Medieval Exegesis, vol. 3: The Four Senses of Scripture - Paperback

by Henri De Lubac (Author)

For many years biblical scholars were convinced that the Middle Ages was marked by a so-called pre-critical understanding of the Bible, with only a handful of isolated exceptions -- like Andrew of St. Victor -- popping up as precursors of the historical-critical method. Here, however, Henri de Lubac draws on extensive documentation to demonstrate that even among the Victorines traditional exegesis involving an interplay between the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture is a constant throughout medieval exegesis. The one exception -- a radically important one, de Lubac readily admits -- was Joachim of Flora, whose doctrine is considered in the final chapter of this volume.