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The ''Ars moriendi'' ("The Art of Dying") are two related Latin texts dating from about 1415 and 1450 which offer advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death, explaining how to "die well" according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages. It was written within the historical context of the effects of the macabre horrors of the Black Death 60 years earlier and consequent social upheavals of the 15th century. It was very popular, translated into most West European languages, and was the first in a western literary tradition of guides to death and dying. There was originally a "long version" and then a later "short version" containing eleven woodcut pictures as instructive images which could be easily explained and memorized. ==Long version== The original "long version", called ''Tractatus'' (or ''Speculum'') ''artis bene moriendi'', was composed in 1415 by an anonymous Dominican friar, probably at the request of the Council of Constance (1414–1418, Germany).〔N.F. Blake (1982). "Ars Moriendi". ''Dictionary of the Middle Ages''. v.1, pp547-8. ISBN 0-684-16760-3〕 This was widely read and translated into most West European languages, and was very popular in England, where a tradition of consolatory death literature survived until the 17th century. Works in the English tradition include ''The Waye of Dying Well'' and ''The Sick Mannes Salve''. In 1650, ''Holy Living and Holy Dying'' became the "artistic climax" of the tradition that had begun with ''Ars moriendi''.〔Nancy Beaty (1970). ''The Craft of Dying: A Study of the Literary Traditions of the Ars Moriendi in England''. ISBN 0-300-01336-1〕 ''Ars Moriendi'' was also among the first books printed with movable type and was widely circulated in nearly 100 editions before 1500, in particular in Germany. The long version survives in about 300 manuscript versions, only one illustrated. ''Ars moriendi'' consists of six chapters:〔 # The first chapter explains that dying has a good side, and serves to console the dying man that death is not something to be afraid of. # The second chapter outlines the five temptations that beset a dying man, and how to avoid them. These are lack of faith, despair, impatience, spiritual pride and avarice. # The third chapter lists the seven questions to ask a dying man, along with consolation available to him through the redemptive powers of Christ's love. # The fourth chapter expresses the need to imitate Christ's life. # The fifth chapter addresses the friends and family, outlining the general rules of behavior at the deathbed. # The sixth chapter includes appropriate prayers to be said for a dying man. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ars moriendi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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