A Material History of the Bible, England 1200-1553
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:1st Dec '20
Should be back in stock very soon
This book is the first in-depth study of the production and use of Bibles in late medieval and early modern England. Over three and a half centuries, from the nascent universities and Latin Bibles of the thirteenth century to the death of Edward VI in 1553, it puts a new perspective on the advent of moveable type print and religious reform. Based on the analysis of hundreds of biblical manuscripts and prints it reveals how scribes, printers, readers, and patrons have reacted to religious and political turmoil. The material evidence undermines traditional narratives, revealing, for example, evidence of Church worship in English prior to the Reformation, or seeing Henry VIII's Great Bible as a useless book.
Through the details and particularities of material history, Poleg reveals, instead, "a more turbid realm of uncertainties and protracted transformation". * Jessica Brantley, Yale University, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies *
Eyal Poleg's erudite work is an important and innovative contribution to the history of the English Bible. It successfully brings together the study of manuscripts and printed Bibles in a framework that closely attends to layers of material evidence. This evidence reveals complex ways in which producers and readers engaged with their books for a variety of sometimes conflicting theological or commercial motives. Extending the focus to previously little-studied later copies and subsequent reprints/editions is a major strength of the book. * Matti Peikola, Manuscript Studies *
...there is much to be learned from the attention to biblical paratexts, and to various scribe', editors', translators', and printers' attempts to parse and package the Bible as a singlevolume text. And Poleg's book may fruitfully be consulted by anyone pursuing research along these lines. * Andrew Kraebel, Church History *
ISBN: 9780197266960
Dimensions: 245mm x 190mm x 16mm
Weight: 1g
272 pages