The Glossa Ordinaria: The Making of a Medieval Bible Commentary

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Brill, 2009 - History - 267 pages
The "Glossa Ordinaria" on the Bible was the ubiquitous text of the Middle Ages. Compiled in twelfth-century France, this multi-volume work, containing the entire text of Scripture surrounded by a commentary drawn from patristic and medieval authors, is still extant in thousands of manuscripts, testifying to the centrality of the work for generations of medieval scholars. Although the "Glossa" has been the subject of modern study, it is surrounded by myth. This book, based on manuscript evidence, is the first to draw together the history of this monumental work, its authorship, content, layout, production and use. Raising new questions, and pointing the way to further research, it opens up the "Glossa" to all students of medieval religion and intellectual history.

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About the author (2009)

Lesley Smith (DPhil., Oxon.) is Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford University. An intellectual historian, she is the author of "Masters of the Sacred Page" (Notre Dame, 2001) and co-editor of "Nicholas of Lyra: the Senses of Scripture" (Brill, 2000).

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