An Introduction to the Medieval Bible

An accessible account of the Bible in the Middle Ages that traces the formation of the medieval canon.

Frans van Liere (Author)

9780521684606, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 March 2014

338 pages, 12 b/w illus. 3 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.45 kg

'This book is full of treasures for both students and scholars alike. The former will be introduced to the medieval Bible and its interpretive traditions, which lamentably have become a lost world in the curricula of biblical and theological studies. The latter will be confronted with fresh ideas which will spark new avenues for thinking about the reception history of the Bible in the Latin tradition.' Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

The Middle Ages spanned the period between two watersheds in the history of the biblical text: Jerome's Latin translation c.405 and Gutenberg's first printed version in 1455. The Bible was arguably the most influential book during this time, affecting spiritual and intellectual life, popular devotion, theology, political structures, art, and architecture. In an account that is sensitive to the religiously diverse world of the Middle Ages, Frans van Liere offers here an accessible introduction to the study of the Bible in this period. Discussion of the material evidence - the Bible as book - complements an in-depth examination of concepts such as lay literacy and book culture. This introduction includes a thorough treatment of the principles of medieval hermeneutics, and a discussion of the formation of the Latin bible text and its canon. It will be a useful starting point for all those engaged in medieval and biblical studies.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. The Bible as book
3. The medieval canon
4. The text of the medieval Bible
5. Medieval hermeneutics
6. The commentary tradition
7. The vernacular Bible
8. The Bible in worship and preaching
9. The 'Bible for the poor'?
Afterword.

Subject Areas: New Testaments [HRCF2], History of religion [HRAX], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC]