Nicholas of Lyra's literal commentary on lamentations and Jewish exegesis: A comparative study

Ari Geiger

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The literal commentary of Nicholas of Lyra (France, c. 1270-1349) on the Bible (Postilla literalis super totam Bibliam) is one of the most important Christian commentaries that were written according to the literal sense of Scripture. It is also known for its frequent use of Jewish quotations, mainly Rashi's interpretations. This paper presents similarities between Nicholas' own interpretations in the Postilla on Lamentations and Jewish exegetical literature on the same book. The paper is based on a comparison between these two kinds of commentaries (Jewish and Nicholas') on the same biblical verses. This comparison reveals interpretations written by Jewish scholars which are similar to those written earlier by Nicholas. The article ends with an attempt to explain this interesting phenomenon of what seems to be a hidden Jewish influence on Nicholas of Lyra.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-22
Number of pages22
JournalMedieval Encounters
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2009

Keywords

  • Biblical exegesis
  • Christian Hebraism
  • Christians and Jews
  • Lamentations
  • Middle ages
  • Nicholas of Lyra
  • Rashi

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