Medieval Readings of Romans: (Romans Through History & Culture)

This sixth volume of the Romans through History and Culture series consists of 14 contributions by North-American and European medievalists and Pauline scholars who discuss significant readings of Romans through the twelfth and thirteenth centuries to the eve of the Reformation. The commentaries of Abelard, William of St. Thierry, Thomas Aquinas, and Nicolas of Lyra, and the wider influence of Romans as reflected in the letters of Heloise and the works of Dante demonstrate the reception of Romans at this period. Starting with an introduction inviting the reader to into the biblical environment of the Middle Ages and suggesting the varied ways in which Paul was understood in both high clerical culture and among the people; it also offers a summary of the work done by each of the authors. This volume attests the dominant role of scripture in communal life and witnesses to the pervasive influence of Paul's letter to the Romans in the flourishing discussions on Scripture and theology.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Paul's Letter to the Romans in the Middle Ages - Peter S.Hawkins, Brenda D.Schildgen Romans in the Twelfth Century 1. Another Look at Abelard's Commentary on Romans 3:26 - H.Lawrence Bond 2. Romans as Read in School and Cloister in the Twelfth-Century: The Commentaries of Peter Abelard and William of Saint Thierry - Jean Doutre 3. Female Monasticism in the Twelfth Century: Peter Abelard, Heloise, and Paul's Letter to the Romans - Brenda D. Schildgen 4. Medieval Readings of Old and New Law: From Sacra Pagina to Sacra Doctrina - Ian Christopher Levy Romans in the Thirteenth Century 5. The Love of Learning and the Desire for God in Thomas Aquinas's Commentary on Romans - Thomas F. Ryan 6. Dante, St. Paul, and the Epistle to the Romans - Peter S. Hawkins Responses to Papers 7. Abelard's Interpretation of Romans : Response to Jean Doutre - Charles H. Cosgrove 8. Comparative Methods and the Rhetorical-Theological Presence of Romans in Dante: Response to Peter S. Hawkins - William Franke 9. Response to H.Lawrence Bond, Ian C. Levy, and Thomas F.Ryan - James D.G.Dunn 10. Response to H.Lawrence Bond, Ian C. Levy, and Thomas F.Ryan - Philip D.W.Krey Romans on the Eve of the Reformation 11. First in Knowledge of Divine Law: The Jews and the Old Law in Nicholas of Lyra's Romans Commentary - Deeana Copeland Klepper 12. Romans Commentaries in the Later Middle Ages - Mark W. Elliott Conclusion: Reading Romans in Conversation with Medieval Interpreters: The Challenge of Cross-Fertilization - William S. Campbell

About the Author :
Dr. William S. Campbell, Reader in Biblical Studies, University of Wales, is author of 'Paul's Gospel in Inter-Cultural Context' (1992) and is Editor of Journal of Beliefs and Values. Peter S. Hawkins is Professor of Religion and Literature at Yale University Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music, Worship and the Arts, USA. His previous books include Dante's Testaments: Essays on Scriptural Imagination and The Poet's Dante: Twentieth Century Reflections. Brenda Deen Schildgen is Professor and Chair of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Davis, USA. She is the author of five books, including Power and Prejudice: Reception of the Gospel of Mark (Wayne State University Press, 1999), which was the recipient of a Best Academic Book Choice award, Pagans, Tartars, Jews, and Moslems in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (University of Florida Press, 2001), Dante and the Orient (University of Illinois Press, 2002), and Heritage or Heresy: Destruction and Preservation of Religious Images and Artifacts in Europe (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2008). She is also the co-editor of five books, including Other Renaissances (co-edited with Zhou Gang and Sander Gilman, Palgrave/Macmillan, 2006).

Review :
Review in International Review of Biblical Studies, vol. 54:2007/08 "this collection will prove useful to medievalists engaging with other medievalists on issues in their field. The presentation is accessible, and non-specialist readers will gain some insight into issues in medieval scholarship, and perhaps the wish to discover more." "... lively scholarly conversation ... provide extremely helpful discussions to the medievalist and biblical scholar alike." - Jennifer A. Harris, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 35 No. 1, March 2009.