The Biblical Interpretation of William of Alton (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology) - Hardcover

Bellamah OP, Timothy F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199753601 ISBN 13: 9780199753604

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Studies of medieval Biblical interpretation usually focus on the printed literature, neglecting the vast majority of relevant works. Timothy Bellamah offers a groundbreaking examination of the exegesis of William of Alton, a thirteenth-century Dominican regent master at Paris whose commentaries have never previously appeared in print.

As a near contemporary of Hugh of St. Cher, Bonaventure, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas, William was an important representative of university exegesis at a time of rapidly changing methods and remarkable intellectual development. His commentaries are valuable resources for understanding Biblical study of the thirteenth century, in the schoolroom and in the pulpit. Yet study of William's work has been impeded by the dubious authenticity of numerous commentaries questionably attributed to him over the centuries.

Bellamah addresses these complex problems by unearthing evidence of authorship in each commentary's style and methodology. This inquiry employs the traits of William's commentaries as criteria for constituting a list of works that can be reliably attributed to him, which, in turn, provides a crucial basis for studying his exegesis. William was a man of his time, but even more than his contemporaries he was deeply interested in history and the literal sense, which he understood to be the intention of Scripture's authors, divine and human. He took a keen interest in Biblical history and put to use a wide array of procedures for textual, linguistic, and rhetorical analysis. At the same time, he remained aware of the spiritual senses and the diverse elements of the exegetical and theological tradition in which he stood.

About this title

About the Author

A native of Washington, D.C., Timothy Bellamah teaches systematic and historical theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Leonine Commission, editors of the works of Thomas Aquinas. He is also the editor of the speculate review, The Thomist.

Review

"[A]n ambition book... It reveals an author with an impressive grasp of his field."
--The Thomist

"Father Bellamah continues the work of greats like Beryl Smalley and Gilbert Dahan, helping to bring into fuller view the world of thirteenth-century university biblical scholarship. He is a learned, able presenter of that world. Thanks to him, William of Alton, O.P. comes out from behind half-drawn curtains onto the proscenium, where we get to hear him speak his own lines, with his own inflection. We will want more."--Mark F. Johnson, Associate Professor of Theology, Marquette University

"This book about the study of the Bible at Paris University in the Age of Aquinas is a major advance in a the history of exegesis, in the tradition of Beryl Smalley. Bellamah reveals the mind of an independent and critical medieval scholar, and draws interesting comparisons with modern 'aesthetic theology.'"--David d'Avray, Professor of History, University College London

"This book contributes to the development of learning on several fronts. We learn about the medieval university, about the study of Sacred Scripture within it, and about the intellectual environment that shaped the thought of Thomas Aquinas. The author exhibits a remarkable erudition. His carefully documented study of a thirteenth-century scripture scholar persuades the reader to appreciate a form of critical biblical exegesis that some modern commentators ignore."--Romanus Cessario, O.P., Professor of Systematic Theology, St John's Seminary

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0199753601
• ISBN 13: 9780199753604
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368