways of dying) is a collection of poems by the Norwegian writer Georg Johannesen.
• Ars Moriendi is the title of an oil painting by artist Peter Myer.

See also

• Bardo Thodol, Tibetan book of the Dead
• Book of the Dead, Egyptian book of the Dead
• Danse Macabre
• Memento mori
• Vanitas

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Ars moriendi", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki