Graphic Ciphers and the Early Medieval Practices of Collectio and Concealment

Abstract

This paper explores the deployment of two types of graphic ciphers, namely occult caracteres and monograms, in early medieval Latin books in the period from c. 750 to c. 1000. Even though both types of signs originated in the classical world, their deployment in the Carolingian world profoundly changed in terms of media, social contexts, and functional use. Hence decipherable monograms developed into a new form of concealment. Although early Christian church fathers and Carolingian bishops condemned the employment of undecipherable caracteres for apotropaic and healing purposes, on rare occasions Carolingian monks and priests copied apotropaic incantations and healing recipes featuring caracteres. They did so partly because, in the early Middle Ages, medical knowledge was appreciated for its practical efficiency. The use of such caracteres also points to the tendency of Christian scribes to invest Greek and other “foreign” letterforms with some form of intercessory or apotropaic power. This paper contends that the deployment of these two visual phenomena in early medieval Latin manuscripts bears witness to the elevated status of Carolingian scribes and masters as paramount experts in the transmission of knowledge essential for the prosperity and well-being of the Christian people.