Spiritual Alphabets in Italy, 16th-17th century

Authors

Keywords:

Counter-Reformation, religious education, moral education, in early modern Italy

Abstract

According to the definition in the first edition of the Vocabolario della Crusca (1691), “alphabet” is the “name given to the collection of elements of languages, so called because of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet.” Even in the early modern age, therefore, the qualities that characterize the alphabet are the essentiality of information and the order of presentation.

Starting in the last quarter of the sixteenth century, however, “Alphabet” became a frequent title for post-Tridentine religious and moral manuals. Alphabets for confession, alphabets of examples, alphabets for prayer and preaching, etc. were published. The assumption of a wealth of essential information to be administered to the reader in a specific order remained, but the doctrinal field of reference (orthodox and anti-Erasmian) and the expectations regarding the responsibility and autonomy of the Christian reader changed. This presentation aims to offer an initial examination of the content and style of the most exemplary of these publications from a diachronic perspective.

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Published

2026-01-29

How to Cite

Madella, L. (2026). Spiritual Alphabets in Italy, 16<sup>th</sup>-17<sup>th</sup> century. Educació I Història: Revista d’Història De l’Educació, 259–277. Retrieved from https://revistes.iec.cat/index.php/EduH/article/view/156024

Issue

Núm. 47 (2026): gener-juny: Els cursets de selecció professional (1931-1936): Una revisió historiogràfica comparativa de la formació i selecció de mestres durant la Segona República

Section

Assays and researches

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