Michael Fox - Old English Literature and the Old Testament

OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE AND THE OLD TESTAMENT

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the Bible in the medieval world. For the Anglo-Saxons, literary culture emerged from sustained and intensive biblical study. Further, at least to judge from the Old English texts that survive, the Old Testament in particular was the primary influence, both in terms of content and modes of interpretation. Though the Old Testament was only partially translated into Old English, recent studies have shown how completely interconnected the Anglo-Latin and Old English literary traditions are.

Old English Literature and the Old Testament considers the importance of the Old Testament from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, from comparative to intertextual and historical. Though the essays focus on individual works, authors, or trends, including the Interrogationes Sigewulfi, Genesis A, and Daniel, each ultimately speaks to the vernacular corpus as a whole, suggesting approaches and methodologies for further study.

(Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series)

MICHAEL FOX teaches Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication at Western University.

MANISH SHARMA is an associate professor in the Department of English at Concordia University.

Edited by Michael Fox

and Manish Sharma

University of Toronto Press 2012

Toronto Buffalo London

www.utppublishing.com

Printed in the U.S.A.

Reprinted in paperback 2014

ISBN 978-0-8020-9854-2 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-4426-2680-5 (paper)

Printed on acid-free paper.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Old English literature and the Old Testament / edited by Michael Fox and
Manish Sharma.

(Toronto Anglo-Saxon series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8020-9854-2 (bound). ISBN 978-1-4426-2680-5 (pbk.)

1. English literature Old English, ca. 4501100 History and criticism.
2. Christian literature, English (Old) History and criticism. 3. Bible In
literature. 4. Christianity and literature England History To 1500. I. Fox,
Michael, 1967 II. Sharma, Manish, 1973 III. Series: Toronto Anglo-Saxon series

PR173.O54 2012 829.0938221 C2011-902772-0

University of Toronto Press gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, in the publication of this book.

This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Program, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for its publishing activities.

Michael Fox, University of Alberta, and Manish Sharma, Concordia University

Michael Fox, University of Alberta

Paul Szarmach, The Medieval Academy of America

Samantha Zacher, Cornell University

Charles D. Wright, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Manish Sharma, Concordia University

Phyllis Portnoy, University of Manitoba

Damian Fleming, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne

Robin Waugh, Wilfrid Laurier University

Russell Poole, University of Western Ontario

Stephen J. Harris, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

M.J. Toswell, University of Western Ontario

MICHAEL FOX AND MANISH SHARMA

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the Bible to the medieval world view. Augustine, the undisputed father of the Western medieval understanding of the Bible, felt that the it was the expression of Gods will; all that could profitably be known was contained within its verses. Specifically, through literal and figurative expression, the Bible contained eternal truths, history, prophecy, and commands or warnings about what we were to do. At the same time, however, all of scripture could be distilled into the simple commandment to love God with all our heart, and our neighbours just as ourselves.