An Introduction to the Medieval Bible [Paperback]

An accessible account of the Bible in the Middle Ages that traces the formation of the medieval canon.An accessible account of the Bible in the Middle Ages for those engaged in medieval and biblical studies. Discussion of the material evidence  the Bible as book  complements in-depth examination of lay literacy and book culture. Principles of medieval hermeneutics and the formation of the medieval canon are examined.An accessible account of the Bible in the Middle Ages for those engaged in medieval and biblical studies. Discussion of the material evidence  the Bible as book  complements in-depth examination of lay literacy and book culture. Principles of medieval hermeneutics and the formation of the medieval canon are examined.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. [W]ell-produced, affordable, thoughtful, and engagilã*