Preaching with the Hands: Notes on Cassiodorus’ Praise of Handwriting and its Medieval Reception
Félix Heinzer
Pre-modern Western book production is first and foremost a matter of manuscript culture. Hence, the role copyists - in early period this tradition they were mostly monks outstanding importance: no handwritten books without dedicated work scribes! In fact, instead addressing laborious physical effort copying, idealization scribes tends to focus on religious dimensions. The starting point emphatic praise handwriting by late antique Roman statesman scholar Cassiodorus, who spiritualizes scribal activity as form ‘manual’ preaching. article attempts trace medieval reception seminal concept, particularly popular within Carthusian tradition, up Jean Gerson’s De laude scriptorum 1423 homonymous treatise German Benedictine abbot Johannes Trithemius, published 1492 printed (!).
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