Originally published in French as Exégèse médiévale, Henri de Lubac's multivolume study of medieval exegesis and theology has remained one of the most significant
Originally published in French as Exégèse médiévale, Henri de Lubac's multivolume study of medieval exegesis and theology has remained one of the most significant works of modern biblical studies. Available now for the first time in English, this long-sought-after volume is an essential addition to the library of those whose study leads them into the difficult field of biblical interpretation.
The first volume in de Lubac's multivolume work begins his comprehensive historical and literary study of the way Scripture was interpreted by the church of the Latin Middle Ages.
Examining the prominent commentators of the Middle Ages and their texts, de Lubac discusses the medieval approach to biblical interpretation that sought "the four senses" of Scripture, especially the dominant practice of attempting to uncover Scripture's allegorical meaning. Though Bible interpreters from the Enlightenment era on have criticized such allegorizing as part of the "naivete of the Middle Ages," de Lubac insists that a full understanding of this ancient Christian exegesis provides important insights for us today.
New Oxford Review
"A sustained, thorough, and passionate defense of the traditional biblical exegesis used consistently in the Catholic Church until the 20th century. . . Medieval Exegesis, though written in the 1950s, is, if anything, even more timely and urgent today than it was four decades ago. Anyone interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of the Old Testament will benefit for a careful reading of this book."
Religious Studies Review
"Historical theologians will welcome the appearance in English translation of volume 1 of de Lubac's foundational study of the history and character of medieval biblical interpretation. . . De Lubac inspired closer scholarly attention to the history of exegesis and revolutionized the history of Christian thought by demonstrating that much of the history of theology was in fact the history of the interpretation of the Bible. . . This translation provides a much-needed secondary text for courses in the history of precritical exegesis . . . and provides historical theologians whose fields of specialty lie outside the medieval era with a handy and extremely useful discussion of this key aspect of the history of Christian thought, complete with detailed references to the primary sources."
America
"Magnificent. . . One can only stand in awe at de Lubac's learning and theological sensitivity."
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