[CRACOVIA, Mattheus de,] attr. AQUINAS, Saint Thomas.

Extremely rare Cologne edition of this manual of confession by the medieval Polish theologian Matthew of Krakόw (d.1410), formerly attributed to the Saint Thomas Aquinas, possibly produced for the Dominican community in Cologne. The city was a major Dominican centre north of the Alps, Thomas Aquinas having taught there at the order’s famous studium. 

The work ostensibly functions as a guide to the theology of confession, which Cracovia says must be made purely, truthfully and completely. This is predominantly, however, a scholastic thesis on the nature of sin, its origin, the level of intention involved, and its tempus et loci: a sin is worse if committed in a church than at home, for example, just as it is worse to sin on a holy day than a normal one, and, naturally, it is worse to commit any kind of sin twice, as opposed to once only. Much of the discussion is to do with the level of sensuality involved in different kinds of sin, i.e. whether spiritual or corporeal, with which part of the body is the sin committed, etc. Cracovia dedicates several sections to ‘pollution’ (i.e. ejaculation), discussing its causes and whether one can take communion afterwards. One section is specially devoted to instances of ‘self-pollution’ while awake, without any movement of the flesh and without any feeling of pleasure. Cracovia refers to medical opinion to argue that such involuntary effluence of ‘humours’ cannot be considered polluting, as noted by a contemporary reader. Other sins discussed include impure thoughts, dishonesty, malicious speech, complacency of habits, etc.

The delightful woodcut, which appears twice here, depicts St. Anne with the Virgin and Child. It was used in publications by other printers in Cologne such as Heinrich Quentell and the Retro Minores, a print shop identified by its location behind the city’s Minorite Convent.