Notes on “The Story of the Bible” Class No. 8
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Index
Preliminaries
Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University, lecturer
Lecture 13: Interpretation in Medieval Christianity
Official outline from The Teaching Company
Christianity was shaped during the Middle Ages more than in other times
- before this, the world was pluralistic
- the Bible's place was not solidified
- the world was shaped by Scripture
- those in Europe were isolated from the rest of the world
Marco Polo (1294) reported on the outside world
Islam was aggressive, but was no longer a military threat since 1232
Judaism was thought to be a religion of the past
- their failure to recognize Jesus relegated them to the past
- they were a matter of superstitious fear
So, with the lack of competing forces, the Bible became more important
- this was still before printing
- most parishes had one Bible
- thus, it was read out loud
- monks memorized Psalter
- the words were read and then expounded upon in the homily
- thus, scripture was can oral rather than a reading experience
Scripture was taken as a matter of fact
- the seven sacrements were derived scripturally
- they marked the milestones in one’s life
Sanctoral cycle = celebration of saints
Even hours of the day are set by Scripture
- six prayers during the day, one at night
Great cathedrals were great for many reasons
- time to build
- size
- cost
- expressed Biblical story through ornamentation, etc., esp. stained glass windows
Thus, the Biblical story was communicated in many ways
In Medieval time it was easy to imagine the Biblical world in the current day’s world
Cathedrals also had organizations that provided financial support and schools
Hugh and Richard of St. Victor
- interacted and learned from Jews
Schools & Science
- reading Scripture to learn
Interpretation was not in writing, but in sermons
Premises that govern Biblical interpretation
- you will notice similarities to Jewish interpretation
(1) fundamental: Scripture reveals God's words to humans
- while written by humans, it was inspired by God
- the task of human reason was to discover (rather than challenge) what God had to say
- there is no lapse in God
(2) since God is author, it must be consistent
- God is smarter than human
- old and new testaments tell a single story
- the old testament was seen as preparation
- Jesus and the story of the Church were seen as fulfillment of the prophesies
- Christians made a sharp distinction between the law of God and the ritual law, which is no longer valid
- the Bible is harmonious within itself and within Church tradition
- this is shattered in the Reformation
- e.g., Paul and James are seeing things from a different perspective, thus they are both right
- Paul was addressing those not Baptized
- James was addressing those already Baptized
In contrast to Jewish tradition, the allegorical reading was more important than the historical
- topicological sense provided moral guidance
In universities, Scripture was a subject of controversy
Spirituality was too far from the reading of the text according to Luther
Lecture 14: The Renaissance, Printing, and the Bible
Official outline from The Teaching Company
The Renaissance dates
- disagreement on dates
- but all agree on importance of 15th-16th century in Italy
- fall of Constantinople in 1453 precipitated large movement of scholars to the West
- e.g., these scholars could read Plato and Aristotle in the original Greek
- these were superior to the translations that they had in Latin and other languages
- such new knowledge challenge current knowledge
as we saw, the Medieval world lacked pluralism
- this movement brought a view of the world before Christianity that was in some ways better than today’s world
- recovery of past could allow us to reshape the future
Much more profound appreciation of the human place in the world
- human life was not only a precursor to joining God in heaven
- previously, we’re only here for a moment in the grandeur of time
- art & literature called humanistic
- e.g., Sistine Chapel and Pieta
- both religious, but also human
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
- anticipates so many things in science
- Pico della Mirandola
- Oration of the Dignity of Man
- developmet of Italian sttes
- thus, the Renaissance gave birth to the beauty of life
- this was *not* a break with Christianity
Technological changes — invention of the printing press
- China had block printing in the 9th century
- movable clay type had been used in the 11th cent.
- printing press used in 1254
Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1398-1468), Germany
- movable, metal type
- oil-based inks
- metal type
- a new type of printing press, based on those used in making wine
in 1440, he mass produced indulgences, i.e., time off in purgatory
- “get out of jail” card for purgatory
- 1448 calendar
1450 Gutenberg turned his attention to the Bible
- the 42-line Bible (number of lines per page)
- the Vulcan Latin version
- 135 on vellum and 135 on paper
- illuminated by hand
- 11 on vellum and 48 on paper still exist
- the first printed Bibles resembled manuscripts
- no page numbers
- no word spacing
- no indentation
- no paragraphs
- chapter and verse divisions were not found in the ancient manuscript
- these were added to Greek
- added by Robert Stephanus (Etienne) in 1565 (new testament) and 1571 (old testament)
Printing made Bibles less expensive
- offered the possibility of a consistent and replacable Bible
- possibility of individual ownership
- this gave rise to the possibility of individual interpretation
- also, reading the Bible becomes a visual rather than an aural experiences
- also, the production of a synopses and concordances
Printing + Learning
- => quest for a better Bible
- original was in Greek
- thus, as with other books, the Greek was earlier and therefore considered better than Latin translations
- scholars’ Bible was better than Vulcan version
Commplutensian Polyglot
- 1514 in Greek
- 1522 parallel columns of Greek, Hebrew, and Latin in between
Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469?-1536)
- sharp critic of Catholic corruption
- gathered late and mediocre manuscripts
- produced Greek version and his own translation into Latin
Textus Receptus (TR) = received text
- underscores the King James version
- Theodore Beza 1519-___
These versions initiate a tension between scholars and priests
- in church, the Vulcan version holds sway
- under-educated clergy could only work with this version
- they could only hand on what had already been taught
- scholars had versions that were earlier and arguably better
- called into question the authority of the Vulcan and therefore the priests
Thus, the Renaissance was a pivotal period
- made possible a hunger for change
- profoundly shook the Medieval sense
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