Introducing Medieval Biblical Interpretation: The Senses of Scripture in Premodern Exegesis - Paperback

by Ian Christopher Levy (Author)

Christianity Today 2019 Book Award Winner

This introductory guide, written by a leading expert in medieval theology and church history, offers a thorough overview of medieval biblical interpretation. After an opening chapter sketching the necessary background in patristic exegesis (especially the hermeneutical teaching of Augustine), the book progresses through the Middle Ages from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, examining all the major movements, developments, and historical figures of the period. Rich in primary text engagement and comprehensive in scope, it is the only current, compact introduction to the whole range of medieval exegesis.

Back Jacket

This is not simply a book about the past. It is a sly way of showing how to interpret the Bible today. Ian Levy, a learned scholar thoroughly at home in medieval culture and thought, introduces contemporary Christians to the deep spiritual world that opens up when the Bible is read as the Word of God.
--Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia

"Levy has taken a vast amount of information that often is available only to the specialist and made it easily and enjoyably accessible to non-experts. For those unfamiliar with medieval biblical interpretation, this volume is a readable yet rich introduction to the topic. It lays out the broad trajectory of medieval biblical interpretation and demonstrates its relevance for the Christian church today."
--Greg Peters, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University

"With discriminating erudition, as deep as it is wide, and unfailing clarity of exposition, Levy covers the sweep of Western Christian biblical exegesis from the church fathers to the fifteenth century. As he shows, whether as monks, pastors, or masters in the schools, medieval exegetes had more in common than has sometimes been imagined. Levy's book provides a rich banquet for both specialist and nonspecialist readers interested in the history of biblical exegesis and offers food for thought for scholars currently engaged in biblical study."
--Marcia L. Colish, Oberlin College; visiting fellow in history, Yale University

"In this excellent introduction, Levy proves himself a skillful and surefooted guide across the extensive, varied, and often rugged terrain of medieval scriptural exegesis. With an admirable focus on primary texts, Levy enables a wide range of medieval interpreters--from Bede and Sedulius Scottus to Nicholas of Lyra and John Wyclif--to speak across the centuries to us, challenging modern understandings of the Bible and its interpretation. As learned as it is accessible, this volume will be as helpful to the seasoned scholar as it is instructive for the novice."
--Franklin T. Harkins, Boston College

"This short introduction to the history of medieval biblical studies shows the relevance of this field for today's theology and exegesis. Few are in a better position to introduce this material than Ian Levy, and he does it brilliantly in this book."
--Frans van Liere, Calvin College; author of Introduction to the Medieval Bible

"Simultaneously a work of rigorous intellectual history and a handbook for recovering a lost way of reading, this book offers close readings of selected interpretive examples from across both the monastic and scholastic tradition, paying special attention to the interpretation of the letters of Paul."--Rachel Fulton Brown, author of Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought

Author Biography

Ian Christopher Levy (PhD, Marquette University) is professor of historical theology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Holy Scripture and the Quest for Authority at the End of the Middle Ages.