Everything about Rubric Ecclesiastical totally explained
A
rubric is a word or section of text which is written or printed in
red ink to highlight it. The term derives from the, meaning
red ochre or red
chalk, and originates in
Medieval illuminated manuscripts from the
13th century or earlier. In these, red letters were used to highlight initial capitals (particularly of
psalms), section headings and names of religious significance, a practice known as
rubrication, which was a separate stage in the production of a
manuscript.
Rubric can also mean the red ink or paint used to make rubrics, or the
pigment used to make it. Although red was most often used, other colours came into use from the late
Middle Ages onwards, and the word rubric was used for these also.
Instructions
Instructions for a priest explaining what he'd to do during a
liturgical service were also rubricated in
missals and the other forms of service book, leaving the sections to be spoken aloud in black. From this, rubric has a second meaning of an instruction in a text, regardless of how it's written or printed. This is in fact the oldest recorded meaning in English, found in 1375. Less formally, rubrics may refer to any liturgical action customarily performed over the course of a service, whether or not they're actually written down.
The history, status and authority of the content of rubrics is a matter of significance, and sometimes controversy, among scholars of liturgy. In the past, some theologians attempted to distinguish between those rubrics they considered to be of divine origin, and those merely of human origin. Rubrics were probably originally verbal, and then written down in separate volumes. The earliest service books to survive don't contain them, but from references in writings of the first millennium it appears that written versions existed. Full rubrics covering matters such as the
vestments to be worn, the appearance of the
altar, when to hold particular services and similar matters may still be published separately. In modern service books like the
Roman Missal, lengthy general rubrics (probably printed in the normal black) cover such issues, and preface the actual orders of service, which contain shorter basic rubrics for the conduct of the service, still usually in printed in red. Red is also often used to distinguish between words to be spoken by the celebrant and the congregation, or by other specific people involved in a service (people being married for example).
After printing
[[Image:Kelmscott Press Laudes.png|thumb|right|Page from the 1896 Kelmscott Press edition of the 13th century
Laudes Beatae Mariae Virginis, with numbers and first lines of
Psalms in red, in between prayers in black.
In recent years, a
more specific meaning of a "scoring tool" for tests has developed in the field of education from the older senses of the word.
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