Chutzpah
(Yiddish) Impudence, insolence
Cilice
Instrument of mortification; chain with metal points worn to pinch the bare thigh causing pain
Cincture
Girdle worn by monks and other clerics around their habit or soutane
Deprecare Deum, sancta Michael Archangele, ut conterat satanam sub pedibus nostris, ne ultra valeat captivos tenere homines, et Ecclesiae nocere!
Pray to God to send Saint Michael the Archangel to crush Satan beneath our feet, lest he prevail further to hold men in captivity and harm the Church!
Deus vult!
God wills it!
Dispensation
Canon law: official exemption from legal prohibition or law
Dominus vobiscum! Et cum spiritu tuo
The Lord be with you! And with your spirit
Dormitory
Sleeping place of the monks
Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis
I absolve you from your sins
Epiphany
Manifestation or self-revelation of God to humankind
Ex cathedra
(Infallible) proclamation of the Pope speaking from his throne (cathedra)
Exegesis
Bible interpretation
Famulus
(fem: Famula) assistant, servant
Festum Nativitatis Mariae
Feast of the Nativity of Mary; 8th September
Folio
Large book (format roughly equivalent to A3)
General Chapter
Assembly of all the abbots of an order presided over by an archbishop
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde: ut, qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi filii tui incarnationem cognovimus . . .
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel . . .
Habit
Garb of a monk
Hanukkah
(Hebrew: Festival of Lights) Jewish holiday lasting eight days (November/December)
Heresy
A doctrine, teaching or practice which contradicts the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church
Herald
Envoy of a feudal lord wearing the coat of arms of his master
Indulgence
Remission of temporal punishment due to sin regulated by the Church
Infirmarius
Male nurse in a monastery
Infirmary
Where the sick were cared for in a monastery
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
Inquisitor
Chief investigator of a church procedure with the aim of proving and persecuting heresy
Insubordination
Disobedience towards superiors
Ita nobis/me Deus adiuvet!
So help us/me God!
Joust
Lance joust at a tournament: two knights in full armour ride towards each other to unseat the opponent with a thrust of the lance or at least strike a blow on the shield or helmet of the opponent
Kaddish
Jewish death prayer
Lex
(Latin) law or legal regulation
Mezuzah (pl. mezuzot)
A little box containing verses from the Torah attached to the doorframe
Mitre
Liturgical headdress worn by bishops
Monstrance
A tall liturgical vessel in which the host is displayed for worship
Nebbich!
(Yiddish) Nonsense!
Oremus!
Let us pray!
Pandemonium
A wild uproar; the abode of all demons and evil spirits
Per passionem eius et crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen
May we by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
Prior
Deputy of the abbot, second-in-charge of a monastery
Primacy
(Latin) primus meaning first; usually priority of the papacy over imperial rule
Purge
To use a laxative
Quarto, octavo, duodecimo volumes
Book formats; quarter, eighth and twelfth sheet sizes (half-sheet size: folio)
Refectory
Dining hall of a monastery
Regalia
The emblems and insignia particular to a king or any special officeholder; also ceremonial robes
Scapular
A long piece of cloth with an opening for the head worn front and back by monks over their tunic
Schmonzes
(Yiddish) Nonsense, rubbish
Scriptorium
Room in a monastery where books were copied
Soutane
Full-length garment of a cleric (not a monk); worn with a black, purple or red cincture (fabric belt or cord) depending on rank
Stentorian voice
A loud and powerful voice
Sword of Damocles
Proverbial for imminent, predictable danger; an anecdote by Cicero telling of a banquet during which the host had a sword suspended by a horse hair over Damocles to remind him that death was ever-present
Tiara
A three-tiered crown worn by the Pope
Tonsure
Shaving of the crown of the head among monks leaving a fringe all around
Torso (pl. Torsi)
Trunk (of the body without limbs)
Videmus nunc per speculum in enigmate, tunc autem facie ad faciem
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face
Visitation
Official visit of inspection by a clerical superior to a monastery in his jurisdiction
Vitta (pl. vittae)
The ends of the ribbon around the mitre which hang down the neck (lappets)
Zucchetto
Skull cap; purple for bishops, white for the Pope
About the Author
Johanna Geiges is an established author of screenplays for major television productions and devotes herself full time to writing. She lives with her family in Bavaria.
First published in Germany in 2012 by Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin
This e-book edition published in Great Britain in 2016 by Manilla Publishing, 80–81 Wimpole St, London, W1G 9RE
www.manillabooks.com
Copyright © Johanna Geiges, 2012 and Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin
Cover copyright © Copyright: Ullstein Verlage, Berlin
English translation copyright © Christine O’Neill for Parkbench Publishing Services 2016
The moral right of Johanna Geiges to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-7865-8002-3
This e-book was produced by IDSUK (Data Connection) Ltd
Manilla Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Zaffre, a Bonnier Publishing company
www.manillabooks.com
www.bonnierpublishing.co.uk
ooks on Archive.
The Apothecary's Secret Page 39