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plied here, and it has important lessons to teach us. The time frame, stretching
from the 16" to the 18" century, was observed strictly in the choice of the texts,
but the notes may in some, but not all, cases contain references to earlier ante¬
cedents and later manifestations, as well. As regards the limits of the geographic
area under discussion, we can again make a clear distinction between the source
publications and the criteria of the introductory essay. When selecting the vari¬
ous types of rites for publication, we only took into account the repertoire of the
books of ritual published in Hungary. Collections published outside this country
were used only for the notes and, naturally, for the statements of the introduc¬
tory essay. In our use of comparative criteria the centre was mostly Central Eu¬
rope (South-German, Austrian, Czech and Polish) which we brought in relation
primarily with Italy (Rome). Naturally, the analogies named here do not show
the full historical horizon of partial phenomena, only offer a few points of refer¬
ence for later and more detailed analysis.
In the international literature of the subject Adolph Franz’s substantial work
(Die kirchlichen Benediktionen im Mittelalter J-II. Freiburg i. Br., 1909) is still seen as
the standard and compulsory basis of reference which offers comprehensive descrip¬
tion and offers published sources mainly with the Middle Ages and the German
speaking areas its focus. Few new clerical benedictions have been published since
the work of prelate Franz. Neglect of relevant texts of the post-16"" century period is
particularly noticeable. It seems that an entire century had to elapse after the pub¬
lication in 1909 of this seminal collection before another independent volume could
grasp the characteristics of the practice of benediction in the early modern period,
seen as the epoch of great changes, this time from a Hungarian perspective.
In the literature of the subject it is still a commonly held view that the Mid¬
dle Ages (particularly the 7'"-16" centuries) were the golden age’ of the practice
of benediction in the Western church. According to the comprehensive evalua¬
tion of the religious life of the period from the perspective of the history of men¬
talities, the most elementary tool of the so-called ‘white magic’ of the mediaeval
church was the arsenal of blessings which served to meet any of the most varied
needs of the believers, including the troubles of the body or the soul, the vicis¬
situdes of everyday life or the challenges of nature. God’s servants could bless or
purge anything they wished, expelling demonic powers — the land surrounding
the village, the fields, the harvest, the fruit trees and the gardens, the vineyards,
the plough fields and the pastures, courtyards, houses, rooms, the marital bed,
the kitchen and the hearth, food and wine, bread, salt and water, the farm build¬
ings, the tools, the fishing boats and the fishing lakes, the domestic stock and its
fodder, the people in battle, soldiers headed for battle, a journey or a pilgrimage
or the returning travellers; women in labour during and after childbirth, chil¬
dren of various ages and so on. The priests could heal the most varied illnesses
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